Ecosystems

Learn about ecosystems and use ArcGIS Field Maps to observe the ecosystems around you.

D'Maia Curry

September 16, 2022

In this story you'll learn what ecosystems are, the processes that occur in them, and how they can be destroyed. Once you have the basics, you'll observe and gain a better understanding of the ecosystems around you using the ArcGIS Field Maps mobile app.

What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is an ecological community where living organisms interact with each other and with the non-living environment.

Ecosystem components

Ecosystems are composed of two major components: Biotic organisms and Abiotic factors. Biotic organisms are living organisms like plants and animals. Abiotic components are the non-living parts of an ecosystem and include environmental factors like sunlight, temperature, water, or soil.

Abiotic (non-living) and Biotic (living) Factors

In an ecosystem, biotic and abiotic organisms interact with and depend on one another. As a result, if one component is taken away from the ecosystem, it will affect all other parts of it.

Ecosystems are extremely important to life on earth! They are the foundation of the biosphere, the parts of Earth where life exists, and determine the health of the entire planet.

Types of ecosystems

Ecosystems are geographically diverse and range from small ponds to large, tropical rain forests.

There are three general ecosystem categories: Freshwater, Marine, and Terrestrial. Within each of these categories, there are individual ecosystem types that differ from one another based on the habitat of the environment and the organisms that live there.

Let’s learn a little bit more about each of these categories!

Freshwater Ecosystems

Freshwater ecosystems are the least common ecosystems on earth, covering just 1.8% of the Earth's surface. These ecosystems are the freshwater sources of the world and include features like lakes, rivers, streams, and springs. Freshwater habitats are very diverse and support a variety of animals, plants, fungi, protists, and prokaryotes.

Real-world examples: Nile River, Caspian Sea, Lake Superior

Marine Ecosystems

Marine ecosystems cover 75% of the Earth’s surface, making it the largest ecosystem. The number of different marine ecosystems is actively debated in the science community. However, several marine ecosystem types are recognized including estuaries, salt marshes, mangrove forests, coral reefs, the open ocean, and the deep ocean.

Real-world examples: Great barrier reef, Atlantic Ocean

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Terrestrial ecosystems are ecosystems that exist on land and are composed of land-based communities. They are grouped into large categories called Biomes, places on earth that are classified according to the plants and animals that live in it.

The type of terrestrial ecosystem that exists in a particular place depends on a variety of factors including temperature range, average amount of precipitation, soil type, and the amount of sunlight it receives. Tropical rainforests, savannahs, deserts, grasslands, temperate forests, and tundras are a few of the biomes that exist on earth.

Real-world examples : Amazon rain forest, Sahara Desert, Amur meadow steppe

Curious about the ecosystem you live in?

Search your location in this map to discover what ecosystem exists in your area. Click on an area on the map to view information about the terrestrial ecosystem that exists there.

World Terrestrial Ecosystems

Processes that occur in an ecosystem

Energy Flow & Food Chains

Ecosystems are nature’s energy factories. Energy flows through an ecosystem via food chains, a system that describes the feeding relationship between species. In this system, organisms are linked to each other through the production and consumption of organic material and form food chains within often complex food systems.

This is an example of a simplified, pure food chain. Such food chains can exist in areas that lack many species. However, most ecosystems have interrelated food chains, called trophic webs, that are more complex and have many cross connections between different species.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Ecosystems are also important sites for the recycling of nutrients, like carbon and nitrogen, through the natural environment. This is known as material or biogeochemical cycling. Material cycling is a recurring process and brings matter from the nonliving environment to living organisms and back again.

Let’s take a quick look at 4 important material cycles: the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and water cycle.

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Carbon Cycle

Carbon is everywhere and it is the basic building block for life on Earth. Carbon is found in non-living (inorganic) things like rocks, the ocean and the atmosphere. Living (organic) organisms are also made of carbon and need it to survive. Earth has a finite amount of carbon and carbon is constantly recycled through the atmosphere, earth surface, and below the earth’s crust. The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves through the earth from organic organisms to inorganic things.

Watch this carbon cycle video

World Biomass Map

Plants play a central role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and incorporating it into their structure. This map shows the amount of carbon stored in living vegetation around the world. Click an area on the map to view information about that location's carbon storage.

Nitrogen Cycle

Like carbon, nitrogen is another essential element. It is an important component of organic molecules like proteins, nucleic acids, and even our DNA. Plants need nitrogen to make chlorophyll, an essential component that is used in photosynthesis to make food.

Nitrogen is the most abundant element in our earth’s atmosphere - 78% of the atmosphere is made of nitrogen gas (N2). Nitrogen in its gaseous form can’t be used by most living things. As a result, it must be converted, or fixed, into a more usable form through a process called nitrogen fixation. In the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen is transformed from one chemical form to another as it moves between the atmosphere, land, and living things.

Phosphorus Cycle

The chemical element phosphorous is another important nutrient for animals and plants. It plays an essential role in cell development, is used to make the nucleic acids and phospholipids that comprise biological membranes, and is one of the building blocks for bone and teeth. Phosphorous is stored primarily in soil and sediment. The phosphorous cycle describes the transformation and movement of phosphorous in soil, water, and organic material.

The Phosphorus Cycle

Water Cycle

Water is essential to life on earth and exists in the ocean, on land, and in the atmosphere. The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water within the earth and atmosphere. It is a complex cycle with many different processes, where water is continuously recycled, maintaining the optimal conditions for life on earth.

Ecosystem Disruption

When an undesirable change or disturbance occurs to an ecosystem, it can have harmful effects, sometimes leading to the depletion or extinction of the ecosystem. This is known as ecosystem disruption.

Ecosystems can be disrupted by a variety of natural hazards like fires, floods, storms, and volcanic eruptions. For example, in 2012 Hurricane Sandy caused long term degradation, or wearing down, to 50% of a coastal wetland ecosystem in New Jersey.

Human activities can also destroy ecosystems. For example, pollution and climate change can harm organisms in an ecosystem and cause it to degrade.

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of substances or energy into the natural environment in amounts that can be harmful to the organisms that live there. Pollution can take a variety of forms, such as air, water, or noise pollution, but all are detrimental to an ecosystem.

For example, chemicals and oils from factories are sometimes dumped or seep into waterways. These chemicals are called runoff and chemicals in runoff can create a toxic environment for aquatic life. If the pollutant is toxic or dangerous enough, it can directly cause living things to die.

Climate Change

A warming environment may force species to migrate to new locations and habitats that are more suitable for survival, throwing the ecosystem's energy and food balance off.

For example, climate change leads to sea level rise that can greatly impact freshwater ecosystems. As sea level rises, saltwater from the ocean intrudes into freshwater ecosystems. This may force key species to relocate or die, thus removing organisms that are essential to the ecosystem's existing food chain.

Habitat Destruction

Habitat destruction occurs when natural habitats are removed and replaced with environments for human use, such as farmland and industrial development. For example, forests are often cut down to make space for crops and houses. When this happens, the land is no longer suitable for the organisms living there and they must move or be destroyed.

Natural Disturbance

Naturals disturbances are events that cause considerable damage to an environment's physical structure. These events are cause by natural matters like weather, geological factors, or biological changes. Examples of natural disturbances include fires, floods, landslides, and severe storms.

Observe ecosystems using ArcGIS Field Maps

Observing and taking notes on ecosystems is a hands-on method of understanding how ecosystems work and how they change over time. In fact, these observations help form the foundation of ecological science! Many influential ecological theories are built off and spurred from observations of natural processes and interactions. Ecosystem observations can inspire new ideas, justify the testing of theories, and lead to the formation of new hypotheses about the natural world.

Now that you have some background on what ecosystems are, you will head outside and use Field Maps to observe and take notes on the ecosystems around you. To get started, download ArcGIS Field Maps on your mobile device. Next, scan the QR code below or click this link on your mobile device to open the observation map.

After the map opens, click the Add button to collect an observation at your location. Fill out the observation form and click submit when you are done.

Travel to different areas of your neighborhood, city, or state and collect observations about the different ecosystems and ecosystem components that you see.

If you are an educator and want to learn how you can create the same, or similar, map in Field Maps, check out the Field Maps for Science: Ecosystem Observation blog post.