Ecosystem

nature · balance · connected systems

Living and Nonliving. An ecosystem includes both biotic parts (living things like plants, animals, and fungi) and abiotic parts (nonliving things like soil, water, sunlight, and air). All these pieces work together like a team.

Energy Flows Down. Energy enters ecosystems when plants capture sunlight and turn it into food. Animals eat the plants, other animals eat those animals, and energy moves along this food chain like a relay race.

Nutrients Cycle Back. Nutrients like nitrogen and carbon don't get used up and disappear. Instead, they cycle continuously: plants pull nutrients from soil, animals eat the plants, and when things decompose, nutrients return to the soil to start again.

Every Place Has One. Forests, deserts, oceans, grasslands, and even tiny puddles are all ecosystems. Even your school yard is an ecosystem with insects, soil, plants, and weather all interacting together.

Balance Matters Greatly. When ecosystems are balanced, everything thrives. But removing one part (like predators or pollinators) can make the whole system wobble, since everything is connected.