Systems Planet Earth Is Recognized

¶ … Systems

Planet Earth is recognized for being the only planet known to man that has the proper conditions for a multitude of organisms to stay alive. These organisms survive in environments that are fit for them or they have the capacity to adapt to a changing environment. While some life forms prosper in extreme cold, others do well in the Saharan desert. An ecosystem is considered to be formed out of several physical factors which collaborate in creating a favorable environment for certain forms of life to develop and coexist.

A combination of factors can influence the well-being of an organism, and even more astounding is the fact that ecosystems can provide the organisms living within their perimeter with virtually everything that they need. In the present, the authorities are struggling to get people to understand the importance of ecosystems. Several man-made factors such as pollution and deforestations are threatening ecosystems all around the world and the very well-being of the humankind.

All of the organisms within an ecosystem are interdependent and rely on each-other to develop. At certain moments, ecosystems lose their balance because of the fact that certain organisms receive a more or less favorable treatment compared to the others or because foreign organisms have protruded their territory. When an organism receives a more favorable treatment, it tends to reproduce faster and overcrowd the ecosystem it lives in. Consequent to the respective organism overcrowding the ecosystem, other organisms might be left without the resources that they need, and, eventually, lead to the ecosystem further losing its balance.

Humans have been a major source of unbalance in numerous ecosystems.

Ecosystems can sometimes regain their balance depending on the level of toxicity that an invading organism has or on the level of resilience that the ecosystems have.

There are various ecosystems around the world, each of them having its particular characteristics. Whether it is an urban environment, a forest, or a lake, an ecosystem is formed out of several, much smaller ecosystems. Similar to how an ecosystem contains several smaller ecosystems, a biome contains several normal sized ecosystems. Biomes are found around the world and they are areas containing similar environmental conditions.

Any ecosystem has both producers and consumers which use energy to maintain balance. The sun is considered to be the main energy source for the planet, and, while trees are the main energy producers in forests, autotrophic algae are the main producers in aquatic ecosystems.

Ecological agriculture is responsible for having lead to the creation of agro-ecosystems. Unlike most normal farms that are only intended to grow crops regardless of the effects that they have on the environment, these are actually intended to grow several crops that would not affect the surrounding natural ecosystem, but on the contrary, it would enable them to become part of it. Profits can be made without damaging the environment, through ecosystem-friendly methods like these. There are things like further researches and technological developments that are necessary in order for these to become profitable in terms of mass production.

Aquatic ecosystems are among the most important ecosystems present on the globe because of the fact that they are essential for the survival of most organisms. Ever since the early ages, people have been inclined to inhabit mostly the areas around waters. However, along with the rise in population near water areas, water pollution increased and became harder and harder to control.

There are two main types of aquatic ecosystems: marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Just as in a normal ecosystem, the organisms in an aquatic ecosystem rely on each other. The aquatic ecosystems are vital for our very survival. The marine ecosystem is responsible for engulfing 97% of all the water on the globe, while approximately 40% of all the fish species on the globe live in the freshwater ecosystem.

Both the balance of the marine ecosystem and the freshwater ecosystem are endangered because of man-caused intervening factors such as overfishing and pollution. Aquatic ecosystems are responsible for providing people with a large part of the resources that they need to survive. They have the capacity to decontaminate water by purifying it. In addition to that, the respective ecosystems recharge groundwater and create habitats for wildlife.

Humankind also owes a great deal of its prosperity to terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, deserts, prairies, mountain ranges and wetlands. These ecosystems are responsible for offering raw materials, agriculture and recreation. Because mankind thrived as a species, terrestrial net primary production has been reduced with approximately 45%.

The numbers are definitely alarming, considering the fact that a single species has gone as far as performing activities that have endangered and even made other species extinct. Earth as a whole is an ecosystem and the fact that mankind has evolved and reproduced in great numbers has led to the ecosystem's unbalance.

In contrast to aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems, urban ecosystems are created by man, with the surrounding environment having been directly influenced by the activities performed by us. Besides the fact that people have a direct effect on the areas that they populate, the surrounding environment also has an effect on us and on the choices that we make. Scientists are presently trying to understand how the natural environment behaves when it comes in contact with the artificial one. Unfortunately, people have a devastating effect not only on the environment, but on themselves as well.

Unlike a natural ecosystem, an urban one has a smaller capacity to regenerate and to regain its energy through a chain of events. Just as a natural ecosystem, a city has certain needs, and, the organisms within its borders need to function properly in order for the urban ecosystem to stay in balance. Clearly, for such an ecosystem to function properly, people have to consider all the potential factors which may intervene and damage it. While a natural ecosystem has a hard time detecting any probable threats, it is easier for people to anticipate and overcome the possible perils which can emerge. Also, most natural ecosystems have a hard time recovering once they had lost their balance, in contrast to urban ecosystems, which can rapidly be brought back to balance, through their inhabitants efforts.

During the last fifty years, the world has changed dramatically, with ecosystems having suffered almost irreparable damage because of technological advancements. Apparently, our planet has never experienced such a rapid change when concerning its ecosystems. The effects can be felt through various issues such as global warming and lesser resources.

Similar to how a certain organism in a natural ecosystem does not pay interest to the damage that it does as long as it experiences favorable conditions, certain people tend to be lesser interested in the damage that they induce as long as they make profits.

In the present day, people have apparently become more interested in taking part in the reduction of pollution and in protecting the environment. However, it is alarming that it took so long for the general public to realize that the main cause for the worsening of our planet's condition is humankind itself. What is more alarming is that it is almost impossible for the globe to regain its former condition and that when put face-to-face with the matter most people prefer to overlook the situation in favor of their personal objectives. The media is swarming with news on ecosystems, how damaged they are, and how people are to be blamed for it. This action is partly good, since it has a lot of chances of getting the public's attention at some point. The fact that people have become interested in the topic has become obvious in the recent years, with words like eco and green beginning to be heard more often than ever before.

Consequent to decades of constant damaging of the environment, one would ask: "Is it all worth it?." The answer is not yet known, as the matter is divisive, with some people disregarding the effects that their actions have on the environment while a few others struggle to have the whole world understand and fight for the planet's well-being.