Ecosystems can be found on a variety of scales such as a small-scale freshwater pond system or on a global scale such as the tropical rainforest biome.
ecosystemThe living organisms in a particular area, together with the non-living components of the environment. are very sensitive to change. The living and non-living components of the ecosystem can be altered by either natural factors or human management.
Changes to the ecosystem caused by natural factors include:
drought
flood
fire
disease
Changes to the ecosystem caused by human management include:
introducing more fish (fish stocking)
altering the drainage of the land which may influence the amount of water
changing the pH levelThe acidity level of something. A low pH level shows acidity and a high pH level shows alkalinity. of the water
altering the nutrient levels of the water if fertilisers are leachedWhen nutrients are washed out of the soil by heavy rainfall. into the water resulting in eutrophication'Hyper-nutrition' resulting from fertiliser pollution of aquatic ecosystems.
Any of these changes can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and could result in the collapse of a food chainA sequence (usually shown as a diagram) of feeding relationships between organisms, showing which organisms eat what and the movement of energy through trophic levels..