Hey future biologists! 🌟 Ready to dive into the fascinating world of ecosystems? Buckle up, because we're about to discuss what keeps ecosystems stable and what happens when things go awry. So let's get into it!

An ecosystem is like a well-oiled machine; a few key conditions need to be met for it to function smoothly

• Steady Supply of Energy: Think of this as the battery of the ecosystem. Just like your phone needs juice to keep running, ecosystems need a constant supply of energy (usually from the sun).
• No Nutrient Leakage: Imagine a fish tank with a leak; you'd keep losing water, right? Similarly, if nutrients keep leaving the ecosystem, things are gonna get rough.
• High Genetic Diversity: You know how people say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket"? Well, this applies to ecosystems too. A diverse gene pool helps species adapt to changes.

Real-world example 🌍

• Steady Supply of Energy: The sun beams down light for plants to photosynthesize, which is like charging the ecosystem's battery!

• No Nutrient Leakage: In a closed loop like the Amazon Rainforest, dead plants and animals decompose, returning nutrients to the soil, which helps new plants grow. No leaks!

• High Genetic Diversity: Imagine a population of bunnies where some are good at hiding and some aren't. If a new predator shows up, the good hiders will survive, and the population won't crash.

Things that can mess up an ecosystem are called disruptions. They can be

• Harvesting & Removal of Materials: Taking away trees or fish messes with nutrient cycles. 🪓🐟

• Erosion: A fancy term for when soil gets washed or blown away, taking nutrients with it. 🌬️

• Eutrophication: Too many nutrients in water can actually be a bad thing! It can cause algae blooms, which disrupt the underwater pecking order. 🌊🦠

• Selective Removal of Species: Imagine if all teachers at your school suddenly vanished. Chaos, right? That's what happens if you remove a keystone species. 🗝️🐺

Real-world example 🌍

• Erosion: Imagine spilling sugar on the floor and sweeping it up. The sugar is like the soil's nutrients getting washed away.

• Eutrophication: It's like overfeeding your fish. Initially, it seems fine, but eventually, the water gets toxic.

• Selective Removal of Species: If bees (a keystone species) were to disappear, many plants wouldn't get pollinated, affecting the whole ecosystem. 🐝