How Is the Ecosystem Maintained in Nature?

Components

The components in the ecosystem are essential for its continued maintenance. In ecological terms, ecosystems consist of producers, consumers and decomposers. Each element performs a specific function. Producers include plants that receive energy from the sun and help make it available for other members. Consumers use this captured energy and through their activities, return it to the environment. Decomposers break down organic matter so that the energy can continue to flow.

There are two basic processes that occur in ecosystems to foster the flow of energy. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants take energy from the sun with carbon dioxide and water from the environment to create food and energy. Plants must have those three ingredients for photosynthesis to occur. Decomposition returns carbon dioxide, water and other nutrients back into the ecosystem so that other components may use them.

Food chains or food webs maintain the sense of balance necessary in the ecosystem. Rather than a chain, a food web best describes how energy moves through the ecosystem. All the components share the available resources, relying on several resources rather than just one. A simple example of a food chain in a marsh environment may begin with a grasshopper feeding on cattails. The grasshopper in turn, becomes food for a shrew, which is then preyed upon by a hawk.

Predation maintains the health of ecosystems by creating a sense of equilibrium between predator and prey. Generally, carnivore species such as the coyote and lynx will prey on small animals as long as adequate numbers of prey exist within their territories. If hare populations decline because of over-predation, predator populations will soon decrease as well with the lack of available food. As predators decline, the hare populations rebound, creating a cyclic pattern of population growth and waning.

MacArthur and Wilson developed a theory to explain how population ecology works within an ecosystem. Some species such as mice reproduce in great numbers. They are short-lived yet able to adapt quickly to different situations. These types of animals are known as R-strategists. K-strategists, on the other hand, have stable populations. Litters are smaller, with parents investing a great deal of energy in their offspring. Their populations are limited by the availability of necessary resources. The wolf and bear are two examples.