Biosphere Essay Example For Students

Biosphere Essay The biosphere is part of the earth in which life exists. It is 20 km thick fromthe bottom of the ocean to the lower atmosphere. It consists of three layers:the lithosphere, which is the land on the surface of the earth; the hydrosphere,which comprises of the water on the earth as well as water vapor in the air; andthe atmosphere, which is made up of the air that surrounds the earth. The livingorganisms in the biosphere interact and affect each other in many ways. This iscalled a biotic factor. Similarly, there are non-living elements that have aneffect on living organisms, these are considered abiotic factors. Examples ofabiotic factors are air, temperature, water, soil, light, and minerals. In abiosphere, organisms live in special groupings. For instance, a populationconsists of all individuals of a species living in a general area. A communityis a population located in a certain area living among different species. Anecosystem is yet a larger conglomeration of a population, a commu nity, andabiotic factors. Ecosystems can be aquatic or terrestrial. The earths aquaticecosystem makes up about 75% of the earths surface. This aquatic environment isdivided into marine and freshwater environments. The earths terrestrialecosystem is mainly made up of forests and deserts, which make up for 25% of theearths surface. The role or function of an organism in a community is thatorganisms niche. An organisms niche is an area picked by that organism basedon physical factors such as temperature, light, oxygen and carbon dioxidecontent and biological factors such as food, competition for resources andpredators. This niche provides the organism a place to live in. A habitatremains consistent with an organisms niche as well as provides the organismwith a place to reproduce. In this case, organisms may have the same habitat,but different niches. There are three types of relationships involving theinteractions between organisms. They are mutualism, commensalism, andparasitism. Mutu alism is a relationship where both organisms benefit from theirinteraction with each other. An example is the honey bee and a flowering plant. Commensalism only benefits one organism, but the other organism is not affected. Parasitism only benefits one organism and harms the other organism, which mostof the time is the host. In the ecosystem, matter and nutrients are cycled viabiogeochemical cycles such as water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and phosphorous. The burning of fossil fuels contributes to the industrial cycle of carbondioxide in the atmosphere. This contributes to the greenhouse effect, which hasbeen a reason for global warming. Nitrogen is found in the atmosphere and makesup about 78% of the earths air mixture. Oxygen makes up about 22% of theearths air mixture, and pollutants make up about 1% of the earths air mixture. Nitrogen is important in the development of organisms on earth, as the makecompounds such as proteins and amino acid. These compounds are important becausethey make up DNA and other compounds crucial to the formation and sustenance oflife. Changes in an ecosystem are brought about by different factors. Forexample, ecological succession brings about the replacement of one community byanother in an ecosystem. In other instances, organisms that colonize an areawith no community present are considered pioneer organisms. A climax communityis the final stage of development of organisms and can be disrupted by a majorcatastrophe like a volcanic eruption.