Ecosystem Services

• Atmospheric composition • The hydrological cycle • Biogeochemical cycles • Soil maintenance • Interspecies relationships • Food • Pollination • Seed dispersal • Habitat provision

The compostition of the atmosphere is regulated by many abiotic and biotic processes which act to cancel eachother out, creating a ‘dynamic equilibrium’. Becuase the processes may be balanced, with no overall change, their actions and importance often go unnoticed.

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

Any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem.

A state of balance between continuting processes

Concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen are largely regulated by photosynthesis and aerobic respiration

• Atmosphere • Chemical elements • Sunlight/temperature • Wind • Water

• Animals • Plants • Fungi • Bacteria • Protists

Evapotranspiration from vegetation produces a large amount of the water vapour that forms clouds, controls surface temperatures, and increases precipitation.

.

.

Living organisms are involved in many of the processes in the biochemical cycles such as the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. Many of these are done by microbes such as bacteria and fungi. Without these processes, waste products would build up and important nutrient resources would become depleted.

Soil is vital for plant survival and it regulates the water cycle, producing even more river flow and reducing flooding. The process involved in the breakdown and decomposition of dead organic matter involves invertebrate animals, fungi and bacteria. The organic matter and humus produced help to hold the soil together, while decomposition produces organic acids which aid the weathering and breakdown of rocks, helping to produce more soil and release more nutrients.

Soil is vital for the growth and survival of almost all plants, producing support, water, and nutrients.