What is the set of ecosystem called?
Biome
Understanding Ecosystems and Biomes
The question asks for the term that describes a set of ecosystems. To answer this, we need to understand what an ecosystem is and how it relates to larger biological classifications.
What is an Ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a geographical area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystems contain biotic factors (living things) and abiotic factors (non-living things like water, soil, air, and sunlight) that interact with each other.
What is a Biome?
A biome is a large region of Earth that has a certain climate and certain types of living things. Biomes are made up of many similar ecosystems. Think of it like a large-scale ecosystem. For example, a forest biome contains many individual forest ecosystems, and a desert biome contains many individual desert ecosystems.
Biomes are typically defined by factors such as climate (temperature and rainfall) and the types of plant and animal communities that live there. Examples of major biomes include forests, grasslands, deserts, tundras, and aquatic biomes.
Analyzing the Options
Let's look at the given options:
- Stratosphere: This is a layer of the Earth's atmosphere, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. It is not a term used to describe a collection of ecosystems.
- Hydrosphere: This term refers to all the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater. While water is a crucial abiotic factor within ecosystems and biomes, the hydrosphere itself is not a set of ecosystems; rather, various aquatic ecosystems exist within the hydrosphere.
- Biome: As discussed, a biome is defined as a large geographical area characterized by specific climate and ecological communities, essentially representing a collection or set of similar ecosystems.
- Atmosphere: This is the layer of gases surrounding the Earth. Like the hydrosphere, it is a vital component influencing ecosystems and biomes (providing air, regulating temperature, weather), but it is not a set of ecosystems itself.
Based on the definitions, a biome is the term used to describe a large collection or set of similar ecosystems within a specific climate zone.
| Term | Definition | Relation to Ecosystems |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem | An area with interacting biotic and abiotic factors. | The basic unit. |
| Biome | A large area with similar climate and ecological communities. | A collection of similar ecosystems. |
| Stratosphere | Layer of atmosphere. | Part of the physical environment, not a collection of ecosystems. |
| Hydrosphere | All water on Earth. | Contains aquatic ecosystems, but not a collection of terrestrial/aquatic ecosystems in general. |
| Atmosphere | Layer of gases around Earth. | Part of the physical environment, not a collection of ecosystems. |
Therefore, the correct term for a set of ecosystems is a biome.
Revision Table: Key Terms
| Term | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem | Community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment. |
| Biome | Large geographic area with distinct climate and dominant life forms (a set of ecosystems). |
| Biotic Factors | Living components of an ecosystem (plants, animals, microorganisms). |
| Abiotic Factors | Non-living components of an ecosystem (water, soil, sunlight, temperature). |
Additional Information: Types of Biomes and Global Ecosystems
Biomes help us classify the vast diversity of life on Earth into manageable categories. Major types of terrestrial biomes include:
- Tropical Rainforest
- Temperate Forest
- Boreal Forest (Taiga)
- Grassland
- Savanna
- Desert
- Tundra
- Chaparral
Aquatic biomes are also recognized, though sometimes classified differently. These include:
- Freshwater (lakes, rivers, wetlands)
- Marine (oceans, coral reefs, estuaries)
Understanding biomes helps scientists study global patterns of biodiversity, climate change impacts, and the distribution of species across the planet. Each biome consists of numerous interconnected ecosystems that share similar characteristics.
Important Questions from Applied Ecology
Which one of the following was recently reported to be the first mammal to have become extinct as a result of climate change?
Given below is a list of natural disturbances.
A. Coral bleaching
B. Rising sea levels
C. Shifts in species distribution
D. Lowering of sea levels
E. Increase in glacial sheets
Which one of the following combinations of disturbances can be attributed to global warming?
The following information refers to ecological interactions.
Which one of the following options represents the correct match between column X and column Y?Column X Column X A Bass introduction into
aquatic systems(i) Bioaccumulation B Beavers (ii) Aposematism C Sea bird (such as puffins) (iii) Keystone species D Yellow and black stripes in a wasp (iv) Trophic cascades Which one of the options given below is NOT desirable when setting up nature reserves in the tropics?
A researcher captured 45 fish from a lake on day 1, tagged and released them back. On day 2 the researcher caught 50 fish out from the same lake, of which 15 were already tagged. Estimate the population size of fish in the lake with this information and pick the correct option.
