Ecosystems are living systems that can bounce back from different troubles, like fires, floods, or things that people do. This recovery happens through two main processes: energy flow and nutrient recycling.
Primary Production: When an ecosystem is disturbed, it starts to recover thanks to primary producers like plants and algae. For example, if a forest gets cleared, it might take over ten years to fully grow back. During this time, plants use sunlight to make food through a process called photosynthesis.
Energy Transfer: Energy moves through the ecosystem in the form of food chains. When one animal eats another, only about 10% of the energy is passed on. This idea is known as the "10% rule" and it plays a big part in how quickly different groups of living things can bounce back.
Decomposition: After something disrupts an ecosystem, decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, become very important. They help by breaking down dead plants or animals and returning nutrients back to the soil. In a healthy ecosystem, about 90% of these nutrients get recycled, which helps new plants grow.
Soil Fertility: Recycling nutrients helps keep the soil rich and healthy. Many ecosystems can restore their nitrogen levels to normal within 2 to 5 years after a disturbance, depending on how bad it was.
By combining energy flow and nutrient recycling, ecosystems gradually recover their variety of life and the amount of living matter. Research shows that after a big disturbance, ecosystems can go back to how they were in anywhere from 5 to 100 years. How quick this happens can depend on things like the climate, the kind of disturbance, and how strong the ecosystem is.
In short, ecosystems use energy flow and nutrient recycling to recover from disturbances. This helps support life and keeps communities of plants and animals stable over time.
Ecosystems are living systems that can bounce back from different troubles, like fires, floods, or things that people do. This recovery happens through two main processes: energy flow and nutrient recycling.
Primary Production: When an ecosystem is disturbed, it starts to recover thanks to primary producers like plants and algae. For example, if a forest gets cleared, it might take over ten years to fully grow back. During this time, plants use sunlight to make food through a process called photosynthesis.
Energy Transfer: Energy moves through the ecosystem in the form of food chains. When one animal eats another, only about 10% of the energy is passed on. This idea is known as the "10% rule" and it plays a big part in how quickly different groups of living things can bounce back.
Decomposition: After something disrupts an ecosystem, decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, become very important. They help by breaking down dead plants or animals and returning nutrients back to the soil. In a healthy ecosystem, about 90% of these nutrients get recycled, which helps new plants grow.
Soil Fertility: Recycling nutrients helps keep the soil rich and healthy. Many ecosystems can restore their nitrogen levels to normal within 2 to 5 years after a disturbance, depending on how bad it was.
By combining energy flow and nutrient recycling, ecosystems gradually recover their variety of life and the amount of living matter. Research shows that after a big disturbance, ecosystems can go back to how they were in anywhere from 5 to 100 years. How quick this happens can depend on things like the climate, the kind of disturbance, and how strong the ecosystem is.
In short, ecosystems use energy flow and nutrient recycling to recover from disturbances. This helps support life and keeps communities of plants and animals stable over time.