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An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other in the environment around them.
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Ecosystems are built from plants upwards as they harness co2 and water.
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And using the sun's energy plants create energy containing molecules which are carbohydrates.
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This is why they are often referred to as primary producers or autotrophs within the ecosystem.
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These molecules provide energy for all living organisms in an ecosystem.
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All other organisms that do not photosynthesize are considered consumers or heterotrophs.
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Many molecules along with energy are cycled in an ecosystem as organisms transfer them from one individual to another.
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One of the most typical transfers is when one organism consumes another.
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The molecules and energy that made up the consumed organism is either lost as heat
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or expelled such as carbon dioxide or excreted nitrogenous waste.
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And the remaining molecules are integrated into the consuming organisms biomass.
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Cycles are often completed by death and decay
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which is vital for all organisms as they return many vital nutrients to the producers and the atmosphere.
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Ecosystems are incredibly dynamic as populations of organisms increase in decrease and climatic conditions always alter.
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Some ecosystems can be very stable in that they change very little over long periods of time.
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Generally, the more diverse an ecosystem is the more stable it will be.
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Sometimes the only event that will alter these ecosystems is a natural disaster
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such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption or even a large-scale fire.
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Worry not though, ecosystems recover over time.
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Coral reefs are an excellent example of a diverse ecosystem that has existed for as many as 500 million years.
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The coral actually has a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae which are the producers in the ecosystem.
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From whale sharks to pistol shrimp, from sea cucumbers to phytoplankton,
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this ecosystem is teeming with more organisms and interactions than there are bases in the tiny little clownfishes DNA.