Can You Explain What Is Meant By An "Ecosystem"�?

An ecosystem is an ecological system formed by the interaction of living organisms and their non-living environment. Thus when considering an ecosystem we are considering both the physical and the biological factors operating in such a system.

In any ecosystem the living organisms can be identified as producers, consumers or decomposers. Producers are the green plants that can manufacture complex organic food substance from raw materials. They are the only organisms that can convert radiant energy into chemical energy and store it in their food molecules during the process which is called photosynthesis. Producers affect the lives of other organisms because they are the beginning of a food the chain. They provide food substances, energy and oxygen for other organisms in the food chain accordingly.

Consumers obtain their energy from other organisms upon which they feed. Animals are therefore consumers. Herbivores (e.g. cows, goats, zebras etc) feed directly on plants. Hence they are known as primary consumers, and carnivores (e.g. lions, cheetahs etc) which feed on herbivores are known as secondary consumers.
Decomposers (e.g. fungi and bacteria) act on dead organism and enable the materials locked up in them to be returned to the environment and be used again by the green plants.