Climate and Community: Understanding Environmental Change

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment. Ecosystems can be as large as a desert or as small as a pond. Each ecosystem performs specific functions through the interaction of its components (producers, consumers, decomposers), which include nutrient cycling, energy flow, and the maintenance of ecological balance.

The functions of ecosystems are crucial for the survival of species and the provision of ecosystem services that support human life. The resilience of an ecosystem—the ability to withstand and recover from disturbances—depends on its biodiversity.