INSTITUTE

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An ecosystem is a living system that includes all the living beings in an environment and the non-living elements around them.

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It therefore consists of plants, animals, micro-organisms, but also air, water, soil, and climate. All these elements interact with each other and form a natural balance that is essential for life.

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Each ecosystem has its own characteristics.

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For example, a forest, an ocean, a mountain, or even a pond are all different ecosystems. In each of them, species develop specific adaptations to survive: cacti in the desert store water, polar animals have thick fur to resist the cold, while fish have fins and gills to live underwater.

Within an ecosystem, every living organism has a role. Plants produce oxygen and serve as food for many animals. Herbivores eat these plants, then carnivores feed on the herbivores. Finally, decomposers such as fungi and bacteria break down waste and dead organisms into nutrients, allowing the soil to remain fertile. All these interactions form the food chain.

However, ecosystems are fragile. Human activities such as pollution, deforestation, urbanization, and climate change threaten this balance. The disappearance of a single species can have consequences on the entire environment. For example, if a predator disappears, certain animal populations may grow too rapidly and disrupt vegetation.

Protecting ecosystems is therefore essential to preserve biodiversity and to secure the natural resources that humans depend on: clean air, drinking water, food, raw materials… Protecting nature, managing resources sustainably, and reducing pollution are all necessary actions to maintain ecological balance.