artificial ecosystem - it is an anthropogenic, man-made ecosystem. All the basic laws of nature are valid for it, but unlike natural ecosystems, it cannot be considered as open. The creation and monitoring of small artificial ecosystems allows obtaining extensive information about the possible state of the environment due to large-scale human impacts on it. In order to produce agricultural products, a person creates an unstable, artificially created and regularly maintained agroecosystem (agrobiocenosis ) - fields, pastures, vegetable gardens, orchards, vineyards, etc.

Differences of agrocenoses from natural biocenoses: insignificant species diversity (agrocenosis consists of a small number of species with a high abundance); short supply chains; incomplete circulation of substances (part of the nutrients are taken out with the harvest); the source of energy is not only the Sun, but also human activities (reclamation, irrigation, fertilizer application); artificial selection (the effect of natural selection is weakened, selection is carried out by man); lack of self-regulation (regulation is carried out by a person), etc. Thus, agrocenoses are unstable systems and can exist only with the support of a person. As a rule, agroecosystems are characterized by high productivity compared to natural ecosystems.

Urban systems (urban systems) -- artificial systems (ecosystems) resulting from the development of cities, and representing the focus of the population, residential buildings, industrial, household, cultural objects etc.

The following territories can be distinguished in their composition: industrial zones , where industrial facilities are concentrated various industries farms that are the main sources of environmental pollution; residential areas (residential or sleeping areas) with residential buildings, office buildings, household, cultural facilities, etc.); recreational areas , intended for recreation of people (forest parks, recreation centers, etc.); transport systems and facilities , permeating the entire urban system (automobile and railways, metro, gas stations, garages, airfields, etc.). The existence of urban ecosystems is supported by agroecosystems and the energy of fossil fuels and the nuclear industry.

An ecosystem is a collection of living organisms that continuously exchange matter, information and energy with each other and the environment. Energy is defined as the ability to do work. Its properties are described by the laws of thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics, or the law of conservation of energy, states that energy can change from one form to another, but it does not disappear or be created anew.

The second law of thermodynamics says: in any transformation of energy, part of it is lost in the form of heat, i.e. becomes unavailable for further use. The measure of the amount of energy that is not available for use, or otherwise the measure of the change in order that occurs during the degradation of energy, is entropy. The higher the order of the system, the lower its entropy.

Spontaneous processes lead the system to a state of equilibrium with the environment, to the growth of entropy, the production of positive energy. If a non-living system unbalanced with the environment is isolated, then all movement in it will soon stop, the system as a whole will die out and turn into an inert group of matter that is in thermodynamic equilibrium with the environment, that is, in a state with maximum entropy.

This is the most probable state for the system and spontaneously without external influences she can't get out of it. So, for example, a red-hot frying pan, having cooled down, having dissipated heat, does not heat up itself; the energy was not lost, it heated the air, but the quality of the energy changed, it can no longer do work. Thus, in non-living systems their equilibrium state is stable.

Living systems have one fundamental difference from non-living systems - they perform constant work against balancing with the environment. In living systems, a stable non-equilibrium state. Life is the only natural spontaneous process on Earth in which entropy decreases. This is possible because all living systems are open to energy exchange.

There is a huge amount of free energy from the Sun in the environment, and the living system itself contains components that have mechanisms for capturing, concentrating and then dissipating this energy in the environment. The dissipation of energy, that is, the increase in entropy, is a process characteristic of any system, both inanimate and living, and self-capturing and concentrating energy is the ability of only a living system. At the same time, order and organization are extracted from the environment, that is, the development of negative energy - non-entropy. This process of formation of order in the system from the chaos of the environment is called self-organization. It leads to a decrease in the entropy of a living system, counteracts its balancing with the environment.

Thus, any living system, including the ecosystem, maintains its vital activity due, firstly, to the presence of an excess of free energy in the environment; secondly, the ability to capture and concentrate this energy, and using it to dissipate it into environment low entropy states.

They capture the energy of the sun and turn it into potential energy. organic matter plants are producers. The energy received in the form of solar radiation is converted into the energy of chemical bonds during photosynthesis.

The solar energy reaching the Earth is distributed as follows: 33% of it is reflected by clouds and dust of the atmosphere (this is the so-called albedo or Earth's reflection coefficient), 67% is absorbed by the atmosphere, the Earth's surface and the ocean. Of this amount of absorbed energy, only about 1% is spent on photosynthesis, and the rest of the energy, heating the atmosphere, land and ocean, is re-emitted into outer space in the form of thermal (infrared) radiation. This 1% of energy is enough to provide it with all the living matter of the planet.

The process of energy accumulation in the body of photosynthetics is associated with an increase in body mass. Ecosystem productivity is the rate at which producers absorb radiant energy through photosynthesis, producing organic matter that can be used as food. The mass of substances created by the photosynthetic producer is referred to as primary production, this is the biomass of plant tissues. Primary production is subdivided into two levels - gross and net production. Gross primary production is the total mass of gross organic matter created by a plant per unit time at a given rate of photosynthesis, including expenditure on respiration (part of the energy that is spent on vital processes; this leads to a decrease in biomass).

That part of the gross output that is not spent "for breathing" is called net primary production. Net primary production is a reserve, from which part is used as food by organisms - heterotrophs (consumers of the first order). The energy received by heterotrophs with food (the so-called large energy) corresponds to the energy cost of the total amount of food eaten. However, the efficiency of digestion of food never reaches 100% and depends on the composition of the feed, temperature, season and other factors.

Functional connections in the ecosystem, i.e. its trophic structure can be depicted graphically, in the form of ecological pyramids. The base of the pyramid is the level of producers, and the subsequent levels form the floors and the top of the pyramid. There are three main types of ecological pyramids.

The pyramid of numbers (Elton's pyramid) reflects the number of organisms at each level. This pyramid reflects a regularity - the number of individuals that make up a series of links from producers to consumers is steadily decreasing.

The biomass pyramid clearly indicates the amount of all living matter at a given trophic level. In terrestrial ecosystems, the biomass pyramid rule applies: the total mass of plants exceeds the mass of all herbivores, and their mass exceeds the entire biomass of predators. For the ocean, the biomass pyramid rule is invalid - the pyramid has an inverted view. The ocean ecosystem is characterized by the accumulation of biomass on high levels, in predators.

The pyramid of energy (production) reflects the expenditure of energy in trophic chains. Energy pyramid rule: at each previous trophic level, the amount of biomass created per unit of time (or energy) is greater than at the next.

The ecosystem as a set of living organisms coexisting in a certain habitat, interacting with each other through the exchange of matter and energy, could not fully satisfy human needs. For not all organisms, in his view, are useful. A person does not want to be part of the system, he wants to manage it, to become on a par with the laws of nature, to receive more energy and food than he should. So, along with the natural, and often instead of it, an artificial or man-made ecosystem appeared. Its main task was to change the species composition in favor of plants and animals that best meet human requirements. Over time, he began to change the conditions of the environment, adding to it those elements that would promote the growth and development of living organisms of interest to him and, accordingly, oppress those that were not of interest.

Thus, an artificial ecosystem, called agrobiocenosis, is characterized by increased productivity for the plant world and productivity for the animal, those varieties and species that are predetermined by man as priority, cultivated or cultivated. With the advent of technical possibilities for influencing or managing abiotic factors, that is, the environment, the system received a broader concept - agrobiogeocenosis.

Being subjected to such an active influence, natural ecosystems have undergone significant changes and turned into artificial ones.

Now they do not have such a wide variety of species, often the number of species is reduced to a minimum - one or two. As a result, it ceased to self-regulate, self-repair and be stable. In order to exist, it needs constant human intervention.

Plants and animals that have created ideal or optimal conditions for growth and quantitative increase cannot feed on their own and survive in the fight against other species. Currently, about 10% of the Earth's land area is occupied by agricultural systems, which annually grow up to 2.5 billion tons of agricultural products, or 90% of energy. At the same time, competing species and varieties are suppressed or destroyed in order to provide comfortable conditions for artificially grown ones. The food or trophic chain is broken, and this already entails the disappearance of plants and animals that are not competitors for cultivated ones. The ecosystem ceases to be a system as such, and with the first mistake or insufficient attention of a person, it dies. There are enough examples of this.

To create and maintain agrocenoses, a person applies a certain set of measures and activities. These are: breeding varieties and species with predetermined characteristics, the use of specially designed systems and foodstuffs, tillage, reclamation or irrigation, the application of fertilizers and suppressants.

Examples and history of occurrence

As an example, an artificial ecosystem - a vegetable garden, a garden or a personal plot; livestock farm; a field set aside for the cultivation of a particular crop variety; a lake for industrial fish farming and a man-made reservoir for keeping exotic fish, mollusks, crustaceans, plants and animals. The last is a huge oceanarium or an ordinary home aquarium - a small artificial ecosystem.

Modeling of ecosystems in an artificial closed reservoir is done by aquariums. She has different goals and directions - this is a scientific study, cultivation of crops and breeding of living organisms for commercial purposes, decorative and others.

People have been engaged in such activities since time immemorial. The first pools with specially bred colored fish were in Egypt and China. The first prototypes of modern aquariums appeared in 1843. Their author was Jeanne Villepre-Power. The first aquarium, which simultaneously contained fish and underwater plants, appeared in 1841.

The main activity of all types of aquarism is the selection and breeding of new species and varieties of underwater flora and fauna. Although the preservation and study of them also has great importance especially in its scientific direction. Of course, there is also commercial aquarium keeping, the main purpose of which is to make a profit. But it also contributes to the goals of conservation, study and selection, although its illegal part - poaching, is undoubtedly negative.

Types and main characteristics

The ecosystem of an aquarium or a transparent container filled with water and intended to contain living organisms is formed on the basis of several conditions, this is the volume of the vessel and the characteristics of the water.

By volume, aquariums are divided into: home - up to 1 cu. m. of water and public, which can be more than 3000 cubic meters. m. The latter includes the capacity in the Chinese amusement park in the city of Zhuhai. Its volume is 22.7 thousand cubic meters. m. There are no specific requirements for the size of the container. When determining the required size, they proceed from the nature of the habitat of living organisms planned to be placed in the aquarium. There is only one feature - the larger the volume of the aquarium, the closer the ecosystem created in it to the natural one, which means that it is more stable, can self-regulate and self-clean.

The second criterion is the characteristics of water. Due to the fact that the aquarium ecosystem can consist of any kind of aquatic flora and fauna, then by place of residence, they differ in freshwater and marine. It can be: fish, plants, mollusks, crustaceans, reptiles, amphibians, corals and so on.

According to the composition of water, ecosystems are created: freshwater, brackish and marine. The first type is subdivided into pseudo-sea, which does not contain plants and fish, has hard water and is filled with stones and cichlids, due to which it resembles marine coral reefs; and Dutch, inhabited by plants. The second, brackish, is subdivided into marine species and mangroves. The most difficult to maintain is a marine aquarium. The water should be fresh and contain plenty of sea salt. Artificial currents should be created in the tank. This species is divided into fish and reef.

Tanks for aquariums must meet a number of requirements. They must be strong and transparent. By design, they can be frameless, frame and seamless.

To control abiotic factors, although under the condition of artificiality of their creation - at the will of man, they can rather be called anthropogenic, ecosystems and ensure its proper functioning are used: aerators, filters, thermometers, and the like.

The volume of the tank, the technical equipment, the composition of the water and other equipment of the aquarium depends on its purpose. It is decorative and special.

Flora and fauna

The animal and plant world, which forms a small artificial ecosystem in the aquarium, is compiled according to the priorities and desires of a person and the tasks set for him.

Fish are the most common inhabitants of aquariums of all types, types and directions. Their varietal diversity reaches several thousand species. The most famous and popular are: haracin, carp, platy, labyrinth and catfish. Of the reptiles in aquariums contain aquatic turtles. Amphibians are represented by axolotls, clawed frogs and newts. Mollusks are, of course, snails, but barley may also be contained. With the development of technology and following fashion, nowadays, crustaceans can be increasingly found in aquariums. Such as: Florida red and Australian blue crayfish, as well as shrimp - Amano and cherry.

No matter how large a huge oceanarium or indoor aquarium is, it is a small artificial ecosystem, an agrocenosis, in which there is a limited number of plant and animal species, which does not allow it to independently exist, renew, regulate, and, therefore, it is very vulnerable and prone to death. . The same rule applies to any artificially created system. Her death is entirely on the conscience of the one who created it.

Video - Aquarium Ecosystem

Target: to characterize the features of the composition and ongoing processes in the artificial ecosystem.

Issues of input control:

1. What is an ecological pyramid and what are the directions of natural selection at each of its steps?

2. What is the significance of its species diversity for the sustainability of the biogeocenosis?

3. What indicators of the action of abiotic factors can inhibit the vital activity of plants or animals?

General information: Ecosystem, or ecological system(from other Greek οἶκος - dwelling, residence and σύστημα - system) - a biological system consisting of a community of living organisms (biocenosis), their habitat (biotope), a system of connections that exchanges matter and energy between them. One of the basic concepts of ecology. An example of an ecosystem is a pond with plants, fish, invertebrates, microorganisms that make up the living component of the system, a biocenosis living in it. A pond as an ecosystem is characterized by bottom sediments of a certain composition, chemical composition (ionic composition, concentration of dissolved gases) and physical parameters (water transparency, trend of annual temperature changes), as well as certain indicators of biological productivity, the trophic status of the reservoir and the specific conditions of this reservoir. Another example ecological system- deciduous forest in central Russia with a certain composition of forest litter, soil characteristic of this type of forest and a stable plant community, and, as a result, with strictly defined microclimate indicators (temperature, humidity, light) and a complex of animal organisms corresponding to such environmental conditions. An important aspect that makes it possible to determine the types and boundaries of ecosystems is the trophic structure of the community and the ratio of biomass producers, its consumers and biomass-destroying organisms, as well as indicators of productivity and metabolism of matter and energy.

artificial ecosystems- these are ecosystems created by man, for example, agrocenoses, natural economic systems or the Biosphere.

Artificial ecosystems have the same set of components as natural ones: producers, consumers and decomposers, but there are significant differences in the redistribution of matter and energy flows. In particular, human-created ecosystems differ from natural ones in the following ways: fewer species and the predominance of organisms of one or more species (low evenness of species); low stability and strong dependence on the energy introduced into the system by a person; short food chains due to the small number of species;

an open cycle of substances due to the withdrawal of the crop (community products) by man, while natural processes, on the contrary, tend to include as much of the crop as possible in the cycle. Without the maintenance of energy flows by humans in artificial systems, natural processes are restored at one speed or another and a natural structure of ecosystem components and material-energy flows between them is formed.

Equipment: picture cards artificial ecosystems.

Work order:

Consider the object given to you and identify the most obvious interactions in the ecosystem, note the environmental factors that they correspond to.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the importance for organisms of other living organisms that live nearby?

2. Name the animals that inhabit the ecosystem. How are they related to flora ecosystems? Is it possible for them to exist without plants?

3. What changes can occur in the ecosystem if algae and higher plants die for some reason?

4. What organisms form the basis of many food chains in this ecosystem?

5. How does the rule of the ecological pyramid manifest itself in this ecosystem?

6. What other types of relationships, besides food, exist in ecosystems?

7. How can one species ensure the distribution of another or other species?

An ecosystem is, roughly speaking, a collection of representatives of wildlife and their living conditions, united by information, substances and energy.

The term "ecosystem" was proposed in 1935 by a botanist. This definition was not included in the scope of signs in terms of size, rank or type of origin. The author of the term is the Englishman A. Tensley, who devoted his whole life to studying the processes of botany.

The types of ecosystems can be different, there is a certain classification and scheme for dividing them as components of the biosphere. For example, judging by the origin of these objects, the types of ecosystems can be divided into natural and anthropogenic.

The concept of an ecosystem is the most important part of the natural complex that makes up the geographical and biological shell of the planet Earth. Here we are talking about all the components of which they are composed: soil, air, water resources, flora and fauna.

Arthur Tensley

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General concept of the concept

What is an ecosystem? What is included in this concept? The meaning of the word is explained quite simply: it is a system inhabited by living organisms in their natural habitat, within which there is a constant exchange of information and energy.

Vladimir Nikolaevich Sukachev There are different types of ecosystems, but the general principle is the same: it has a biotope - a regional component that has the same landscape, terrain, climate, and biocenosis - the inhabitants of the group permanently residing in this biotope. It simply does not make sense to consider these two concepts separately, since the biotope and biocenosis do not exist separately from each other. But together they form a natural scheme called biogeocenosis. This concept was introduced into scientific use by the biologist V.N. Sukachev.

Since natural systems can exist very long time, for them the coordinated work of all components, the correct metabolic processes, as well as interaction with the environment is important - to release the accumulated energy and recharge from the outside. The diversity of ecosystems is great, each of them is individual, but they all have common factors - construction and components.

An ecosystem is a separate structural unit that combines biotic and abiotic factors, which has its own line of self-development, provision of vital materials and a certain organization.

Ecosystem types

Systems of exchange of various substances can be of different types.

What are ecosystems according to the source of origin of components? There are only two of them: natural and artificial.

A living group is a completely autonomous complex of living organisms living in comfortable conditions. In such a structure, all its components perform their function independently, without any outside interference. This concept of an ecosystem is called natural or natural.

But anthropogenic groups in biology have a completely artificial origin, often they are called just that - artificial. What are the essential features of such a system? Everything is very simple: they were created artificially, by man. The inhabitants of the ecosystem here cannot provide the necessary exchange of information and their own living conditions, all this is supported from the outside.

Now let's take a closer look at the difference between these two types.

Natural

Natural ecosystems are further subdivided according to the method of obtaining energy from outside. One group is completely dependent on the energy of the sun, the second receives food not only from the sun, but also from other sources additionally.

The ecology of communities and ecosystems, one hundred percent dependent on the heavenly body, is not particularly productive in terms of processing substances, but it is impossible to do without them. The functions of an ecosystem of this type form the climate on the planet and the general condition of the air layer around the Earth. Usually natural complexes exist in their natural form, occupy large areas, such as they were created.

Natural biomes are divided into three main groups:

1. ground,
2. freshwater,
3. Marine.

Deep Sea Basin of the Black Sea - an example of a marine biome

Each of them is based on natural and ecological factors, and their combined work is the main condition for the emergence and existence of a global ecosystem. These types are deliberately divided in ecology according to the conditions of existence - in this way a single ecosystem is composed of the main possible habitats in natural conditions. In this context, examples of ecosystems from each group will certainly be of interest.

Ground

Large terrestrial ecosystems known to be natural:

• tundra,
• coniferous forest,
• desert,
• savannah.

Tundra

There are a lot of such representatives, their general meaning is clear: this is a natural system located on the earth and completely independently functioning.

freshwater

The freshwater group is more diverse and includes several more separate types:

1. Lentic Ecosystems. These include objects with stagnant water, most often these are ponds or lakes. They are subject to stratification, since the water in such reservoirs practically does not move - except for short, seasonal periods. Therefore, such biomes, although important for the ecology of the planet, are rather static in their action and have a long period of metabolic processes.
2. Lothic ecosystems. Here it is just the opposite - we are talking about flowing waters: different kinds rivers, streams and the like. Due to their main property - the flow - such groups are more active than the previous ones. Due to the fact that the waters do not stagnate, there is a more volumetric exchange between water and land, as well as a uniform circulation of oxygen throughout the area.
3. Naturally swamped bodies of water. That is, in fact, the swamps themselves and their varieties. They differ in terms of location: they can be lowland - their basis is groundwater, or upland - formed anywhere, even after heavy rains or other natural disasters.

Riding, transitional and lowland swamps in the floodplain of the river. Mankurka and Borovaya - a bog complex of riding type

The concept of functioning in freshwater biomes is completely similar to terrestrial ones: the totality of living organisms in its natural environment habitats that perform metabolic processes within the ecological complex.

Marine

Marine type, respectively, includes:

• oceans,
• seas,
• shelf waters,
• other bodies of sea water.

Pacific Ocean- the largest ocean in terms of area and depth on Earth

These are the main types of natural systems. However, some others are also found in nature - their number is so meager that it makes no sense to cover them.

Each of natural systems has its own climate, flora and fauna.

Artificial

However, a living ecosystem cannot always fully function on its own; often, if at least one of the key factors is lost, it is doomed to death. The life of the ecosystem will gradually fade away, removing its next links from the chain until it ceases to function at all.

This happened in the early periods of the development of natural processes, until man intervened in their natural course. It was with his participation that the so-called anthropogenic natural complexes They are also called artificial.

These types of ecosystems are actually very similar, have the same principle of operation and semantic load, main feature artificial type is that the main, decisive role in it belongs to outside interference.

An example of an anthropogenic ecosystem is not difficult to find - they are everywhere.

Take agriculture or farming. On the one hand, all processes in them occur naturally: plant seeds ripen under the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation and the metabolism of soil, air and precipitation. But at the same time, the human component of influence is inalienable here: agricultural tillage, destruction of pests, harvesting - each factor plays a significant role in the life of this complex, and it cannot be provided by nature on its own.

Farming in the Tyumen region

Speaking of artificial complexes, one should not lose sight of urban and industrial ecosystems. These are vivid examples of anthropogenic groups.

In particular, urban ecosystems have emerged recently in the process of urbanization of the population - from agricultural land, residents moved to cities, creating large ones, including industrial centers. The latter have a huge negative contribution to the ecology of our entire planet.

Industrially polluted cities are a real threat to the ecological state of the Earth, all its spheres. They not only kill the possibility of natural processes in nature, but also have their own harmful effect on the regions adjacent to them, gradually surviving the natural environment.

A vivid example of industrial ecosystems is the Donbas region and the like. Compared to them, ordinary urban ecosystems, although artificial, are not so threatening to the environment.

Examples

The concept of an ecosystem has existed in science for a long time, and over time, the ecosystem scheme is gradually becoming more complex. This happens both for natural reasons and due to the intervention of progressive aspects. The designation of a set of factors interacting with each other and creating their own cycle of metabolism and information is quite suitable for the concept of this term.

Consider the main ecosystems of the earth and their features. The largest ecosystem on Earth is the planet's biosphere, the so-called set of living organisms interacting with each other using biotic and abiotic behavior models.

The ecological system in nature is: arrays of natural plantations that form various types of forests - taiga, deciduous and pine forests. The function of an ecosystem in these cases is ensured by the presence of a group of organisms responsible for its viability. Here, the relationship between living organisms and components of inanimate nature is obligatory: representatives of the fauna, the plant flora that they feed on, bacteria that live by obtaining nutrients from dead organic matter.

Examples of anthropogenic ecosystems are even easier to find! Here, too, the main role is assigned to natural processes, but they do not proceed independently. The types and components of such complexes can be anything.

The simplest example of an ecosystem in this section is a typical aquarium. It seems to be completely natural (it has a living ecosystem of fish, mollusks, plants, water and air), but the factor that forms the type of anthropogenic scheme here is a person. From it comes food to the inhabitants of the aquarium, it also provides lighting, cleaning and other necessary factors.

Aquarium

Or take the example of a vegetable garden, which is essentially close to the concept of a natural process: vegetables grow from seeds using nature's mechanism. The definition of anthropogenicity here is elementary - it is a natural scheme created by man.

A separate example of artificial complexes is engineering ecosystems. First of all, it is necessary to include treatment facilities, windmills, mountain ecosystems created by people. Here, non-living parts of the ecosystem produce or transform energy flows specifically to ensure the vital activity of mankind.

It is also impossible not to note the enormous impact on the environment that man-made ecosystems have. Their concepts are such that the activity of any such complex benefits humanity and progress, but at the same time causes, often irreparably, harm to the natural ecosystems of the planet, environmental situation in certain regions, to all living things and objects of inanimate nature, including.

An ecosystem is any set of interacting living organisms and environmental conditions. Ecosystems are, for example, anthills, forest area, farm area, cabin spaceship, geographical landscape, or even the entire Earth. Rural farmstead should also be attributed to ecosystems. A rural courtyard, or agroecosystem, is an anthropogenic (i.e., man-made) ecosystem. Man determines the structure and productivity of such an ecosystem: he plows up part of the land and sows crops, breeds farm animals.

Agroecosystems are autotrophic: their main source of energy is the sun. the additional energy that a person uses when cultivating the soil and which is spent on the production of tractors, fertilizers, pesticides, etc., does not exceed 1% of the solar energy absorbed by the agroecosystem. An agroecosystem is not only an ecological unity of different organisms and environmental conditions, but also an agricultural enterprise.

Like a natural ecosystem, an agroecosystem consists of organisms of three main trophic groups: producers, consumers, and decomposers. An ecosystem is a community of living organisms with non-living components of the environment.

vegetable and animal world the site is closely related to the components of inanimate nature: soil (its chemical composition, amount of nutrients, structure, etc.), moisture (natural precipitation and irrigation) and the state of atmospheric air.

Each ecosystem is characterized by composition, structure, certain ratios of energy, chemical substances and organisms.

The main source of energy in our farmstead is solar energy. It is absorbed by plants and goes to heat the soil, buildings, to evaporate moisture. There are also additional sources energy is electricity and the energy of fossil fuels (mainly firewood). During the combustion of fuel, not a very large amount of carbon dioxide is released, which may well be absorbed by the plants of the site. Excess heat energy is dissipated in the atmosphere.

Solar energy is absorbed by producers - plants. A person grows plants for his own needs, that is, a large amount of organic matter is used for human food, part is eaten by insects and other organisms, part of the annual dies and rots.

Rural farmstead is an artificial ecosystem. The main consumer in it is a person and domestic animals. And all other animal organisms (insects, small rodents) become its food competitors and are usually considered pests. Man fights with them. In fact, they are also needed in the ecosystem, it is only important to regulate their numbers.

They are built according to the same rules as the food chains of natural ecosystems. Of course, they do not reflect all types of relationships between the animals of the site, their connections with plants, but they show which animal organisms are represented by producers, consumers, decomposers.

Ecosystem analysis of the rural farmstead.

Producers.

On the site, most of the territory (20 acres) is occupied by planting potatoes in summer, a smaller part (10 acres) is occupied by fruit and berry plants (shrubs and trees): bird cherry, ranetka, sea buckthorn, shadberry, currant, raspberry; vegetable crops: before, garlic, peas, beets, melons, cucumbers, watermelons, pumpkins, zucchini, tomatoes, ornamental trees and shrubs: maple, acacia, spruce, poplar, lilac.

Their composition remains fairly constant.

Producers are also satellites of cultivated plants - weeds. Weeds grow all over the site: white gauze, sour amaranth, field calendula, creeping wheatgrass, bitter polyin, wormwood Chernobyl, wild colza, wild radish.

On the territory of the farmstead there are various life forms of plants, which contributes to the existence of a variety of animals.

The vegetation of a rural farmstead is both a habitat and food for animals, and the more diverse the ecosystem, the more stable it is.

Consumers.

Animals - detritophages crush plant residues and facilitate the activity of bacteria. The role of earthworms is especially important. The soil with plant residues that has passed through the food system of the earthworm sticks together into dense lumps, which improves its structure. These lumps are enriched with potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen in the form of compounds available to plants. In addition, the worms loosen the soil with their moves and make it easier for the roots to penetrate into it. In well-manured soil, the biomass of worms can be up to 10-20 tons per 1 ha. There are special farms (in America) where earthworms are bred, which are brought to the fields to increase the yield.

Various animals live in our farmstead: mammals, birds (domestic and wild), reptiles, amphibians, molluscs, ticks, spiders, insects. Mammals: cow, calf, sheep, mouse, rat, cat, dog.

The largest number of species is characteristic of the group of insects. This is due to the large number of different plants. In addition, many cultivated species plants are less resistant to insects than their wild relatives.

In a garden where only one variety of cultivated plants grows, a large number of insects breed.

The Colorado potato beetle is found in large numbers, since the potato is grown annually and occupies most of the site, and the larvae of the click beetle are also found.

On cabbage - cabbage white, cabbage scoop, cruciferous fleas, cruciferous bugs. Onions - onion flour, on ornamental flowering plants - beetles - flower beetles.

Of the beneficial insects, you can meet riders - horntails, flies - tahin, lacewing, on planting potatoes in large quantities ladybug breeding

Birds play an important role in maintaining balance in the ecosystem of the site. Starlings, sparrows constantly nest, many birds arrive, which eat seeds, fruits of plants, insects. In winter, these are tits, waxwings, bullfinches, and in summer - rooks, sometimes - crows, woodpecker.

Frogs and lizards can be found in moist, shaded areas. There are mice and rats in the house, the barn.

The fauna of the rural farmstead, as well as the flora, is regulated by man. A person can influence the composition of the animal world both indirectly (by planting various plants, treating them with solutions whose smell repels animals or vice versa, attracts them, makes feeders, etc.), and directly, destroying unwanted and propagating species that are useful for themselves.

decomposers

Decomposers in the ecosystem of a rural farmstead are mainly bacteria. They maintain soil fertility by converting crop residues into humus, and humus and manure applied to the fields into simpler organic and mineral substances available to plants. Mushrooms are decomposers. There are tinder fungi on the trees, champignons, raincoats, and dung beetles grow in areas fertilized with manure. The soil of the site is rich in humus and many earthworms live in it, which can also be classified as decomposers.

Human influence on the ecosystem of the rural farmstead.

A person does not control all the living population of the agroecosystem, some species penetrate it and live in addition to (or even contrary to) his will. Among them are pests, plants - weeds, and useful animals.

The man himself in the ecosystem of a rural farmstead is a consumer - a phytophage (eats plants), and a zoophage (eats meat and drinks milk). However, his role in it is even greater, since, based on his interests, a person forms the structure and composition of the rural farmstead.

All components of the agroecosystem are closely related, although it does not have a complete ecological balance, as in natural ecosystems. Man himself must maintain the balance of the agroecosystem. If this is not done, its resources are destroyed.

The ecosystem of a rural farmstead can exist only with the support and control of a person. In a rural farmstead, a person influences all components of the ecosystem and the processes that take place in it.

Waste in a rural backyard.

As in any rural backyard, we accumulate a large amount of various waste. From the store, we bring products in packaging, trying to use it more than once (for example, juice bags, foil, glass, plastic bottles, cans). Some types of waste are burned in a furnace. Part of organic waste (cleanings, plant tops, fallen leaves, rotting fruits, egg shells, food waste) is used for animal feed. Manure is used for compost heaps, then we apply it to the soil or burn it and we also apply the ashes to the soil. Thus, some of the nutrients that we take from it with the harvest are returned to the soil, and at the same time, the environment is not polluted.

results

In total, I discovered and identified 29 plants. Of these, 19 plants are cultivated, 10 wild, 2 trees, 8 shrubs, 19 species of herbs. I found in a rural courtyard: 13 species of birds, 8 species of mammals, 13 species of insects, 1 species of reptiles, 3 species of spiders, 3 species of ticks, 1 species of mollusks. It should be noted that these are not all types of animals in our farmstead.

The decomposers of our farmstead include rotting bacteria, and I also found 4 types of fungi, an earthworm and a slug. We burn all types of waste that can burn, food waste is fed to animals, some waste is reused.

1. In our rural farmstead, there are the main components of the ecosystem: producers, consumers and decomposers - therefore, it is an ecosystem.

2. Rural farmstead - a special type of artificial ecosystems.

The existence of such an ecosystem, features, structure, impact on the environment depend on a person. At the same time, the ecosystem of a rural farmstead is also formed taking into account natural patterns (food web, interrelations of plants and animals, cycles of substances, energy, water).

3. The owners of a rural farmstead often do not know and violate natural laws, pollute it and the environment, which turns against them.

4. Rural farmsteads, although created and controlled by man, live according to natural laws. Site owners should strive to operate within these laws. A careful attitude to nature, an understanding of the relationships existing in it will help the owners to make the ecosystem of the rural farmstead more stable, and the products safe for health.

MAIN CONCLUSION. It is beneficial for the owners of rural farmsteads to know the laws of nature and observe them, and it is unprofitable to pollute the environment.

Based on the studies of the ecosystem of the rural farmstead and their results, recommendations were made for the owners. All of them are based on relationships existing in nature. If the villagers follow them, they will make the environment safer for themselves; the water they drink and the vegetables, fruits they eat, the pond they bathe in will not pose a threat to their health. These recommendations could be included in the leaflets addressed to the owners of rural farmsteads.

1. Do not disturb the animals, your allies in the fight against garden pests. Noise scares away birds, their nests become accessible to crows.

2. Take care of lake plants and animals - filterers of dirty water and indicators of clean water.

3. Save toads and frogs: they help control pests in the garden. Take care of earthworms: they process plant residues, loosen the soil, and improve its quality.

4. Leave islands of natural vegetation in the courtyard: they will become a home for birds, predatory insects and pollinators.

5. Use infusions of odorous plants in pest control - this is an effective and harmless way.

6. Plant plants in the rural courtyard that repel pests with their smell, phytoncides.

7. Attract birds to the rural farmstead: they destroy a large number of insects without disturbing the ecological balance in your rural farmstead.

8. Increase the variety of vegetation in the backyard. A rural backyard rich in species is more sustainable and requires less human intervention.