Aquatic ecology and Biodiversity

Unit 2- Ecosystem ecology

2.1.3. Homeostasis of the ecosystem
An ecosystem maintains a biological equilibrium between the different components is referred to as a homeostasis. Homeostasis is also known as a biological equilibrium. This is also referred to as a balance of nature. It keeps on changing with the time. The balance is maintained by the number of factors. These include the carrying capacity of the environment and the capacity for recycling of the matter. The effect of density on the reproductive potential deals with the self regulation. One component of ecosystem keeps a check on the population of the other component and this system is referred as a feedback system. The feedback systems are of different types. They can be positive or negative. The increase in the population of the organisms at the different levels increases the population of organisms at a lower level and is known as the positive feedback. For example, when of plants increases it leads to increase in the population of herbivore animals. It increases the population of frogs and birds. Similarly, the increased population of insectivorous animals acts on the herbivorous insect by the process of predation. This is known as the negative feedback.
An ecosystem that is balanced or in steady state /equilibrium, where in which an annual total respiration balances with annual total gross primary productivity.