What are ecosystems?

Impacts at the local level.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms that live in cohesion with nonliving components of the environment, which form a system of life. The organisms and the environment are linked by interactions such as food chains and energy cycles. For example, raccoons living in a city eat the garbage of humans and live in areas such as sewers and under buildings where they breed. This forms an ecosystem.

Humans impact ecosystems in a variety of ways but pollution from trash can cause water and ground contamination. Solid waste is a problem that is occurring more and more with the population growth and increase. The problem is growing continually and it often results in over packed landfills. Trash can contain chemicals such as cleaning agents or acid from objects such as batteries which will contaminate water supplies and the ground. Wildlife that depends on the environment can become sick or die as a result of these contaminations. Trash can be highly disruptive to ecosystems.

Humans impact the environment in a variety of ways but pollution from trash can cause water and ground contamination. Solid waste is a problem that is occurring more and more with the population growth and increase. The problem is growing continually and it often results in over packed landfills. Trash can contain chemicals such as cleaning agents or acid from objects such as batteries which will contaminate water supplies and the ground. Wildlife that depends on the environment can become sick or die as a result of these contaminations. Trash can be highly disruptive to ecosystems but it can also be very positive depending on the species in question. Organisms and the environment are linked by interactions such as food chains and energy cycles. For example, raccoons living in a city eat the garbage of humans and live in areas such as sewers and under buildings where they breed. The human pollution problem has in many ways allowed creatures such as raccoons to reach enormous population sizes.

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