Читать книгу Oceans For Dummies - Joseph Kraynak - Страница 15

An ecosystem is a biological community of organisms interacting with their physical environment as a whole. Think of it as a mostly self-contained, self-reliant neighborhood with a diverse population. Land-based ecosystems include grasslands, deserts, rainforests, and wetlands. Common marine ecosystems include coral reefs, estuaries (where fresh water and salt water mix), kelp (seaweed) beds and forests, mudflats, rocky shores, sandy shores, seagrass meadows, and more. Lesser known ecosystems develop near the bottom of the deep sea and include communities that form around hydrothermal vents (which spew hot, mineral-rich water that some bacteria feed on), whale falls (literally, dead whales that sink to the bottom), and cold seeps (where methane gas is released that some bacteria and archaea feed on).

What’s so fascinating about ecosystems is that the community of residents that live within them evolved together, adapting to the unique conditions of a particular place as well as each other. In Chapter 5, we explore numerous marine ecosystems and introduce you to the plants, animals, and other organisms typically found in each.