Living organisms cannot live isolated from their non-living environment because the latter provides the materials and energy necessary for the survival of the former, i.e. 'there is an interaction between a biotic community and its environment to produce a stable system; a self-sustaining natural unit known as an ecosystem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay An ecosystem is therefore defined as a natural functional ecological unit comprising living organisms (biotic community) and their non-living organisms (abiotic or physico-chemical) which interact to form a stable and self-supporting system. A pond, a lake, a desert, a meadow, a meadow, a forest, etc. are common examples of ecosystems. Structure and function of an ecosystem: Every ecosystem has two main components: (1) Abiotic (2) Abiotic biotic components: The non-living factors or the physical environment prevailing in an ecosystem form the abiotic components. They have a strong influence on structure, distribution, behavior and inter-organism relationships. Abiotic components are mainly of two types: Climatic factors: which include rain, temperature, light, wind, humidity, etc. Edaphic factors: which include soil, pH, topography minerals, etc. ? The functions of important factors in the abiotic components are given below: Soils are much more complex than simple sediments. They contain a mixture of weathered rock fragments, highly weathered soil mineral particles, organic matter and living organisms. Soils provide nutrients, water, habitat, and a structural growth environment for organisms. Vegetation growing above ground is closely linked to this component of an ecosystem through nutrient cycling. The atmosphere provides organisms in ecosystems with carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and oxygen for respiration. The processes of evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation move water between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface. Solar radiation is used in ecosystems to warm the atmosphere and to evaporate and transpire water into the atmosphere. Sunlight is also necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis provides the energy needed for plant growth and metabolism, as well as the biological food needed for other life forms. Most living tissues are composed of a very high percentage of water, even exceeding 90%. The protoplasm of very few cells can survive if their water content falls below 10%, and most are killed if it is below 30 to 50%. Water is the medium through which mineral nutrients enter and are transported into plants. It is also necessary for maintaining leaf turgor and photosynthetic chemical reactions. Plants and animals get their water from the Earth's surface and soil. The original source of this water is precipitation from the atmosphere. Biotic components: Living organisms, including plants, animals and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), present in an ecosystem, form the biotic components. Based on their role in the ecosystem, biotic components can be classified into three main groups: ProducersConsumersDecomposers or ReducersProducers: Green plants possess chlorophyll with the help of which they capture solar energy and transform it into energy chemistry of carbohydrates using compounds)