When a person looks around his surrounding, he or she would observe innumerable kinds of living organisms. All the things that a person can hear, smell, see and feel are a part of the environment as a whole. Usually, people have a misunderstanding that an environment and an ecosystem are both the same, but that is not true.
Environment vs Ecosystem
The main difference between environment and ecosystem is that environment is a surrounding where different kinds of organisms live, and on the other hand, an ecosystem is a place where different kinds of biotic and Abiotic creatures live, eat and stay for their daily living, acting as an interaction between the environment and the living organism.
The Environment is everything that includes the entire water bodies such as oceans, rivers, and seas that allow us to live on Earth. The environment consists of all physical, chemical, and natural forces. Today, past few years, the situation of the environment has become worse due to extensive modernization and industrialization. This results in environmental imbalances such as acidic rain, soil erosion, deforestation, and air pollution.
The Ecosystem is a surrounding where all kinds of living and non-living things interact with each other staying beside. They are all pretty much stable in the environment. There are so many types of ecosystems present in our surrounding, such as the corals, forests, Savannah, reefs, deserts, tundra, etc. From ancient times to today, the ecosystem has evolved and is still evolving day by day.
Comparison Table Between Environment and Ecosystem
| Parameters of Comparison | Environment | Ecosystem |
| Meaning | An environment is a surrounding that comprises living and non-living things which dwell with each other. | An ecosystem is a community comprising of biotic and Abiotic components. |
| Provides | An environment provides a place for the elements. | An ecosystem provides an interaction between the elements. |
| Components | An environment consists of physical components only, and on the other hand. | An ecosystem consists of biological components only. |
| Comprises of | An environment can be filled with micro or macro-organisms. | An Ecosystem can be filled with aquatic or terrestrial organisms. |
| Change | The environment of an organism keeps changing as it moves from one place to another. | An ecosystem remains the same for an organism, no matter where it goes. |
What is Environment?
The Environment is everything that includes the entire water bodies such as oceans, rivers, and seas that allow us to live on Earth. The environment consists of all physical, chemical, and natural forces. Today, past few years, the situation of the environment has become worse due to extensive modernization and industrialization. This results in environmental imbalances such as acidic rain, soil erosion, deforestation, and air pollution.
When we say the term environment, it includes the ocean or a specific area. The environment also contains two parts in the surrounding, which are the biotic and the Abiotic components. The biological components are those which are composed due to plants and other microorganisms present in the surrounding In specific habitats, and Abiotic are those components that include the soil, rain, mountains, seas, oceans, desserts, etc.
The environment, in short, includes the soil, water, air fire as well as living beings. There is a change in the environment now and then according to the components present in it. Most of the time, changes in the environment also occur due to human behaviour.
What is Ecosystem?
The Ecosystem is a surrounding where all kinds of living and non-living things interact with each other staying beside. They are all pretty much stable in the environment. There are so many types of ecosystems present in our surrounding, such as the corals, forests, Savannah, reefs, deserts, tundra, etc. From ancient times to today, the ecosystem has evolved and is still evolving day by day.
An overall operation is known as the ecosystem as a whole. It is the process of interaction between living things and the environment. The usual size of an ecosystem can be as large as our planet or as small as a droplet of water. The term biology is related to the environment in our society.
The change in the size of an ecosystem depends on the variables present in it. In short, an ecosystem is all about how an organism manages to survive and how biotic components and the environment interact with each other. A balance in an ecosystem between the environment and its components depends on the various functions. Performance in its normal way keeps the surrounding stable and even the environment stable.
Main Differences Between Environment and Ecosystem
- An environment is a surrounding that comprises of living and non-living things which dwell with each other, and on the other hand, an ecosystem is a community comprising of biotic and Abiotic components.
- An environment provides a place for the elements, and on the other hand, an ecosystem provides an interaction between the elements.
- An environment consists of physical components only, and on the other hand, an ecosystem consists of biological components only.
- An environment can be filled with micro or macro-organisms, and on the other hand, an Ecosystem can be filled with aquatic or terrestrial organisms.
- The environment of an organism keeps changing as it moves from one place to another, and on the other hand, an ecosystem remains the same for an organism no matter where it goes.
Conclusion
A lot of people have a misconception that an environment and an ecosystem are the same, but in reality, they are not. They have their differences in terms of habitat, functions, characteristics, and there important features present in them. Both are at a whole two big components which we see in our surroundings.
Today due to changes in urbanization and industrialization, there is harm caused to the components of the environment and ecosystem. This causes an imbalance in natural emerging problems such as various kinds of pollution, which would in turn harm living beings. We must make sure to protect the components of mother earth for our future generations to live peacefully.
References
- https://www.pnas.org/content/110/46/18360?etoc=
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00442-007-0785-0.pdf