Question

What can upset the balance of an ecosystem?

Answer 1

Hint: Ecosystem is defined as an area where all the organisms and the physical environment interact with each other. Through the nutrient cycles abiotic and biotic components are linked together and the energy flows in them.

Complete answer:
An area where all the organisms and the physical environment interact with each other is known as the ecosystem. Through the process of photosynthesis, the energy is stored in the plant tissues. By feeding the plants animals play an important role in movement of energy and matter through them.

By the breaking of dead organic matter, the decomposers release the carbon back to the atmosphere and form a nutrient cycle by converting the dead biomass into a form which can be used again by plants and microbes.

Ecosystem is controlled by both external and internal factors. External factors control the overall structure of the ecosystem like climate, parent material, topography, etc. Internal factors can be controlled for example decomposition, succession, shading, etc. These are the dynamic entities which means that they are in the process of recovering from the past disturbances.

Biomes are defined as the general categories or classes of the ecosystem. However there is no such distinction between ecosystem and biome till date. Several human activities can cause an imbalance or the disturbance in the ecosystem. Some of the activities are as follows:
1. Deforestation,
2. Causing pollution,
3. Overhunting animals,
4. Release of toxic and industrial gases,
5. Excessive burning of fossil fuels.

These are some of the human activities which cause the imbalance or the disturbance in the ecosystem.

Note:
Ecosystems are of several types like aquatic ecosystem, Terrestrial ecosystem, Forest ecosystem, Grassland ecosystem, Desert ecosystem, Tundra ecosystem, Freshwater ecosystem and Marine ecosystem.
The above mentioned are some of the human activities which cause the imbalance or the disturbance in the ecosystem.