Ecology Basics – Elements of an Ecosystem

Together, an environment and the organisms living within it are called an ecosystem. When we hear the word "ecosystem", we tend to immediately think about the "eat or be eaten" relationships between organisms, but elements of the environment such as humidity, temperature, terrain, sunlight, and soil also play vital roles in an ecosystem.

Of course, the terrain and geographical features also have roles in shaping an ecosystem. We hear about environmental protection and endangered species in newspapers and on the television all the time. Protecting one single species at a time is very difficult; a much more effective tactic is to protect the ecosystems in which these species live. Furthermore, in protecting ecosystems, we should also think about what we can do to protect the environment as a whole.

The geological heritage of the Oki Islands UNESCO Global Geopark not only encompasses living things, but also the environments and ecosystems in which they live.