Biosphere

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 4.Biosphere

  • The total ecological systems integrating plant and animal life which constantly interact with the Earth is turned the biosphere. The existence of the biosphere depends on the interaction of the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere with each other.


  • The biosphere is a narrow zone on the surface of the earth where soil, water, and air combine to sustain life. Life can only occur in this zone. From fungi and bacteria to large animals, there are several different types of life.

  • The biosphere is characterized as an area that contains all living organisms and the products of their activities. As a result, it plays a critical role in the maintenance of ecosystems, i.e., the existence of species and their reciprocal interactions. And the biosphere is critical for climate regulation.

  • There are two factors that effects the processes in the biosphere.

1. Living components          - (plants, animals and biosphere)

2. Non-living components   - (solar energy, soil, water, climate)

   


Biosphere Resources

  • The biosphere provides important resources. Many people rely on the biosphere for basic necessities including food, medicine, construction materials, and fuel. Indigenous peoples, in particular. Except for salt, all food comes from the biosphere, but established societies prefer to farm rather than forage.
  • The biosphere is a relatively thin layer of the Earth’s surface that supports life, reaching from a few kilometers into the atmosphere to deep-sea vents. The biosphere is a global ecosystem made up of living organisms (biota) and the nonliving (abiotic) factors that provide them with energy and nutrients.
  • The biosphere is a narrow zone on the surface of the earth where soil, water, and air combine to sustain life. Life can only occur in this zone. From fungi and bacteria to large animals, there are several different types of life.



 


The boundaries of the biosphere.

  • In the lithosphere - The layer in which the root system of plants spreads and where soil organisms live (2.5 m within the soil approximately).


  • In the hydrosphere - The ocean bed in which sufficient amount of sunlight penetrates for the process of photosynthesis.


  • In the atmosphere - The limits where birds fly (Approximately about 5000 m in the upper sky)


  • The process of photosynthesis which is necessary for the existence of man occurs in the biosphere. A process of interaction between plant and animal life is visible in the biosphere. Hence, plant life cannot exist without animals and animals cannot live without plants. At present, most of the human activities have become a strong threat to the biosphere. Accordingly, the equilibrium of the biosphere has been disturbed due to these human activities. For example, the loss of animal habitats due to the destruction of forests, destruction of the bio-systems, erosion of the surface soil and infertility of soil.







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