Nutrient cycling. All living things are made of matter. That matter has to come from somewhere. If nutrients weren't cycled through the ecosystem, some of them would start to become scarce. read more
The concept of an ecosystem is important because it conveys one ofthe key insights that we have gained from the science of ecology,that everything is related to everything else. Everyday perceptiontells us that we live in a world composed of distinct units: trees,rocks, animals, buildings, and so on. read more