The biosphere It is a system made up of all living beings on the planet and their interrelationships. This includes organisms in the living environment, as well as the living environment in the organism. Practically, said system refers to the space where the development of life takes place.
We can say with certainty that the biosphere it’s a global ecosystem, which also receives other names. These are biogeosphere or what ecosphere, with characteristics attributed to a living being. Therefore, it has the ability to control, always with some limits, both its evolution and its state.
Distribution
The system is constituted by a thin layer of irregular dimensions and expands throughout the entire extension of the earth’s surface. It includes seas and oceans, the earth’s crust, and anywhere life thrives, whether in low or high density.
Practically, the great system It is divided into three large groups.
Oceans
Here the most superficial layer is concentrated, which receives the name of zone photic, into which light penetrates. The greatest production of life is found in cold seas and in some tropical sites that have the essential nutrients of life from the bottom of the sea.
Outside of these places, it can be said that there are biological deserts, with a fairly low density of life. The tropical ecosystems They are the richest and most complex in life and develop at shallow depths. A clear example of them are the well-known coral reefs.
Continents
It refers to the Earth crust, where life begins with the plants that benefit from the photosynthesis. The factors that influence the production of life are the level of water, essential nutrients and temperature.
The continents are divided into three bands that extend latitudinally, the first being one equatorial band. In this the rains occur all year round or alternate with dry seasons. The other two bands are symmetrical to each other, covering temperate or mid-latitudes.
Between the humid areas and those with a high density of life, there are two symmetrical strips, tropical semi-desert or completely desert. Here biomass is low, although biodiversity is high.
Deep biosphere
Life is not limited to the earth’s crust or a few meters deep in the ocean, nor to the bottom of them. In fact, it has been discovered that in the deepest levels of the marine crust there are extremophile archaea Y bacteria. They thrive in places with unstable mineral mixes, offering potential for chemical energy.
In reality, the Earth is alive in its entirety, in every corner of its enormous expanse.
Characteristics of the biosphere
The system is made up of a thin layer of irregular dimensions that includes areas with life on the planet. It is not known with certainty where the system begins and ends. However, it is estimated that its extension is 10 km above sea level and 10 meters below ground level.
In the submarine region, it includes the depth of the oceans and surface waters. out of the great ecosystem, there is absolutely no terrestrial life. Living organisms include floors, microorganisms, animals, Humans, Virus and bacteria, each occupying their territory in a different way.
All species interact with each other and with other elements belonging to the ecosystem, which includes air, water and land. Other systems on the planet, such as the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere, belong to the biosphere. Together they form a great complete system that allows life on the planet.
Composition or layers
- Atmosphere : Composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, completing the remaining 1% with ozone in carbon dioxide. (you can learn more about the atmosphere by clicking here)
- Hydrosphere : Includes the large expanses of water in any of its states, approximately 75% of each living cell. (you can learn more about the hydrosphere by clicking here)
- Earth crust : The solid outer layer of the Earth, which includes mineral and organic substances present in the soil. (learn more about the earth’s crust by clicking here)
How was the biosphere formed?
East great system It is more than 3.5 billion years old. The term was coined in 1875 by the geologist Eduard Suess, although it was not until the 1920s that its ecological concept spread.
This concept is very important for climatology, geology, biogeography, evolution, palaeogeography Y astronomy. It encompasses all kinds of ecosystems, whether tiny or extremely gigantic.
Where are you from?
Before life began on earth, the planet was a composition of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, the water steam, Water Y nitrogen molecular. This mass of gases is called geosphere and it comes from the functions of the hydrosphere Y lithosphere, just like the atmosphere.
Over millions of years, the geosphere came into contact with the sun’s rays, producing physical and chemical reactions. As a consequence, life arose, related to simple and small organisms that accumulated life from the environment.
These very primitive forms of existence were the origin of the biosphere, giving way to a system characterized by having a constant flow of matter and energy.
What is the biosphere for?
It is one of the layered systems where life is possible. It is made up of all living things on Earth, just like the places that organisms occupy. Within the great system of life there are different ecosystems larger or smaller. These are sets that are made up of living beings and a physical environment, with relationships and interactions between them.
As time passes, the ecosystems they are evolving Living beings need energy and matter in order to survive, and this is the objective of each system, to provide livelihoods.
Benefits
Energy and matter are responsible for generating life by making exchanges between ecosystems and the living beings. Every time there is a relationship, for example food consumption, nursing a young or sexual reproduction, energy and matter are exchanged between them.
All this allows the different forms of life to have vital functions. That is, life would not exist if the earth did not have these systems.
What role does it play?
The biosphere works thanks to all the small ecosystems present on the planet, which in turn are born from living systems. Energy is neither destroyed nor created, on the contrary, it undergoes a transformation where matter is recycled by closed circuits.
The living beings that form a system are grouped depending on the needs of energy and matter.
Exchange of energy and matter
Living matter is composed of fundamental chemical elements, such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, phosphorus, among others. Organisms are capable of using two forms of energy, chemical and light. The first one is generated by solar radiation, while the second is produced by chemical reactions.
Metabolism, catabolism and anabolism
Thanks to energy and matter, living beings undergo metabolism to undergo their respective transformations. New structures are destroyed and created through catabolism and anabolism.
Catabolism is a process where molecules are broken down by breaking chemical bonds. Here matter is consumed, at the same time that energy is generated. On the other hand, anabolism is the opposite, where molecules are synthesized through chemical bonds, generating matter and consuming energy.
Circulation of matter
Matter circulates in a closed way following biogeochemical cycles. The first cycle is the funny one, where matter circulates and passes through the atmosphere, which includes carbon, nitrogen and water cycles. The second cycle is the sedimentary, all matter circulates in aquatic environments and the terrestrial environment, without forgetting the food chain.
The main difference of the latter is that it does not pass through gas phases.
What is the importance of the biosphere?
The biosphere It is not only important, but completely indispensable for all living things on the planet. It is responsible for providing food and raw materials, in addition to conserving biological diversity. At the same time, it prevents and reduces pollution. It is also a marker of climate change.
The great system coincides with the solid and superficial zones of the planet, serving as a support for the dynamics of life. The interactions between Earth’s continental, gaseous and liquid surfaces are vital for the functioning and development of life.
What processes occur in the biosphere?
Mainly, they produce organic matter through photosynthesis. When generating nitrogen and oxygen, is responsible for all biochemical processes that generate matter through the carbon cycle. This applies to oceanic and terrestrial substrates.
Obviously, it is the system responsible for the existence of life on Earth. Literally, it is the living layer that covers the entire extension of the planet in any of its corners.
Food production
The living elements present in the biosphere are called biota. These components provide living beings with their food, which can be consumed naturally or processed independently.