An Ecosystem Essay - 550 Words

An Ecosystem (Essay Sample) Content: EcosystemNameInstitutional AffiliationA trophic level is each separate level within a food web (Gore, p.15). Below is a schematic diagram representing a food web that has six trophic levels. At every trophic level is an energy gain and loss. Directly below all of the consumersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ level is what they feed upon. So for example, the 1st level carnivorous consumers feed upon the herbivorous consumers, similar to how the herbivorous consumers feed upon the primary producers(Gore, p.19).Additionally, as you move upwards, it is noticeable that there are fewer organisms in each subsequent trophic level. Furthermore, when trying to understand the movement of toxins, food webs are also useful. The highest levels of toxins of low biodegradability can bio-accumulate up the trophic levels in a food web affecting the top predators. Evidently, for depicting understanding ecosystem stability and relationships between organisms, food webs are useful(Gore, p.27).In water, fish breathe oxygen using gills. The water goes in the mouth then passes over the gills before exiting the body through a special opening.As the water passes over the gills, they absorb oxygen from the water. Fish have a streamlined body, long and narrow; that reduces the water resistance as they swim. The several fins of a fish are for swimming. Some of the fins are used to steer the body as they swim and others to propel themselves through the water.Fish also contain a system of muscles used for movement. In waves from head to tail, muscle contractions ripple through the body. These contractions enable the tail to whip against the water thus propelling the fish through the water (Micheals, p.7).The lowest level of a water body, including the some sub-surface layers and sediment surface, is the ecological region namely, the benthic zone. Organisms that live in this zone are called benthos and usually, are different from that elsewhere in the water column. Benthos are adapted to live in the substrate.They are often a source of prey for carcarhinidae such as the lemon shark, but they can be considered as dominant creatures in their habitats. According to Micheals, organisms adapted to deep-water pressure are unable to survive in the upper parts of the water body since the pressure difference can be very significant (p.12). The energy source for the benthic ecosystem is often organic matter that drifts down to the depths from...