Question

What is a man made ecosystem?
A. Herbarium
B. Tissue culture
C. Forest
D. Aquarium

Answer 1

Ecosystem can be defined as a community of life forms in which both non-living and living components interact with each other.

Complete Answer:
The ecosystem is a functional and structural unit of ecology and it is where the living components interact with the non living components. There are two types of ecosystems,
(I) Terrestrial - It comprises of land based ecosystem and includes, grassland, forest, desert and tundra ecosystems
(II) Aquatic - It comprises of water based ecosystem and includes marine and freshwater ecosystems

- Option A: Herbarium can be described as a collection of plant specimens which are preserved over the years and studied. As it only comprises dead leaves, it cannot be an example of an ecosystem. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

- Option B: Tissue culture can be defined as growth of cells or tissues in an artificial medium under laboratory conditions. It includes only cells, and nothing else, and hence cannot be an example of an ecosystem. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

- Option C: Forest is an example of a naturally occurring ecosystem and not man made ecosystem. Therefore, this is the incorrect option. It comes under the terrestrial ecosystem.

- Option D: An aquarium has fishes, nutrients, a few plants and there is recycling of nutrients also happening. This setup is somewhat similar to that of an ecosystem but at a smaller scale. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct option is D).

Note: The functions of ecosystem are,
- It helps in maintaining balance between the various trophic levels of an ecosystem.
- It also helps in cycling of nutrients between the abiotic and biotic components.
- It helps in regulating various essential ecological processes which support life systems.
- The abiotic components of the ecosystem help in production of organic components which are further involved in energy exchange.