Difference between Biome and Ecosystem

In Ecology there are two very important terms that are often used interchangeably. “Biome” and “ecosystem” often overlap, however, these concepts have meanings and describe different realities. Difference between Biome and Ecosystem

Biomes occupy a large scale, while ecosystems include a number of elements.

BIOME Difference between Biome and Ecosystem

It is a concept related to an ecosystem, it refers to a territory (it is the abiotic factor) in which there is a large-scale community of organisms that share the same environmental conditions, such as climate and geology.

Biomes comprise a set of ecosystems. In general, they receive their name depending on the predominant vegetation association; for example: forestmonsoon, rainforest and tundra .

A biome is a more general or global category than an ecosystem; as it encompasses many smaller-scale ecosystems. It can be said that the tropical forest (in a general sense. From South America to Southeast Asia) is a biome, but if we refer to the tropical forest of the Amazon Basin; we are talking about an ecosystem, since the latter would become part of a larger set. In addition, in this area the characteristics of the species, hydrology or other factors are different from those that can occur in other tropical forests.

ECOSYSTEM

It is an interactive community of organisms, which interact with their physical environment or abiotic environment. The main function of this type of system is to capture and distribute nutrients in a kind of life cycle. For this reason, ecosystem organisms depend on each other.

Plants feed on sunlight and at the same time, animals feed on plants; however, there are ecosystems at all scales: as in the case of microscopic bacterial communities.

The organisms that contribute to this system along with abiotic elements, such as minerals and sunlight; they are usually classified depending on their methods of obtaining energy.

In this way, green leafy plants that feed on the sun and are therefore photosynthetic organisms; they are called “producers.” Animals that eat plants are known as “primary consumers”, predators that eat other animals; “Secondary consumers” and lastly, there are the “decomposers”; which decompose after death, both producers and consumers.

Another more basic model simply divides organisms into “autotrophs”: those that produce their own energy or food, and “heterotrophs: those that cannot and depend on other organisms for survival.

Main differences between ecosystem and biome

1. A biome has to do with the abiotic environment (climate, territory, geology), while an ecosystem involves the biotic element (animals, organisms, flora).
2. The biome is a superior category that comprises a set of ecosystems.