All the things a person can hear, smell, see and feel are a part of the environment. Usually, people misunderstand that an environment and an ecosystem are the same, but that is not true.
Key Takeaways
- Environment refers to the physical and natural surroundings of an organism. At the same time, Ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that interact with each other in a specific area.
- The environment can be natural or human-made, while Ecosystem is always natural.
- The environment is a broader concept, while Ecosystem is a specific subset of the environment.
Environment vs Ecosystem
The environment is a surrounding where different kinds of organisms live. On the other hand, an ecosystem is where different biotic and Abiotic creatures live, eat and stay for their daily living, acting as an interaction between the environment and the living organism.
The Environment is everything that includes the entire water bodies such as oceans, rivers, and seas that allow us to live on Earth. The environment consists of all physical, chemical, and natural forces.
The Ecosystem is a surrounding where all kinds of living and non-living things interact with each other staying beside. They are all pretty much stable in the environment.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Environment | Ecosystem |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An environment comprises living and non-living things that dwell with each other. | An ecosystem is a community comprising biotic and Abiotic components. |
| Provides | An environment provides a place for the elements. | An ecosystem provides an interaction between the elements. |
| Components | An environment consists of physical components only, and on the other hand. | An ecosystem consists of biological components only. |
| Comprises of | An environment can be filled with micro or macro-organisms. | An Ecosystem can be filled with aquatic or terrestrial organisms. |
| Change | An organism’s environment keeps changing as it moves from one place to another. | An ecosystem remains the same for an organism, no matter where it goes. |
What is Environment?
The Environment is everything that includes the entire water bodies such as oceans, rivers, and seas that allow us to live on Earth. The environment consists of all physical, chemical, and natural forces.
The biological components are composed due to plants and other microorganisms present in the surrounding. In specific habitats, Abiotic components include the soil, rain, mountains, seas, oceans, desserts, etc.
The environment, in short, includes soil, water, air, fire, and living beings. There is a change in the background now and then according to its components.
What is Ecosystem?
The Ecosystem is a surrounding where all kinds of living and non-living things interact with each other staying beside. They are all pretty much stable in the environment.
The usual size of an ecosystem can be as large as our planet or as small as a droplet of water. The term biology is related to the environment in our society.
The change in the size of an ecosystem depends on the variables present in it. In short, an ecosystem is about how an organism survives and how biotic components and the environment interact.
Main Differences Between Environment and Ecosystem
- An environment comprises living and non-living things that dwell with each other. On the other hand, an ecosystem is a community comprising biotic and Abiotic components.
- An environment provides a place for the elements; on the other hand, an ecosystem provides an interaction between the elements.
- https://www.pnas.org/content/110/46/18360?etoc=
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00442-007-0785-0.pdf
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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