Biosphere

Biosphere

Having defend ecology and ecosystem, the next thing is biosphere. In simple words, biosphere is the largest i.e. earth. Alternatively it is the global sum of all ecosystems on the earth. Biosphere is that part of the earth which contains living organisms- the biologically inhabited soil, air and water. So, biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. Biosphere becomes the largest ecosystem because it (the biospheric ecosystem) consists of biotic component (plants, animals, man, and micro-organisms), abiotic component (land, air and water) and energy component (solar and geothermal energy) and these are on the scale of earth.

The components are inter-related through a series of large cyclic mechanisms, collectively called as biogeochemical cycle. In biospheric ecosystem there is a continuous exchange of energy and matter. While the circulation of energy is unidirectional, the materials are circulated cyclically called as biogeochemical cycle.

Biosphere when referred as one of the geochemical cycle components alongside lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere it means reference to the biota i.e. total sum of all living beings. These four spheres are the components of above mentioned biogeochemical cycle. In such a scenario the term ‘ecosphere ‘is used as encompassing of both biological and physical components of the planet.

There are some experiments of creating artificial biosphere involving closed ecosystem which are going on. For example, Biosphere 2 in USA, BIOS – 3 in Russia and Biosphere –j in Japan. Thus we can say those biospheres are any closed, self regulating systems containing ecosystems including the artificial ones.