Skip to content
geeksforgeeks
  • Tutorials
    • Python
    • Java
    • Data Structures & Algorithms
    • ML & Data Science
    • Interview Corner
    • Programming Languages
    • Web Development
    • CS Subjects
    • DevOps And Linux
    • School Learning
    • Practice Coding Problems
  • Courses
    • DSA to Development
    • Get IBM Certification
    • Newly Launched!
      • Master Django Framework
      • Become AWS Certified
    • For Working Professionals
      • Interview 101: DSA & System Design
      • Data Science Training Program
      • JAVA Backend Development (Live)
      • DevOps Engineering (LIVE)
      • Data Structures & Algorithms in Python
    • For Students
      • Placement Preparation Course
      • Data Science (Live)
      • Data Structure & Algorithm-Self Paced (C++/JAVA)
      • Master Competitive Programming (Live)
      • Full Stack Development with React & Node JS (Live)
    • Full Stack Development
    • Data Science Program
    • All Courses
  • Biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Ecology
  • Evolution
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Immunology
  • Taxonomy
  • Botany
  • Zoology
  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Diversity in Life Form
  • Molecular Biology
Open In App
Next Article:
What are Environment and Ecosystem?
Next article icon

What are Environment and Ecosystem?

Last Updated : 31 May, 2023
Comments
Improve
Suggest changes
Like Article
Like
Report

Difference Between Environment and Ecosystem: The environment is the surrounding area, whereas the ecosystem is the interaction between the environment and living species. The environment is the place in which living beings exist. The ecosystem is the community in which biotic and abiotic factors interact. Both environment and ecosystem correlate with each other.

What is Environment?

An environment is everything that surrounds us, including both living and non-living objects such as soil, water, animals, and plants that adapt to their environment. It is nature's contribution that contributes to the sustenance of life on earth. The environment has an impact on a person's growth and development. It has an impact on the person's behavior, body, mind, and heart. The environment provides a wide range of products and services essential to maintain life. Each resource is important and valuable on its own. A plot of land, for example, can be developed into a park, or housing society. Shopping center, and so on.

It can also be converted into a waste disposal place. The environmental conditions have deteriorated recently due to human activity, modernization, and industry. The results of environmental imbalance include deforestation, air pollution, acid rain, and soil erosion, which all have an impact on the survival of living things. It is crucial to protect the environment, act to preserve it, and maintain its health.

What is Ecosystem?

The ecosystem is the ecological structural and functional unit. It is a community in which the living and non-living components of the environment are constantly in contact. It is defined as the series of interactions that occur between living creatures and their surroundings. It might be modest or large. It might be a desert oasis or a vast ocean stretching for thousands of kilometers. It is in charge of ensuring environmental stability.

An ecosystem can be aquatic, meaning it resides in water, or terrestrial, meaning it exists on land. Forests, grassland, tundra, and desert are examples of land-based ecosystems. An aquatic ecosystem might be freshwater or saltwater. In an ecosystem, all biotic and abiotic components are interconnected. It is always in the form of a continuous evolution.

Difference Between Environment and Ecosystem.

Characteristics Environment Ecosystem
Definition

It is defined as the surrounding in which living beings live.

It defines as the community of biotic and abiotic factors.

ComponentIt consists of physical components.It consists of biological components.
FunctionIt provides the condition to live.It provides the relation between the components of life.
TypesIt can be micro and macro.It can be aquatic and terrestrial.
ExamplesAir, land and water are examples of the environment.Ponds, lakes, forests, oceans, etc are examples of ecosystems.
DiscoveryThomas Carlyle coined the term environment.Sir Arthur G. Tansley coined the term ecosystem.

Conclusion

Environment and ecosystem are two sides of the same coin. Despite their distinctions, both are essential to all living things on Earth. Environment resources have a variety of functions in human well-being. It has both instrumental and fundamental properties. We gain from its presence in both ways. The environment sustains life, promotes physical and mental well-being, and provides spiritual joy.


Next Article
What are Environment and Ecosystem?

K

khushbubhandari9
Improve
Article Tags :
  • Difference Between
  • Biology
  • Versus

Similar Reads

    What is a Natural Ecosystem?
    Natural ecosystems are self-sustaining and do not require human intervention. Natural Ecosystems are the outcome of interactions between living things and their surroundings. A few examples are lakes, woods, oceans, and deserts. A natural ecosystem is a big, interconnected community where plants, an
    6 min read
    What are Ecosystem Maps in Design?
    The ecosystem of an object therein consists of an ecosystem map. Suppose we are journeying to find the overview of a system or environment – these maps come into play. They double as visual tools that will unveil how siblings or elements vary in a given environment. Imagine entities as people in the
    5 min read
    Causes and Impact of Environmental Degradation
    The physical surroundings of a person of which they are a part and upon whom they depend for activities like physiological working, production, and consumption, are referred to as Environment. Here, the physical environment comprises all natural resources, including soil, plants, energy-carrying mat
    6 min read
    What is Ecosystem? Definition, Structure, Types, and Functions
    The ecosystem term was first coined by an ecologist Arthur Tansley in 1935. The ecosystem is a balance or equilibrium between living and non-living factors of the ecosystem where they tend to interact with each other. All living things, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, depend on non-li
    12 min read
    What is an Ecosystem? How do Human Beings influence Ecology?
    An ecosystem is defined as a community of living things, composed of non-living components that interact with each other. An ecosystem is a structural and functional unit of ecology in which living organisms interact with each other and with the environment. In other words, an ecosystem is a chain o
    9 min read
geeksforgeeks-footer-logo
Corporate & Communications Address:
A-143, 7th Floor, Sovereign Corporate Tower, Sector- 136, Noida, Uttar Pradesh (201305)
Registered Address:
K 061, Tower K, Gulshan Vivante Apartment, Sector 137, Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, 201305
GFG App on Play Store GFG App on App Store
Advertise with us
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • In Media
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with us
  • GFG Corporate Solution
  • Placement Training Program
  • Languages
  • Python
  • Java
  • C++
  • PHP
  • GoLang
  • SQL
  • R Language
  • Android Tutorial
  • Tutorials Archive
  • DSA
  • Data Structures
  • Algorithms
  • DSA for Beginners
  • Basic DSA Problems
  • DSA Roadmap
  • Top 100 DSA Interview Problems
  • DSA Roadmap by Sandeep Jain
  • All Cheat Sheets
  • Data Science & ML
  • Data Science With Python
  • Data Science For Beginner
  • Machine Learning
  • ML Maths
  • Data Visualisation
  • Pandas
  • NumPy
  • NLP
  • Deep Learning
  • Web Technologies
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • ReactJS
  • NextJS
  • Bootstrap
  • Web Design
  • Python Tutorial
  • Python Programming Examples
  • Python Projects
  • Python Tkinter
  • Python Web Scraping
  • OpenCV Tutorial
  • Python Interview Question
  • Django
  • Computer Science
  • Operating Systems
  • Computer Network
  • Database Management System
  • Software Engineering
  • Digital Logic Design
  • Engineering Maths
  • Software Development
  • Software Testing
  • DevOps
  • Git
  • Linux
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Azure
  • GCP
  • DevOps Roadmap
  • System Design
  • High Level Design
  • Low Level Design
  • UML Diagrams
  • Interview Guide
  • Design Patterns
  • OOAD
  • System Design Bootcamp
  • Interview Questions
  • Inteview Preparation
  • Competitive Programming
  • Top DS or Algo for CP
  • Company-Wise Recruitment Process
  • Company-Wise Preparation
  • Aptitude Preparation
  • Puzzles
  • School Subjects
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Social Science
  • English Grammar
  • Commerce
  • World GK
  • GeeksforGeeks Videos
  • DSA
  • Python
  • Java
  • C++
  • Web Development
  • Data Science
  • CS Subjects
@GeeksforGeeks, Sanchhaya Education Private Limited, All rights reserved
We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience on our website. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy
Lightbox
Improvement
Suggest Changes
Help us improve. Share your suggestions to enhance the article. Contribute your expertise and make a difference in the GeeksforGeeks portal.
geeksforgeeks-suggest-icon
Create Improvement
Enhance the article with your expertise. Contribute to the GeeksforGeeks community and help create better learning resources for all.
geeksforgeeks-improvement-icon
Suggest Changes
min 4 words, max Words Limit:1000

Thank You!

Your suggestions are valuable to us.

What kind of Experience do you want to share?

Interview Experiences
Admission Experiences
Career Journeys
Work Experiences
Campus Experiences
Competitive Exam Experiences