Conditions to maintain life in an ecosystem:

1. Constant source of energy with living system capable of incorporating energy into organic molecules.

Ex. Plants and/or algae are needed to convert solar energy to the energy of sugars by the process of photosynthesis.

2. A cycling of materials between organisms and their environment. (Some material cycles include oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen.)

Ex. Decomposers, such as bacteria of decay and some fungi are needed in every ecosystem to return and recycle necessary materials to the environment.

*The greater the number of different populations that interact within an ecosystem, the more stable and self-sustaining the ecosystem becomes.

*The number of different populations within an ecosystem is sometimes referred to as biodiversity. These interactions contribute to the overall maintenance of the ecosystem.