The term "ecosystem" was coined in 1930 by a British botanist named Roy Clapham. Ecosystem refers to a natural unit consisting of all the plants, animals and micro-organisms living and functioning together with all of the non-living aspects of the environment, such as light, temperature, wind, and soil. All the living and non-living things in the ecosystem are related in some way and work as a whole to keep the area balanced and healthy.
There are many different kinds of ecosystems, and on TIDES you'll find information about a few of these. Images of dung beetles in the desert,videos of Mangrove forests in the Yucatan, birds singing in a tropical forest - follow the links and take a virtual tour to experience all this, and much more!
