ABSTRACT
The biosphere of planet Earth is a system of almost infinite complexity and variability within which all things, both living and non-living, are intimately interconnected. Every patch of earth or drop of water is host to a complex network of microhabitats. Different organisms within ecosystems are adapted to differing regimes of temperature, nutrient concentration, light level and countless other variables, succeeding each other in activity, and often in dominance, throughout changing seasons, lunar phases and times of day. Yet, within this pattern of constant change, all parts of the global ecosystem interact to maintain the stability of the whole.
