The biosphere is the Earth’s layer that brings together all existing ecosystems. It corresponds to the place where living beings are found.
The term biosphere derives from the Greek bios , life and sfaira , sphere, that is, it is the sphere of life.
The ecosphere is synonymous with the biosphere, both terms refer to the Earth’s layer inhabited by living beings. However, the ecosphere is more used to emphasize the interrelationships between living beings and the non-living environment.
Features
It is believed that the thickness of the biosphere does not exceed 19 km. It is within this limit that favorable environmental conditions are found for the survival of living beings.
Thus, the biosphere covers from the deepest region of the oceans to the highest altitude where life can exist.
The biosphere is related to the other layers of the planet Earth. All layers are related to each other:
- Lithosphere : it is the solid layer, formed by the soil and rocks;
- Hydrosphere : it is the liquid layer, formed by rivers, lakes and oceans;
- Atmosphere : is the gas layer;
- Biosphere : it is the layer inhabited by living beings that integrates the terrestrial, aerial and aquatic environments.
Biosphere division
The biosphere is the set of all ecosystems . It can be divided into smaller categories, called biocycles . Each biocycle is composed of different biomes.
There are three types of biocycles:
- Epinocycle : it is the terrestrial portion of the biosphere. Formed by terrestrial biomes such as forests, savannas, fields and deserts, in addition to the living beings that inhabit these environments;
- Thalassocycle : it is the marine aquatic portion of the biosphere. It is formed by the oceans and living beings that inhabit it.
- Limnocycle : is the portion made up of fresh water. It is formed by rivers, streams, streams and lakes, as well as by the living beings found in these environments.
Relationship between man and the biosphere
Human activities are those that most affect the balance of the biosphere. As a result, all existing relationships are damaged, giving rise to environmental imbalances.
In order to reduce the effects of environmental degradation, the program “Man and the Biosphere” was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This program operates at an international level and aims to create protected areas called Biosphere Reserves .
In these areas, scientific research and experimentation of activities aimed at the sustainability of natural resources are carried out.
Currently, there are 669 Biosphere Reserves worldwide. In Brazil, there are seven: from the Atlantic Forest, the Green Belt of SP, the Cerrado, the Pantanal, the Caatinga, the Central Amazon and the Serra do Espinhaço (MG).