Basic Information

In order to start writing this blog about environmental systems and societies I will put up some basic information about systems.

What is a system?

Simply put, a system is a set of components that function and interact in some regular and theoretically predictable. Though you will learn more about systems later on.

Examples of different systems could be tundra, taiga, rainforest, desert, estuary, etc. Here, in Monterrey, you can find different ecosystems such as decidious forest, aquatic ecosystem, and steppe.

In the ecosystems exist the trophic levels which is the position of an organism according to its place on the food chain. A food chain represents a succession of organisms that eat another organism and are, in turn, eaten themselves. The number of steps an organism is from the start of the chain is a measure of its trophic level. Food chains start at trophic level 1 with primary producers, move to herbivores at level 2, predators at level 3 and typically finish with carnivores or apex predators at level 4 or 5. The path along the chain forms a one-way flow along which energy travels in the form of food.

Here's an example of trophic levels:

A savanna is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses. Some classification systems also recognize a grassland savanna from which trees are absent

It is often believed that savannas feature widely spaced, scattered trees. However, in many savannas, tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forest. Savannas are also characterized by seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season. Savannas are associated with several types of biomes. Savannas are frequently in a transitional zone between forest and desert or prairie. Savanna covers 20% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of savanna is in Africa.

Werner, Patricia A.; B. H. Walker; P. A Stott (1991). "Introduction" Patricia A. Werner. Savanna Ecology and Management: Australian Perspectives and Intercontinental Comparisons. Oxford:Blackwell Publishing.

grass savanna, Britannica Online Encyclopedia