BIOSPHERE

The biosphere, (from Greek bios = life, sphaira, sphere) is the layer of
the planet Earth where life exists. This layer ranges from heights of up to
ten kilometres above sea level, used by some birds in flight, to depths of
the ocean such as the Puerto Rico trench, at more than 8 kilometres
deep. These are the extremes; however, in general the layer of the Earth
containing life is thin: the upper atmosphere has little oxygen and very
low temperatures, while ocean depths greater than 1000 m are dark
and cold. In fact, it has been said that the biosphere is like the peel in
relation to the size of an apple.

The development of the term is attributed to the English geologist

Eduard Suess (1831-1914) and the Russian physicist Vladimir I. Vernadsky
(1863-1945). The biosphere is one of the four layers that surround the
Earth along with the lithosphere (rock), hydrosphere (water) and
atmosphere (air) and it is the sum of all the ecosystems.

The biosphere is unique. So far there has been no existence of life

elsewhere in the universe. Life on Earth depends on the sun. Energy,
provided as sun light, is captured by plants, some bacteria and protists,
in the marvellous phenomenon of photosynthesis. The captured energy
transforms carbon dioxide into organic compounds such as sugars and
produces oxygen. The vast majority of species of animals, fungi,
parasitic plants and many bacteria depend directly or indirectly on
photosynthesis.
The biosphere is made up of the parts of Earth where life exists. The
biosphere extends from the deepest root systems of trees, to the dark
environment of ocean trenches, to lush rain forests and
high mountaintops.

Scientists describe the Earth in terms of spheres. The solid surface layer
of the Earth is the lithosphere. The atmosphere is the layer of air that
stretches above the lithosphere. The Earth’s water—on the surface, in
the ground, and in the air—makes up the hydrosphere.

Since life exists on the ground, in the air, and in the water, the
biosphere overlaps all these spheres. Although the biosphere measures
about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from top to bottom, almost all life exists
between about 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the ocean’s surface to
about 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) above sea level.

Origin of the Biosphere

The biosphere has existed for about 3.5 billion years. The biosphere’s
earliest life-forms, called prokaryotes, survived
without oxygen. Ancient prokaryotes included single-celled organisms
such as bacteria and archaea.

Some prokaryotes developed a unique chemical process. They were

able to use sunlight to make simple sugars and oxygen out of water
and carbon dioxide, a process called photosynthesis. These
photosynthetic organisms were so plentiful that they changed the
biosphere. Over a long period of time, the atmosphere developed a
mix of oxygen and other gases that could sustain new forms of life.

The addition of oxygen to the biosphere allowed more complex life-

forms to evolve. Millions of different plants and other photosynthetic
species developed. Animals, which consume plants (and other
animals) evolved. Bacteria and other organisms evolved to decompose,
or break down, dead animals and plants.

The biosphere benefits from this food web. The remains of dead plants
and animals release nutrients into the soil and ocean. These nutrients are
re-absorbed by growing plants. This exchange of food and energy
makes the biosphere a self-supporting and self-regulating system.

The biosphere is sometimes thought of as one large ecosystem—a

complex community of living and nonliving things functioning as a
single unit. More often, however, the biosphere is described as having
many ecosystems.

Biosphere Reserves

People play an important part in maintaining the flow of energy in the

biosphere. Sometimes, however, people disrupt the flow. For example,
in the atmosphere, oxygen levels decrease and carbon dioxide levels
increase when people clear forests or burn fossil fuels such
as coal and oil. Oil spills and industrial wastes threaten life in the
hydrosphere. The future of the biosphere will depend on how people
interact with other living things within the zone of life.

In the early 1970s, the United Nations established a project called Man
and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), which promotes sustainable
development. A network of biosphere reserves exists to establish a
working, balanced relationship between people and the natural world.

Currently, there are 563 biosphere reserves all over the world. The first
biosphere reserve was established in Yangambi, Democratic Republic of
Congo. Yangambi, in the fertile Congo River Basin, has 32,000 species
of trees and such endemic species as forest elephants and red river hogs.
The biosphere reserve at Yangambi supports activities such as sustainable
agriculture, hunting, and mining.

One of the newest biosphere reserves is in Yayu, Ethiopia. The area is

developed for agriculture. Crops such as honey, timber, and fruit are
regularly cultivated. However, Yayu’s most profitable and
valuable resource is an indigenous species of plant, Coffea arabica.
This shrub is the source of coffee. Yayu has the largest source of
wild Coffea arabica in the world.