In this module you will learn about the different types of ecosystems and their environments with a focus on how different ways of modelling ecosystems are necessary to understand how environmental disturbances will affect ecosystem structure and dynamics. The main factors in relation to conceptual models, analytical models and simulation models are explained, to show the general relationships between organisms, the flow of materials, linear food chains and holistic food webs.

In this module you will learn about the main focus is on energy acquisition in an ecosystem and the way energy is transferred between trophic levels as it flows from the bottom to the top of the food web. The module also explains the modelling of ecosystem energy and how ecological pyramids provide vital information about ecosystem structure.

In this module you will learn about how mineral nutrients are cycled through ecosystems and their environment, focusing on the interconnected cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur. The module also focuses on how human activities have caused major disturbances to these cycles, through activities, such as pollution and oil spills, which have damaged ecosystems, potentially causing global climate change.