The Characteristics and Spatial Distribution of Ecosystems on Earth's Surface Ecosystems are a key element in the viability of planet Earth as human home. Populations of different plants and animals that live and interact together are called a community. The geographically informed person needs to understand the spatial distribution, origins, functioning, and maintenance of different ecosystems and to comprehend how humans have intentionally or inadvertently modified these ecosystems.
Ecosystems form distinct regions on Earth's surface, which vary in size, shape, and complexity.
Larger scale ecosystems can form continent-wide belts, such as the tundra, taiga, and steppe of northern Asia. The largest ecosystem is the planet itself. All elements of the environment, physical and human, are part of several different but nested ecosystems. Ecosystems, powered by solar energy, are dynamic and ever-changing. Changes in one ecosystem ripple through others with varying degrees of impact.