A farm has lots of animals. Is it an ecosystem? Why or Why not?

Answer 1

If you include the farmer as one of the farm animals, then yes. Otherwise, no.

In an ecosystem, all the organisms fill roles that benefit the ecosystem as a whole. In a farm, the farmer is like a servant animal for all the other animals ... the farmer takes care of providing for the survival of the other organisms, including food, water, shelter, getting rid of their wastes, and providing an environment for mating. In exchange, the farm animals provide for the survival of the farmer, milk, eggs, meat, manure for his field, muscle for plowing (if he has a horse or ox), etc. And we must not forget the plant life ... the crops that the farmer plants, either for feeding himself or the animals directly, or for converting into a form that he and the animals can eat (a.k.a. selling for money, and then using that money to purchase food and feed).

But without the farmer in the equation, the other animals have little relationship to each other. The cows don't provide any direct service to the chickens, or vice versa. All the animals would perish without the farmer. So it is not an ecosystem.

So you could argue it either way.

Answer 2

Yes, a farm is an ecosystem.

Ecosystems include all the living and nonliving factors in an environment -- the biotic and abiotic factors. These interrelate and make an ecosystem. An ecosystem does not have to be natural. An aquarium can be an ecosystem.

Answer 3

No, because they are not naturally existent there.