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ecosystems. Living beings in ecosystems are grouped as producers, consumers
and both producers and consumers according to the way of nutrition, as well
as saprophytics, symbiotics and parasites according to the way of living”
(Hacettepe University, 2018). The environment formed by inanimate beings
such as light, air, water, temperature, soil, humidity, wind is called non-living
(abiotic) environment.
In order for all living things to survive, they must adapt to the ecosystem
where they exist. For this reason, it is not possible for living beings to live in
any kind of ecosystem. Survival of a living being in an ecosystem depends on
the compatibility of its properties and/or its capability to adapt to it.
All ecosystems have different characteristics. Assets such as water,
temperature, light, soil, climate, humidity, air are the main vital factors that
determine the characteristics of an ecosystem. Ecosystems can be at different
scales (small or large). For example, while beings living under a small stone
establish a small ecosystem, larger ecosystems such as wetlands, forests,
grasslands, steppes, streams, and the sea are formed by the combination of
smaller and different ecosystems. According to this definition, the Earth is the
largest ecosystem formed by the combination of all ecosystems.
Species living in ecosystems with their own unique characteristics and
the size of their ecosystems may also vary. Ecosystems are divided into two
different groups as terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Hacettepe University,
2018). Land ecosystems cover forest, steppe, marsh, meadow, grassland,
desert, mountain, valley, urban ecosystems, while aquatic ecosystems cover
smaller ecosystems such as ocean, sea, stream, lake, river, pond, spring, dam,
artificial dam ecosystems.
The aspects such as temperature, light, wind, precipitation, humidity and
climatic characteristics determine the diversity of vegetation and animals in
ecosystems. It differs due to these factors.
Türkiye is very rich in biodiversity values and living environments (habitats)
due to its geographical location and geological and topographical features,
and stands out with this feature among the countries in temperate regions.
This richness in ecosystems is due to the features such as being surrounded by
seas on three sides, mountainous structure and distance of the inland regions
from the effects of marine climate as a result of high mountains.
Ecosystem services (Figure 1): The services provided by the natural
environment and benefited by people are called ecosystem services. Besides
there are different methods for classifying ecosystem services, the classification
of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which is often accepted, is as
follows:

142 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate