Editing Closed ecological system

{{short description|Ecosystem that does not exchange matter with the exterior}}
[[Image:biosphere2 1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Biosphere 2]]]]

'''Closed ecological systems''' or '''contained ecological systems''' ('''CES''') are [[ecosystems]] that do not rely on matter exchange with any part outside the system.

The term is most often used to describe small, man-made ecosystems. Such systems can potentially serve as a [[life support system|life-support system]] or [[space habitat]]s.<ref>{{cite book | title=Manmade Closed Ecological Systems | author= [[Josef Gitelson|I. I. Gitelson]] | author2= G. M. Lisovsky | author3= R. D. MacElroy | name-list-style= amp | publisher= [[Taylor & Francis]] |date=2003 | isbn = 0-415-29998-5}}</ref>

In a closed ecological system, any waste products produced by one species must be used by at least one other species. If the purpose is to maintain a life form, such as a [[mouse]] or a [[human]], waste products such as [[carbon dioxide]], [[feces]], and [[urine]] must eventually be converted into [[oxygen]], [[food]], and [[water]].

A closed ecological system must contain at least one [[autotroph]]ic organism. While both [[chemotroph]]ic and [[phototroph]]ic organisms are plausible, almost all closed ecological systems to date are based on an autotroph such as green [[algae]].

== Examples ==

A closed ecological system for an entire planet is called an [[Ecosphere (planetary)|ecosphere]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/fs/turner/pdfs/lexicon_of_the_spheres.pdf|title=A Lexicon of the Spheres|publisher=[[Oregon State University]]|access-date=2016-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018011127/http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/fs/turner/pdfs/lexicon_of_the_spheres.pdf|archive-date=2016-10-18|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencehelpdesk.com/unit/science2/11|title=ESO 2 Science 11: The Ecosphere and the Ecosystems|publisher=Science Helpdesk}}</ref>

Man-made closed ecological systems which were created to sustain human life include [[Biosphere 2]], [[MELiSSA]], and the BIOS-1, BIOS-2, and [[BIOS-3]] projects.<ref>{{cite journal | journal=BioScience | date=Oct 1997 | volume=47 |issue=9 | pages=575–85 | title= Bios-3: Siberian experiments in bioregenerative life support | author=Salisbury FB | author2=Gitelson JI | author3=Lisovsky GM | doi=10.2307/1313164 | jstor=1313164 | pmid=11540303| doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Bottle garden]]s and [[Ecosphere (aquarium)|aquarium ecospheres]] are partially or fully enclosed glass containers that are self-sustaining closed ecosystems that can be made or purchased. They can include tiny [[shrimp]], [[algae]], [[gravel]], decorative [[Exoskeleton|shell]]s, and ''[[Gorgonia]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ecospheres.co.uk/what-is-an-ecosphere/  | title=What is an EcoSphere? (Shrimp and Gorgonia coral)}}</ref>

==In fiction==

Closed ecological systems are commonly featured in fiction and particularly in [[science fiction]]. These include [[Domed city|domed cities]], [[Space stations and habitats in fiction|space stations and habitats on foreign planets or asteroids]], cylindrical habitats (e.g. [[O'Neill cylinder|O'Neill cylinders]]), [[Dyson Sphere|Dyson Spheres]] and so on.<ref>Westfahl, Gary (2005). "Space Habitats". The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 736–737. ISBN 978-0-313-32952-4.</ref>

== See also ==
*{{annotated link|Biosphere}}
*{{annotated link|Controlled ecological life-support system}}
*{{annotated link|Controlled-environment agriculture}}
*{{annotated link|IBTS Greenhouse}}
*{{annotated link|Ecology}}
*{{annotated link|Ecosphere (planetary)|Ecosphere}}
*{{annotated link|Ecosystem services}}
*{{annotated link|Eden Project}}
*{{annotated link|MELiSSA}}
*{{annotated link|Space colonization}}
*{{annotated link|Spome}}
*{{annotated link|Terraforming}}
*{{annotated link|Chang'e 4}}
*{{annotated link|Space stations and habitats in fiction}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{emerging technologies|topics=yes|ag=yes}}

[[Category:Ecological processes]]
[[Category:Systems ecology]]
[[Category:Ecosystems]]
[[Category:Artificial ecosystems]]


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