biosphere

Also known as life zone

thumb|A false color composite of global oceanic and terrestrial photoautotroph abundance, from September 2001 to August 2017. Provided by the [[SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and ORBIMAGE.]]

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The biosphere is the global system encompassing all living organisms and the environments they inhabit on Earth. It matters because it represents the interconnected web of life that sustains all biological activity, from microscopic organisms to large ecosystems, across oceans and land.

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Commons category: Biosphere

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~11 min read

Article

13 sections

Contents

Origin and use of the term
Narrow definition
Earth's biosphere
Overview
Age
Extent
Annual variation
Artificial biospheres
Extraterrestrial biospheres
See also
References
Further reading
External links

The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to matter, with minimal inputs and outputs. Regarding energy, it is an open system, with photosynthesis capturing solar energy at a rate of around 100 terawatts. By the most general biophysiological definition, the biosphere is the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. The biosphere is postulated to have evolved, beginning with a process of biopoiesis (life created naturally from matter, such as simple organic compounds) or biogenesis (life created from living matter), at least some 3.5 billion years ago.