Twylo's ecosystem on land is complex and rich.
It engulfs communities of plants and animals living together in
a state of dynamic balance. Each particular biotic community reflects
the zonal climatic aspects of the environment. Natural communities
acquire vital materials from the surroundings and transfer materials
back. Raw materials and decay products are continuously exchanged.
Usually, the photo synthetic activity of the plants serves as the main source of energy within the community. The sequences in which the organisms within an ecosystem feed on one another are called food chains. Plants, consequently, constitute the primary link in the food chain, as they are producing the carbohydrates - molecules bearing energy due to strong atomic bonds. The cycle continues with the animal species feeding on vegetation and representing, in turn the food source for the primary predators. These predators may be themselves consumed by a higher level predators. In the end, the organic substances return to the soil, by means of animal excretion or the decomposition of the dead animals. These substances are then available for intake by the plants, and the cycle repeats.
Different climates and geophysical conditions result in different types of biotic communities on Twylo's land surface. Those most abundant and possessing the most diverse populations are located in the equatorial zone where the favorable conditions - little variation in temperature due to the constant amount of light received - exist. Diverse plants provide the living basis for numerous types of animal species, from those similar to Earth's insects to the complex vertebrate predators.
Tropical and temperate zones maintain less variety as compared to the equatorial, although these environments are also in possession of unique and rich populations of species.
Within the biotic communities, each species
occupies a specific niche of existence, and the same niche cannot
be occupied by two different species at the same time. Hence the
evolution of species that are active at different times; these
may be subdivided as diurnal and nocturnal. If a species is introduced
to a community where its niche is already occupied, then there
will be eventually a deadlock competition between the two, with
a natural balance achieved as the more successful species eliminates
the competitor.
Such processes in various spheres of each particular community lead to the establishment of a dynamic equilibrium that governs the community's life. All the biotic communities on Twylo taken together form the global ecosystem of the planet, its biosphere. Despite its huge dimensions, the biosphere is dependent on each of the subsystems within it. Potential disruptions within the small communities will inevitably have effects on all others.
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