The ecosystem has thousands of pathogens but thankfully our immune system can defend against them. Bacteria, fungi and viruses are all threats to consumers in the ecosystem. When the pathogens in the ecosystem penetrate the body that is when the immune system goes into effect. The first line of defense is our skin and once that is broken the white blood cells rush to the place where the pathogens are entering the body. Their job is to devour all of the bacteria, fungi and viruses that are a threat to the body. If the phagosites are not enough that the macrophages come to replace the phagosites and then it is their function to destroy the pathogens.
That is only one way that the immune system and the ecosystem interact with each other. If you think about it, the ecosystem needs organisms to sustain itself, organisms need the ecosystem to live, so the immune system helps the organisms survive so that the ecosystem can live. An example of this is if the immune systems in all of the bees suddenly was gone than the bees would die out and would not be able to pollenate plants. In turn the plants would start to die and that would mean there would be less oxygen in that air. If this continued to happen the oxygen level would continue to drop and animals would die because of the lack of oxygen. Don't forget that this is all caused by the immune system in the bees being destroyed.
This is a picture of a white blood cell which is part of the first line of defense.
The ecosystem has thousands of pathogens but thankfully our immune system can defend against them. Bacteria, fungi and viruses are all threats to consumers in the ecosystem. When the pathogens in the ecosystem penetrate the body that is when the immune system goes into effect. The first line of defense is our skin and once that is broken the white blood cells rush to the place where the pathogens are entering the body. Their job is to devour all of the bacteria, fungi and viruses that are a threat to the body. If the phagosites are not enough that the macrophages come to replace the phagosites and then it is their function to destroy the pathogens.
That is only one way that the immune system and the ecosystem interact with each other. If you think about it, the ecosystem needs organisms to sustain itself, organisms need the ecosystem to live, so the immune system helps the organisms survive so that the ecosystem can live. An example of this is if the immune systems in all of the bees suddenly was gone than the bees would die out and would not be able to pollenate plants. In turn the plants would start to die and that would mean there would be less oxygen in that air. If this continued to happen the oxygen level would continue to drop and animals would die because of the lack of oxygen. Don't forget that this is all caused by the immune system in the bees being destroyed.