A depauperate ecosystem is an

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

which is lacking in numbers or variety of species, often because it lacks enough stored chemical elements and resources required for life. Thus, depauperate

s often cannot support rapid growth of flora and fauna, high

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

density, and high

biological diversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') lev ...

."Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet", Daniel B. Botkin, Edward A. Keller, Fifth Edition, p. 186, An

urchin barren An urchin barren is an area of the shallow part of the ocean where the population growth of sea urchins has gone unchecked, causing destructive grazing of kelp forests. Process Sea urchins eat kelp holdfasts. This can be caused by a lack of sea ...

is an example of a depauperate ecosystem. As it is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, when such ecosystem is depauperate, it means that the area is poor in ecological resources, both in quantity and diversity. An example of a depauperate environment is

Muirfield Seamount The Muirfield Seamount is a submarine mountain located in the Indian Ocean approximately 130 kilometres (70 nautical miles) southwest of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The Cocos Islands are an Australian territory, and therefore the Muirfield Sea ...

References

Further reading