Review of Ecosystem LiteratureAquatic ecosystems are home to some of the most diverse forms of life on the planet. From plankton and plants to fish and even large mammals, the aquatic ecosystem is home to such a diverse diversity of life that few other ecosystems can compare in such scale. In the aquatic ecosystem, many factors allow biotic life to flourish. Some of these factors include biodiversity, energy flow and nutrient cycling. Not only do these factors allow the function of the aquatic ecosystem to flourish, but they also allow the other factors to function properly. Ecosystem function can be thought of as “the collective metabolic activities of organisms within a habitat consume energy and move matter among organic materials. and inorganic pools". Biodiversity helps the ecosystem maintain these assets in a stable manner. (Shahid 2002). Biodiversity, which is both the genetic and ecological diversity of an ecosystem, allows an ecosystem to respond and to survive in changing conditions (Hooper/ et all 2005 The role of biodiversity in the aquatic ecosystem can be described as a “security blanket”, because biodiversity helps to promote the resilience of an ecosystem, which established through interactions between biota and its environment (Cropp and Gabric 2002), as biodiversity increases, so does the capacity of an ecosystem to overcome not only physical challenges, but also its ability to combat invasive species. This ability to combat “local invasions” also increases because native species use the limited resources present in an area. Thus, if an invasive species attempts to colonize an area with high biodiversity, it will have great difficulty. due to the limited amount of r...... middle of paper ...... Paradigm. Ecology. 83(6): 1537-1552. Srivastava Diane S., Vellend. 2005. Research on biodiversity and ecosystem function: is it relevant for conservation?. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 36: 267-294.Stachowicz John J., Fried Heather, Osman Richard W., Whitlatch Robert B.. 2002. Biodiversity, invasion resistance and marine ecosystem function: reconciling model and process.Ecology. 83(9): 2575-2590.Vanni Michael J.. 2002. Nutrient cycling by animals in freshwater ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 33:341-370. Vanni Michael J., Bowling Anne M., Dickman Elizabeth M., Hale Scott R., Higgins Karen A., Horgan Martin J., Knoll Lesley B., Renwick William H., Stein Roy A. 2006. The nutrient cycle by fish supports relatively greater primary production as lake productivity increases. Ecology. 87(7): 1696-1709.