kinds of ecosystem

Kinds of Ecosystem

There are basically two types of ecosystems; Terrestrial and Aquatic. All other sub-ecosystems fall under these two.

Terrestrial ecosystems These are found everywhere except water bodies.

The Forest Ecosystem These are ecosystems where flora abundance is seen. They have a large number of living organisms in small area. So, the density of life in the forest ecosystem is high.

The Desert EcosystemDesert ecosystems are found in regions receiving an annual rainfall of less than 25cm. They occupy around 17 percent of all land on the planet. Due to very high temperature, intense sunlight and low water availability, flora and fauna are very poorly developed and scarce. Vegetation is mainly bushes, shrubs, few grasses and rarely trees. Leaves and stems of these plants are modified to conserve water. The best known desert plants are the succulents like spiny leaved cacti. Animal life includes insects, reptiles, birds, camels all of whom are adapted to the xeric (desert) conditions.

The Grassland Ecosystem

Grasslands are found in both temperate and tropical regions of the world but the ecosystems are slightly varying. This area mainly comprises of grasses with very little amount of shrubs and trees. Main vegetation is grasses, legumes and plants belonging to composite family. Many grazing animals, herbivores and insectivores are found in grasslands.

The Mountain Ecosystem

Mountain lands provide a scattered but diverse array of habitats in which a large range of plants and animals are found. At higher altitudes harsh environmental conditions generally prevail, and only treeless alpine vegetation is found. The animals living here have thick fur coats from prevention from cold and hibernate in winter months. Lower slopes commonly are covered by coniferous forests.

Aquatic Ecosystems

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water. It comprises aquatic fauna, flora and the properties of water too. There are two types of aquatic ecosystems, Marine and freshwater.

The Marine Ecosystem

Marine ecosystems are the largest ecosystems with coverage of nearly 71% of the Earth's surface and containing 97% of the planet's water. The water in Marine ecosystems has salts and minerals dissolved in them in high amounts.

Different divisions of marine ecosystems are:

OCEANIC

The relatively shallow part of the ocean that lies over the continental shelf

Profundal

Bottom or deep water.

Estuaries

Coral reefs

The Freshwater Ecosystem

In contrast to the Marine ecosystem, freshwater ecosystems only cover 0.8% of the Earth's surface and contain 0.009% of its total water.

There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

Lentic: Still or slow-moving water like pools, ponds, and lakes

Lotic

Fast-moving water like streams and rivers

Wetlands: Places where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least some time.

CARLA MAYOL AND JESSA MAYOLBSHM-II

CARLA MAYOL AND JESSA MAYOLBSHM-II