Online Assignment
Online Assignment
Online Assignment
ON
ECOSYSTEM
INTRODUCTION 1
ECOSYSTEM 2
TYPES OF 5
ECOSYTEMS
CONCLUSION 13
REFERENCE 14
INTRODUCTION
Humans form an integral part of the environment. They interact with the
environment and modify it as per their needs and requirements, thus forming a
human-made environment. With time, as humans evolved, their interaction with
the environment also revolutionized, resulting in global environmental impact.
Early humans used to adapt to the natural surroundings, however,
contemporarily, as the human needs grew and became varied, the pressure on
the environment also spiked, and more emphasis was given on judiciously using
our environmental resources for meeting the needs of both present and future
generations, to safeguard biodiversity and to protect life on Earth.
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ECOSYSTEM
The concept of ecosystem was first put forth by A.G. Tansley (1935).
Ecosystem is the major ecological unit. It has both structure and functions. The
structure is related to species diversity. The more complex is the structure the
greater is the diversity of the species in the ecosystem. The functions of
ecosystem are related to the flow of energy and cycling of materials through
structural components of the ecosystem. According to E.P. Odum, the
ecosystem is the basic functional unit of organisms and their environment
interacting with each other and with their own components.
Biotic or biocenosis
Abiotic or biotope
Biotic Components
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Based on the nutrition the biotic components are classified into three. They
include:
Secondary Consumers: They depend upon the primary consumers for food, they
can be either Carnivores or omnivores in nature.
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Tertiary Consumers: Tertiary consumers depend upon secondary consumers for
food.
Decomposers: These are the organisms that feed on the non-living organic
matter called detritus. They are also known as saprotrophic organisms and
include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They consume the dead and
decaying matters. They recycle the nutrients so they can be used by plants in the
ecosystem.
Abiotic Components
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TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS
The ecosystems are capable of operating and maintaining themselves without
any major interference by man.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Terrestrial ecosystems are many because there are so many different sorts of
places on Earth.
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
A forest ecosystem consists of several plants, animals and microorganisms that
live in coordination with the abiotic factors of the environment. Forests help in
maintaining the temperature of the earth and are the major carbon sink.
The forest type depends upon the abiotic factors such as climate and soil
characteristics of a region. Forests in India can be broadly divided into
Coniferous forests and Broadleaved forests. They can also be classified
according to the nature of their tree species – evergreen, deciduous, xerophytic
or thorn trees, mangroves, etc.
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Coniferous forests grow in the Himalayan Mountain region, where the
temperatures are low. These forests have tall stately trees with needle like leaves
and downward sloping branches so that the snow can slip off the branches. They
have cones instead of seeds and are called gymnosperms.
Evergreen forests grow in the high rainfall areas of the Western Ghats, North-
eastern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These forests grow in areas
where the monsoon lasts for several months. Some even get two monsoons,
such as in Southern India.
Evergreen plants shed a few of their leaves throughout the year. There is
no dry leafless phase as in a deciduous forest. An evergreen forest thus looks
green throughout the year.
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The deciduous trees shed their leaves during the winter and hot summer
months. In March or April they regain their fresh leaves just before the monsoon
when they grow vigorously in response to the rains.
Thorn forest trees have long or fibrous roots to reach water at great depths.
Many of these plants have thorns, which reduce water loss and protect them
from herbivores.
Mangrove forests grow along the coast especially in the river deltas. These
plants can grow in a mix of saline and fresh water. They grow luxuriantly in
muddy areas covered with silt that the rivers have brought down. The mangrove
trees have breathing roots that emerge from the mudbanks.
GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM
Grasslands are the areas that are dominated by a nearly continuous cover
of grasses. It is one of the most widespread of all major vegetation in the world.
They occupy about 20% of the land on the surface of the earth. Grasslands are
found in both tropical and temperate regions where rainfall is not enough to
support the growth of trees. They are also found in areas consisting of well-
defined hot, dry, warm, and rainy seasons.
These are known by different names in different regions of the world like
steppes in Europe and Asia, pampas in South America, Veldt in South Africa,
and Downs in Australia. Grassland is found where rainfall is about 15-75 cm
per year not enough to support a forest, but more than that of a true desert.
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In India, they are found mainly high Himalayas. The rest of India’s grasslands
are mainly composed of the Steppes and Savana. Steppe formations occupy
large areas of sandy and saline soils.
TUNDRA BIOME
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish
word tunturi, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes,
extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short
growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool.
o Arctic tundra
o Alpine tundra
Arctic tundra
Arctic tundra is in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and
extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its
cold, desert-like conditions. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic.
Alpine tundra
DESERT ECOSYSTEM
The desert ecosystem is the driest terrestrial ecosystem in the world, therefore, it
has less biodiversity. The plants in this desert ecosystem are usually short-lived
in nature. They grow, germinate, and perish in a very short time.
Desert plants are capable of photosynthesis because their stems are green and
succulent and covered with a waxy substance. Different types of animals such
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as locusts, camels, rats, etc. are seen in the desert ecosystem. The animals of
this ecosystem adapt to the different conditions prevailing in the desert
ecosystem.
The desert ecosystem has less density of plants due to low rainfall. These
regions are characterized by less than 255 mm of rainfall and high or low
temperatures. The evaporation rate of this ecosystem is very high. Dates, cotton,
millet, etc. are cultivated in different places depending on the availability of
water.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM
The aquatic ecosystem is the basic functional unit facilitating the sustenance of
aquatic organisms.
Nekton, plankton, and benthos are some of the most prevalent aquatic creatures.
Lakes, oceans, ponds, rivers, swamps, coral reefs, wetlands, and popular
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examples of freshwater aquatic ecosystems. While marine habitats include
oceans, intertidal zones, reefs, and the seabed
Freshwater Ecosystem
Lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, marshes, swamps, bogs, and ephemeral pools
are all examples of freshwater.
Freshwater ecosystems are divided into three types: lotic, lentic, wetlands, and
swamps.
Lentic habitats are bodies of standing water such as lakes, ponds, pools, bogs,
and other reservoirs. Flowing water bodies such as rivers and streams are
represented by lotic ecosystems.
Lotic Ecosystems
Lentic Ecosystems
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Marine Ecosystem
The marine environment spans most of the earth’s surface area. Oceans,
seas, the intertidal zone, reefs, the seabed, estuaries, hydrothermal vents, and
rock pools make up two-thirds of the earth's surface. Aquatic animals cannot
exist outside of water. Salt concentrations are higher in the marine habitat,
making it difficult for freshwater creatures to survive. In addition, marine
species are unable to survive in freshwater.
Their bodies are designed to survive in saltwater and will swell if placed in less
salty water (osmosis).
They can be further classified as ocean ecosystems, estuaries, coral reefs, and
coastal ecosystems.
Ocean Ecosystems
The Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans are the five primary oceans on
earth.
The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are the largest and deepest of these five oceans.
More than five lakh aquatic species call these oceans home.
Shellfish, sharks, tube worms, crabs, turtles, crustaceans, blue whales, reptiles,
marine mammals, seagulls, plankton, corals, and other ocean plants are just a
few of the organisms that live in these environments.
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CONCLUSION
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REFERENCE
https://www.deshbandhucollege.ac.in/pdf/resources/
1587401626_BA(H)-Psc-Eco-Eng-BA(P)-II-
Ecosystem.pdf
https://www.ugc.ac.in/oldpdf/modelcurriculum/
Chapter3.pdf
https://gacbe.ac.in/pdf/ematerial/18BZO63C-U2.pdf
https://www.javatpoint.com/types-of-ecosystem
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