AMITY UNIVERSITY

JAIPUR
 HEL
LO!
I am Sunny Raj Saini
And today I am here to represent you
the Presentation. And my topic for
Presentation is
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
&
DESERT ECOSYSTEM
Let’s Start With The First Set Of Slides >>>
F OREST E COSYSTEM
A Forest Ecosystem is an ecosystem of forests and resources.
Forests are renewable natural resources. Forests are formed by a
group of plants that are structurally defined by their trees, shrubs,
herbs, climbers, and ground cover. Soil, animals, insects,
microorganisms, and birds are the most important interacting
units of a forest ecosystem. In India, the forests occupy about 18-
20% of the total land area.
1. Abiotic Components of the forest include inorganic
and organic components present in the soil along with
temperature, rainfall, light, etc.
2. Biotic Components are represented by producers,
consumers, and decomposers.
 What Are the Types of Forest Ecosystems?
1. Tropical Evergreen Rainforest: Only a small percentage of tropical forests are rainforests where average rainfall is
80-400 inches in a year. This forest is characterised by deep and dense vegetation consisting of tall trees reaching different
levels.

2. Tropical Deciduous Rainforest: The main characteristic of tropical deciduous rainforest are broad-leaved trees
along with dense bushes, shrubs, etc. Two main seasons – summer and winter – are distinctly visible there. This type of
forest is found in many parts of the world. A large variety of flora and fauna are found here.

3. Temperate Evergreen Forest: Temperate evergreen forest is a type of forest that is characterised by a smaller
number of trees but an adequate number of ferns and mosses.

4. Temperate Deciduous Forest: Temperate deciduous forest evolves in the moist temperate region with sufficient
rainfall. Here also, winter and summer are well defined, and trees shed their leaves during winter. Dominant trees are
maple, oak, peach, etc.

5. Taiga/Boreal: Situated just south of the Tundra, Taiga is characterised by evergreen conifers. The average temperature
 Characteristics of
Forest Ecosystem
1. Warm temperatures and sufficient rainfall are characteristics of
forests, resulting in the formation of numerous ponds, lakes, etc.
2. The forest maintains climate and rainfall.
3. The forest supports many wild animals and protects
biodiversity.
4. The soil is rich in organic matter and nutrients, which support
the growth of trees.
Functions of Forest Ecosystem
1. Goods Obtained from Forests: There are various types of food
products such as honey, wild meat, fruits, mushrooms, palm oil and wine,
and medicinal plants obtained from forests. Other than edible parts, we can
obtain timber, wood biomass, cork, etc. from forests. The fuel can be
extracted from old trees that are buried under the soil.
2. Ecological Functions: Forests play an important role in maintaining
ecological factors such as climate, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and
rainfall.
3. Culture and Social Benefits: The tribal people who live in the forests
treat forests as nature goddesses. The traditional beliefs and spirituality
save wild animals from hunters and cutting down of trees by urban people.
A few modern people visit forests for recreation.
DESERT
ECOSYSTEM
Desert is one of the most dried land areas on this planet that receives very
little precipitation annually. It is a land with very less rainfall throughout the
year measured less than 50 cm a year. Desert ecosystem is the driest
ecosystem of the earth and this is the reason it has less vegetation and
less diversity of life. It is one of the parts of the terrestrial ecosystem. The
plants and animals of the desert ecosystem have mastered the art of
survival in harsh conditions. A desert ecosystem is basically devoid of any
rainfall or precipitation. It is the community of living and non-living
organisms living together and interacting in an environment which seems
to be abandoned. A Desert ecosystem is the interaction between both the
Biotic and Abiotic components of the environment.

Deserts are barren areas of land characterised by extremely high or low

temperatures, with low rainfall and scarce or no vegetation. Deserts are
examples of terrestrial ecosystems, which are found throughout the world.
Neither all deserts are flat, nor do all deserts have cacti or oases. These are
regions with a short rainy season. It is scorching in the daytime, and very cold
at night in the desert.
Thar Desert, also called Great Indian Desert, arid region of rolling sand
hills on the Indian subcontinent. It is located partly in Rajasthan state,
northwestern India, and partly in Punjab and Sindh (Sind) provinces,
eastern Pakistan. The Thar Desert covers some 77,000 square miles
(200,000 square km) of territory.
 DESERT
ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
Aridity: It is the common characteristic of all the
deserts on the earth. Aridity simply implies the
deficiency of moisture’s or dryness. Desert
experience very less rainfall and thus result in
aridity.
Less rainfall/ precipitation: Less precipitation is
one of the major features of deserts and also the
reason behind the dryness. The rainfall in deserts is
seasonal and occurs only for a limited duration. The Extreme temperature: Desert ecosystems
annual rainfall that a desert receives every year is experience extreme temperatures during day and
just 25-30 centimetres. night. The days are very hot and the nights can be
extremely cold. It is the sole characteristic of all the
desert ecosystems either hot or cold all lacks
moisture.
Velocity of wind: It tends to be very high in a desert
ecosystem. This is the reason deserts experience
sandstorms/ dust storms of high intensity resulting in
the formation of huge sand dunes.
The quality of the soil
In deserts is very low to grow vegetation. It is dry, rocky,
thin, sandy, mainly grey in colour and has no organic
contents like nitrogen, phosphorus etc which are essential
for the growth of plants.
Plants grow very slowly
In this ecosystem that includes basically vegetation’s with
spines like cacti that can easily survive in such conditions.

Scarcity of water
Due to less rainfall, there is a shortage of water in a desert
ecosystem. Due to the scarcity of water deserts have to
face the situation of drought half of the year.
Humidity-
The humidity level in a desert ecosystem is very low in the
daytime and relatively high at night.
The population density
Density Is very low in deserts and nearby areas as there is
there a scarcity of water, food and climatic conditioner are
too harsh.
Biodiversity in a desert ecosystem –
However, the survival in a desert ecosystem is very hard
but despite the fact, deserts are home to various plants
and animals. The plants and animals have adapted to
survive in the harsh and extreme conditions of the desert.
TYPES OF DESERT ECOSYSTEM
1.Hot and Dry Desert Ecosystem-
These kinds of the desert ecosystem have hot and dry climatic conditions through the air
and have very low annual rainfall. The hot desert ecosystem is basically found in Central
America, South Asia, North America, Africa, Australia etc. There are extreme variations in
temperature and soil is rough and harsh.
2.Semi-arid desert ecosystem-
This desert ecosystem is quite similar to the Hot and Dry desert ecosystem. This kind of
ecosystem has hard rocks, stable ground, less sand dunes. Temperature is not as
extreme as a hot and dry desert ecosystem. Great Basin is an example of Semi-arid
desert ecosystem. It receives a lot of rain as compared to the normal desert’s ecosystem.
3.Coastal desert ecosystem-
The Atacama Desert in Chile and Namib in Africa are a good example of Coastal desert
ecosystem. Such desert ecosystems are found near the coastal lines of big water bodies
like oceans and seas and are generally affected by the ocean currents. Winter fogs are
common here. They are more hospitable than other desert ecosystem and therefore they
have a more flora and fauna than others.
4.Cold desert ecosystem-
This desert ecosystem comprises of abundant rainfall throughout the winters and less in
summers and generally has chilling winters with snowfall. The summers are short,
moderately hot and moist here. These are usually covered with snow dunes. Such desert
ecosystem can be found in Greenland, Antarctica, and Nearctic realm.
It is usually considered as the waste and useless land. However, the
literal meaning of desert (Desertus- latin word) is waste but the truth is a
desert ecosystem is a significant part of the earth like other ecosystems.
No matter they are dry, receives less rainfall, have less biodiversity but
they are a part of earth and help in maintaining a balance.