ECOSYSTEMS

and BIOMES
ECOSYSTEMS
 Refers to any stable environment in
which living and nonliving things
interact and in which raw materials
are used over and over again.
 What is a Biome?
Scientists have developed the term
Biome to describe areas on the earth with
similar climate, plants, and animals.
The plants and animals that live in a
specific biome are physically well adapted
for that area.
Plants and animals that live in a specific
biome share similar characteristics with
other plants and animals in that biome
throughout the world.
 Biomes: Life on Land
major vegetation types on land – based
on different climates and atmospheric
conditions
forests, grasslands, deserts
tropical, temperate, polar
temperature and precipitation determine
overall patterns
Altitude and latitude

The two most important factors influencing vegetation in the

formation of biomes are precipitation and temperature.
CATEGORIES
OF
ECOSYSTEM
I. Based on human intervention
1.1 Natural Ecosystem

1.2 Man-made Ecosystem

1.3 Managed/Controlled Ecosystem

1.4 Unmanaged Ecosystem

The ecosystem which is found only on
landforms
 The main factor which differentiates the
terrestrial ecosystems from the aquatic
ecosystems is the relative shortage of water in
the terrestrial ecosystems and as a result the
importance that water attains in these
ecosystems due to its limited availability.
The main types of terrestrial
ecosystems are:

forest ecosystems
desert ecosystems
grassland ecosystems
mountain ecosystems.
 FOREST ECOSYSTEM
have an abundance of flora or plants and
hence in these ecosystems a large
number of organisms live in a small space.
have a high density of living organisms.
A small change in this ecosystem could
affect the whole balance, effectively
bringing down the whole ecosystem.
They are further
divided into…….
 Tropical evergreen forest
Receive a mean rainfall of 80 for
every 400 inches annually.
Dense vegetation which
comprises tall trees at different
heights. Each level is shelter to
different types of animals.
 Tropical deciduous forest
There, shrubs and dense bushes rule
along with a broad selection of trees.
Found in quite a few parts of the
world while a large variety of fauna
and flora are found there.
These forests grow in moderately
warm places where there is a lot of
rain.
 Temperate evergreen forest
 Those have quite a few number of
trees as mosses and ferns make up
for them.
Trees have developed spiked leaves
in order to minimize transpiration.
 Temperate deciduous forest
 The forest is located in the moist
temperate places that have sufficient
rainfall.
Summers and winters are clearly
defined and the trees shed the leaves
during the winter months.
 Taiga
The taiga is defined by evergreen
conifers. As the temperature is below
zero for almost half a year, the
remainder of the months, it buzzes
with migratory birds and insects.
gdf
 Desert Ecosystem
Located in regions that receive an
annual rainfall less than 25.
17 percent of all the land on our
planet.
 insects, birds, camels, reptiles all of
which are adapted to the desert
(xeric) conditions.
 Grassland Ecosystem
both the tropical and temperate
regions of the world though the
ecosystems vary slightly.
little number of trees and shrubs.
The main vegetation includes
grasses, plants and legumes that
belong to the composite family.
1.Prairies: It is temperate grassland, completely devoid of large shrubs and trees. Prairies could be categorized as mixed grass, tall grass and short g

The two main kinds of grasslands

ecosystems are:
Savanna:
The tropical grasslands are dry
seasonally and have few individual
trees. They support a large
number of predators and grazers.
 Prairies
It is temperate grassland,
completely devoid of large
shrubs and trees. Prairies
could be categorized as mixed
grass, tall grass and short
grass prairies.
 Mountain Ecosystem
Provides a scattered and diverse
array of habitats where a large
number of animals and plants can be
found.
At the higher altitudes, the harsh
environmental conditions normally
prevail, and only the treeless alpine
vegetation can survive.
Aquatic Life Zones
Aquatic Life Zones: Saltwater 71% of the Earth

• Coastal zone
 majority of marine species (90%)
most commercial fisheries and interaction with
land and humans

• Open ocean
 90% of ocean area

• Estuary
 where rivers meet ocean

• Coral reefs and mangrove forests

 Aquatic Ecosystems
The ecosystem found in a body of
water. It encompasses aquatic flora,
fauna and water properties, as well.
 There are two main types of aquatic
ecosystem - Marine and Freshwater.
Ocean Zones
 Marine Ecosystem
The biggest ecosystems, which cover
around 71% of Earth's surface and
contain 97% of out planet's water.
Water in Marine ecosystems features
in high amounts minerals and salts
dissolved in them.

Freshwater Life Zones
• Standing water • Flowing water
 Freshwater Ecosystem
The freshwater ecosystem covers
only 0.8% of Earth's surface and
contains 0.009% of the total water.
Most lakes and ponds are freshwater
ecosystems. The water in each of
these ecosystems does not move
much.
Types of Lakes: Oligotrophic
Types of Lakes: Eutrophic
Three basic kinds of freshwater
ecosystems exist:
Lentic: Slow-moving or till water like
pools, lakes or ponds.
Lotic: Fast-moving water such as
streams and rivers.
Wetlands: Places in which the soil is
inundated or saturated for some lenghty
period of time.
Wetland

A wetland is a land area that is saturated

with water, either permanently or
seasonally,such that it takes on the
characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.

Primarily, the factor that distinguishes

wetlands from other land forms or water
bodies is the characteristics vegetation
that adapted to its unique soil conditions.
 .
Wetlands play a number of roles in the
environment, principally water purification,
flood control, and shoreline stability.

Wetlands are also considered the most biologically

diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a
wide range of plant and animal life.

Wetlands occur naturally on every continent

except Antarctica. The largest wetlands in the
world include the Amazon River basin and the
West Siberian Plain. Another large wetland is the
Pantanal, which straddles Brazil, Bolivia, and
Paraguay in South America.
Types of Wetlands
 Marshes are characterized by the presence of soft-
stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soils. These
are typically grasses, sedges or rushes. Some common
ones include prairie potholes, the expanses of the
Everglades, and salt marshes.
Types of Wetlands
o Swamps are characterized
by the domination of
woody plants. There are
many different kinds of
swamps including the
cypress swamps of
Louisiana, Red Maple
swamps in the Northeast
and the Mangrove forests
of tropical and subtropical
regions.
 Types of Wetlands
o Bogs are distinctive wetlands that are low in
nutrients and often contain very acidic water
and extensive peat deposits. Bogs are also one
of the stages of succession as a lake fills in.
 Types of Wetlands
o Fens are different from bogs in that they receive
their water supply from either runoff or
groundwater (not rainfall). This usually results
in a different water chemistry. Fens have either
neutral or alkaline waters and are typically not
stages in lake succession.
Relationships between organisms
Ecological Relationships
the effects organisms in a
community have on one another.
All living things on the earth are
connected in some way.
 Mimicry
a similarity of one species to another
which protects one or both.
This similarity can be in appearance,
behaviour, sound, scent or location.
 Mimics are found in the same areas
as their models.
MIMICRY- is a similarity of one
species to another which protects
one or both. Mimics are found in
the same areas as their models.
Is related to camouflage, in which a
species resembles its surroundings or
is otherwise difficult to detect.
an animal will MIMIC another to
avoid predators. If it can trick its
enemy into thinking it is something
less tasty or more dangerous, it will
survive.
 Classification
Batesian mimicry, where a harmless
mimic poses as harmful
Müllerian mimicry, where two or
more harmful species mutually advertise
themselves as harmful
Mertensian mimicry, where a deadly
mimic resembles a less harmful but
lesson-teaching model.
Vavilovian mimicry, where weeds
resemble crops, is important for several
reasons; and humans are the agent of
selection.
Aggressive mimicry describes preda
-tors which share the same characte -
ristics as a harmless species, allowing
them to avoid detection by their prey
Reproductive mimicry occurs when
the actions of the dupe directly aid in the
mimic's reproduction.
COEVOLUTION
evolution of one species in response
to characteristics of another
Differs from other types of
evolution in two ways:

Species A evolves Species B evolves

an adaptation in in response to the
response to adaptation of
species B species A
 Coevolution involves mutual
responses in the two species
predator species evolves to be
faster, allowing it to catch more
results in greater selection on speed
in the prey
for “regular” evolution, there isn’t any
response by the environment
Coevolution promotes diversity
of adaptations
evolution often converges on the
same solution for the same
problems
coevolution involves specific,
unique responses to specific
challenges
Interactions categorized by
effect
 Neutralism
relationship between two species
that interact but do not affect
each other.
It describes interactions where
the health of one species has
absolutely no effect whatsoever
on that of the other.
 Ammensalism
An interaction where an
organism inflicts harm to another
organism without any costs or
benefits received by the other.
 Antagonism
antagonistic interactions, one
species benefits at the expense of
another.
 COMMENSALISM
One organism and the other
organism is neither benefited nor
harmed.
 It occurs when one organism
takes benefits by interacting with
another organism by which the
host organism is not affected.
Interactions classified by
mechanism……..
 Symbiosis
 The term symbiosis (Greek: living
together) can be used to describe various
degrees of close relationship between
organisms of different species.
an intimate relationship between different
species in which at least one species
depends upon the relationship to survive.
 PARASITISM
 In parasitism, one organism
benefits and the other is harmed.

The organism that benefits

is called the parasite
The organism that is
harmed is called the host
 COMPETITION
occurs when two or more individuals
seek to utilize the same resource.

defined as an interaction between

organisms or species, in which the
fitness of one is lowered by the
presence of another.
Competition between species at
the same trophic level of an
ecosystem, who have common
predators, increases drastically if
the frequency of the common
predator in the community is
decreased by a large margin.
Competition- is a contest between
organisms, animals, individuals, groups,
etc., for territory, a niche, or a location
of resources, for resources and goods,
mates, for prestige, recognition,
awards, or group or social status, for
leadership.
COOPERATION

the act of working or acting

together
 Mutualism
both organisms benefit from
one another.
Mutualism is an interaction
between two or more species,
where species derive a mutual
benefit
For example: A clownfish and a
sea anemone have a
mutualistic relationship.
 The fish is protected by the
anemone and the anemone
receives scraps of food from the
clownfish.
Example of Mutualism

Acacia ants live in

acacia trees.
The tree provides
big hollow thorns
as a home for the
ants.