environmental science

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

2. Terrestrial ecosystems
These are found everywhere except water bodies.

3. 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.

4. The Desert Ecosystem
Desert 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Different
divisions of
marine
ecosystems are:

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

11. Profundal
Bottom
or deep
water.

12. Estuaries

13. Coral reefs

14. 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.

15. There are three basic types of
freshwater ecosystems:
Lentic
: Still or slow-moving
water like pools,
ponds, and lakes

16. Lotic
Fast-
moving
water like
streams
and rivers

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

18. CARLA MAYOL
CARLA MAYOL
AND
AND
JESSA MAYOL
BSHM-II
JESSA MAYOL
BSHM-II