Two types of ecosystem

In contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems are found in and around bodies of water, rather than on the land itself. Aquatic ecosystems are made up of groups of organisms that depend on each other and their environment. Terrestrial ecosystems are ecosystems that only live on land, like tropical rainforests, deserts, grasslands, deciduous forests, tundra, and taiga, which are all types of land ecosystems. People who live in water-based ecosystems call them “aquatic ecosystems.” These ecosystems can be found in bodies of water like lakes or rivers, ponds, wetlands or oceans and seas.

Terrestrial Ecosystem

What is a Terrestrial Ecosystem, and why is it important?

Terrestrial ecosystems are those that are mostly found on land and are distinguished from other types of ecosystems. There are around 140 to 150 million km2 of terrestrial ecosystems, which is approximately 25 to 30% of the total land surface area of the planet.

Terrestrial Ecosystems Are Divided Into Several Types

It is possible to find several types of terrestrial ecosystems that are extensively scattered throughout the world’s geological zones. They are as follows:

Forest

Both temperate deciduous forest and tropical rain forest are examples of this type of habitat, as well as plantation forests and tropical rainforests. They provide a natural habitat for a diverse range of living species and also have the highest level of species diversity of any ecosystem. Nearly 30 to 35 million square kilometres of the earth’s surface is covered by forests; more than 300 million species of plants and animals live in forests, which account for about a quarter of the world’s total land area.

Grasslands

Grasslands are the most common type of vegetation on the planet, and these types of ecosystems can be found in their natural state in many places of the world. Such terrestrial ecosystems provide a safe haven for a diverse range of animal species, including elephants, giraffes, hyenas, jackrabbits, lions, rhinos, warthogs, and zebras, among others.

 Other types of grasslands are as follows:

• Grasslands in the tropics
• Temperate Grasslands are a type of grassland that grows in temperate climates.

Tundra

Tundra is a term used to describe arctic regions that are typified by harsh weather conditions similar to those found in deserts. Tundra is typically windswept, snow-covered, and devoid of trees. This sort of habitat, when compared to deserts, is totally covered with frozen soil throughout the year, and during the summer, the snow melts and shallow ponds are formed. Lichens and a few plants with small, brightly coloured flowers are produced as a result of this process.

Desert

There is little flora in the desert, which is a desolate section of the landscape with extreme high or low temperatures and severe high or low temperatures. Deserts can be divided into two types: hot deserts and cold deserts, which are distinguished by their climate and temperature. There are many different kinds of people who have adapted to living in the desert. Camels, foxes, hyenas, jackals, scorpions, and a few different species of snakes and lizards are among the animals that live in the area. Acacia, cactus, and date palms are some of the most frequent flora.

The Sahara Desert is an example of a hot desert, which is characterised by high temperatures accompanied with limited rainfall and a difficult environment for both plants and animals to survive in.

On the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir, near the Great Himalayas, Ladakh is an example of a cold desert. It is located in the region known as Ladakh.

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

All living things in a place are called “habits.” The climate, plants, and animals are the main things that make up a habitat. Ecosystems are made up of two main parts:

• Ecosystems that live on the land or in the ground
• Ecosystems that live in the water or in the sea.

Water helps a lot of people live. Aquatic organisms are things that can live in water, like fish. They need water for food, shelter, reproduction, and all other things in their lives, so they need it.

An aquatic ecosystem is made up of a group of organisms that work together and rely on each other and the water they live in for nutrients and shelter. Oceans, lakes, and rivers are all examples of aquatic ecosystems.

In an aquatic ecosystem, freshwater habitats like lakes, ponds and rivers are part of it. The same goes for marine habitats like oceans, the intertidal zone and reefs, as well as the seabed. Animals, plants, and microbes that live in water live in the aquatic ecosystem.

Aquatic Ecosystems come in many different types:

Ecosystems that live in freshwater

They only cover about 0.8% of the earth. Freshwater is made up of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, swamps, bogs, and temporary pools. There are two types of freshwater habitats: lotic and lentic. A place where there is still water, like a lake or pond. This type of place is called a lentic habitat. Whereas lotic habitats are made up of water bodies that move, like rivers and streams.

Lotic Ecosystems

They mostly talk about the fast-moving water that moves in one direction, like the rivers and streams. These places are home to a lot of different types of insects and fish, like beetles, mayflies, stoneflies, and more. These ecosystems also have a lot of mammals, like beavers, river dolphins, and otters, in them.

Lentic Ecosystem

They include all places where there is water. There are a lot of lakes and ponds in the Lentic Ecosystem. The word “lentic” mostly refers to water that is still or almost still. It is home to a lot of different kinds of plants and animals. Algae is found in these ecosystems, along with crabs, shrimp, and amphibians, like frogs, salamanders, and water snakes.

Wetlands

Wetlands are areas that are swampy and sometimes have water on them. They have a lot of different plants and animals. These plants are some of the things that live in the wetland areas. Swamps are made up of marshes and bogs, while black spruce is found in swamps. It has dragonflies and damselflies as well as birds like the Green Heron and fish like the Northern Pike.

Marine Aquatic Ecosystem

Most of the earth is covered by a sea or ocean ecosystem. Most of the earth is covered by water, and it comes in many different forms. These include water bodies such as lakes and oceans as well as water bodies such as the intertidal zone and the seabed as well as hydrothermal vents and rock pools. Each living thing is unique and comes from a place where it lives. This is because they have special features that make sense for where they live. People who live in the sea or on land can’t live without being in water. This is another example of how adaptations work. There are still a few exceptions, though (e.g. mudskippers). The salts in the marine ecosystem make it hard for freshwater organisms to live there, so they can’t live there at all. Marine animals, on the other hand, can’t live in fresh water. if they are put in water that isn’t as salty, their bodies will get bigger (osmosis).

ocean ecosystems

Our planet Earth has five major oceans: the Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans. These are the five major oceans on our planet. The Pacific and the Atlantic are the two largest and deepest of the five oceans. These oceans are home to more than five million different kinds of fish and other fish-like things. Only a few of the animals that live in these ecosystems are sea shellfish, shark tubes and worms, crabs and small and large fish in the ocean as well as reptiles and marine mammals. Plankton and other ocean plants are also found there.

Systems that live near the coast

Coastal ecosystems are made up of land and water that are open to the world around them. Coastal ecosystems have a different structure and a lot of different things in them. Plants and algae of all kinds live at the bottom of the coastal ecosystem, and they come from all over the world. The crabs, fish, insects, lobsters, snails, shrimp, and other animals live there.

Plants and animals in an aquatic ecosystem show a wide range of adaptations. These may include life cycle, physiological, structural, and behavioural adaptations, as well as other types of adaptations. Most aquatic animals have streamlined bodies that help them move more smoothly and thus use less energy. Fins and gills are the parts of the body that move and breathe. They use special features in freshwater organisms to help them get rid of extra water from their bodies. Plants that live in water have different types of roots that help them stay alive in the water. Submerged roots might be found in some of them, while other plants like water hyacinths might have roots that come out of the water or grow on trees.

Conclusion

An ecosystem is a geographical area in which plants, animals, and other species, as well as weather and topography, all work together to create a bubble of life that surrounds them. Ecosystems are made up of both biotic factors, or living components, and abiotic factors, or nonliving components. Plants, animals, and other species are examples of biotic factors.