INTRODUCTION
An ecosystem is a term that is used a lot in biology and environmental studies. A system or community that includes all living things and their non-living parts in nature is called a “system” or a “community.” Ecological balance is the result of all of these parts working together in some way.
So, it is important to know about the different types of ecosystems and what they contain. Ecosystem: Before we talk about different types of ecosystems, let’s first learn what an ecosystem is and what it isn’t.
Ecosystems come in many different types:
Many different types of ecosystems can be found in different places because they have different climates, habitats, and living things. This means that ecosystems can usually be broken down into hundreds and thousands of smaller groups. However, most of these types fall into one of the following two groups:
- Ecosystems in water
- Ecosystems that live on the ground
Ecosystems in water
All ecosystems that are mostly found in or near water are called aquatic ecosystems. All living and non-living organisms in the aquatic system have characteristics and traits that are influenced by the environment in which they live. People who live in these ecosystems interact with other people who live in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
The aquatic ecosystem is mostly broken down into the following types:
Ecosystems of freshwater
It is one of the most important ecosystems for humans and other organisms that live on land. This is because this ecosystem is a source of water that people can drink from. Another benefit of this is that it gives us energy and water for transportation, as well as for fun.
Freshwater ecosystems are mostly made up of lentic, lotic, and wetlands.
- Lentic: Water bodies that move slowly or stay still in some places are called lentic. For example, there are ponds, lakes, pools, and so on in the world. Large bodies of water called lakes are found all over the world.
- lotics : All water bodies that move quickly are lotics. Then there are streams and rivers.
- Wetlands: Wetlands are places where the soil has been wet for a long time.
The smallest among the major types of ecosystems are freshwater ecosystems, which are found in water. Most of the time, there is no salt in the freshwater ecosystem. Besides, there are a lot of insects, small fish, amphibians, and different types of plants in it. These organisms live in an ecosystem where plants help make oxygen and also provide food for the organisms that live there.
The ecosystem of the sea
Marine ecosystems are usually found to have a lot of salt in them. These ecosystems have more salt in them than the freshwater ecosystem does. They are also known as the largest type of ecosystem on Earth. A lot of times, it includes all of the oceans and their parts. Besides, marine ecosystems have unique plants and animals, which help them support more species than freshwater ecosystems. This type of ecosystem is important for both marine and land environments.
Salt marshes, lagoons, coral reefs, estuaries, intertidal zones, mangroves, seafloor, and deep seas are some of the things in this ecosystem. Seagrass, mangrove forests, and salt marshes are said to be some of the most productive places on Earth. Coral reefs are thought to provide enough food and shelter for most marine animals around the world.
Ecosystems that live on the ground
All of the ecosystems that are mostly found on land are called terrestrial ecosystems. Even though these ecosystems are measured for water, they are entirely land-based and live on land. More specifically, there is a small amount of water that is enough for terrestrial ecosystems. These ecosystems are not found in water. Besides, terrestrial ecosystems usually have temperature changes in both seasonal and daily climates. It is also a specific thing that makes these ecosystems different from aquatic ecosystems in the same places.
Furthermore, there is more light in terrestrial ecosystems than in aquatic ecosystems. Because the land’s climate is a little more transparent than the water’s, this is why this is the case. Because terrestrial ecosystems have very different light availability and temperature, they have a lot of different plants and animals. Terrestrial ecosystems are made up of a lot of different ecosystems that are spread out across different geological zones.
Terrestrial ecosystems are mostly broken down into the following types:
Ecosystems of forests
A forest ecosystem is an ecosystem where many organisms live together with the parts of the environment that are not living. There are a lot of different plants and animals in this ecosystem. This usually means that the forest ecosystem has a lot of living things that live together with nonliving things. Plants, microorganisms, animals, and other species are usually found in forests.
Forests are important carbon sinks, and they help Erath stay at a stable temperature. Changing the ecosystem in a forest can have a big impact on everything else in the ecosystem, and destroying the forests can also kill the ecosystem. They can be tropical deciduous forests, temperate deciduous forests, temperate forests, or Taig. Forests can also be classified by how many trees they have.
Ecosystems made of grass
When there aren’t a lot of trees in an ecosystem, it is called “grassland.” These ecosystems are mostly made up of grasses, shrubs, and herbs. That means that grasses and legumes, which usually come from the same family, are the main plants in these ecosystems.
Grassland ecosystems can be found in both tropical and temperate areas of the world, but they are very different from one another. Savanna grasslands and temperate grasslands are examples of these ecosystems, as are other grassland types. They are home to a lot of different animals that eat grass, insects, and other plants.
Mountain ecosystems
As the name implies, the mountain ecosystem is made up of areas with a lot of mountains where the climate is usually cold and there isn’t much rain. Because of these changes in the climate, these ecosystems have a wide range of habitats where different animal and plant species can be found. People who live in high places in mountainous areas have a cold and harsh climate. There are no trees in these ecosystems because they are alpine. Among the animals that live in these types of ecosystems, tick fur coats are often used to keep them warm in cold weather.
There are also mostly coniferous trees on the lower slopes of the mountains. Mountain ecosystems include mountain tops in the Arctic. There is a lot of snow most of the year.
The desert ecosystems
Desert ecosystems are found all over the world and cover about 17% of desert areas. These are places where the average annual rainfall is less than 25 mm. Sunlight shines brighter in these ecosystems because there aren’t as many trees and the land is mostly made of sand. This is why these ecosystems have very high temperatures and very little water. However, it is very cold at night.
People who live in the desert have unique plants and animals. Plants use very little water to grow and store as much as possible in their leaves and stems. For example, the spiny-leafed cactus is a desert plant that can store water in its stem. Animals, too, are used to living in desert ecosystems. Some of the most common animals are camels, reptiles, a wide range of insects, and birds.
CONCLUSION:
From the following article, we can conclude that an ecosystem is the structure and function of ecology in which living species interact with each other and with their surroundings. For the sake of this definition, an ecosystem can be defined as a series of interdependent interactions between species and their surrounding environment.