Ecosystem

Biomes.mp4

Ecosystems.mp4

Land Biomes.mp4

Ecosystems.mp4

Ecosystem vs Biome

A biome is a large community of ecosystems with plants and animals living together.

An ecosystem is a balance of living and nonliving things living together within a specific environment, or biome.

A biome contains several types of ecosystems and each biome can have different characteristics that affect how ecosystems thrive and survive.

Ecosystem Structure

Ecosystems generally contain primary producers (plants) capable of harvesting energy from the sun through the process called photosynthesis. This energy then flows through the food chain. Next come consumers. Consumers could be primary consumers (herbivores) or secondary consumers (carnivores). These consumers feed on the captured energy. Decomposers work at the bottom of the food chain. Scavengers, detritivores and decomposers feed on waster from producers and consumers and break down organic matter. It is the microbes that finish the job of decomposition and produce organic matter that can again be used by producers.

Energy that flows through the food chain changes from producers to consumers to decomposers. That means less energy is available at secondary consumers level than at primary producers level.

Terrestrial Biomes

The term terrestrial comes from the Latin word terra, meaning "earth" or things relating to the earth. Terrestrial biomes are by far the most diverse on the planet, yet cover only 29 percent of the planet. They can be classified further based on climate, region, biotic and abiotic factors. As mentioned above, terrestrial biomes are on land.

Desert Ecosystems

Deserts make up 1/5 of the Earth's land surface. Plant and animal life can be sparse in the desert, but most of the life that can be found in desert ecosystems are unique to only desert life and have amazing adaptation skills. Deserts can be classified in one on four major classifications.

Hot and Dry Deserts - Daytime temperatures can reach over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. At night temperatures can go below well below freezing in some deserts. Plant life is few and far between, but the plant life that does grow in this type of desert is able to store water for long periods of time and packed full of nutrients. Animals here are typically nocturnal. This type of desert is typically found in the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer regions.

Semiarid Deserts - The temperatures of semiarid deserts are more tolerable with daytime temperatures staying under 100 degrees and nighttime temperatures rarely go below 50 degrees.

Coastal Deserts - Coastal deserts are located along the coast with moderately warm-cool temperatures. Warm temperatures rarely rise above 95 degrees Fahrenheit and cool temperatures average no lower than 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cold Deserts - Cold deserts are found around the arctic region and plant life is scattered. Animals that thrive in cold deserts typically burrow underground to keep warm similar to animals who burrow to keep cool in hot and dry deserts. As its classification name suggests, it stays cold most of the time. The winters see heavy snowfall and it only warms just enough to allow plant growth in the spring and summer.

Forest Ecosystems

The forest ecosystems are booming in plant life, also known as flora. Because there is an abundance of plant life there is also an abundance of animal life, known as fauna. There are two basic types of forest ecosystems: deciduous and coniferous. Both of these types of forests can be found in temperate and tropical regions.

Deciduous Forest - The deciduous forest is known for having four distinct seasons. This type of forest is filled with broad-leaf trees, shrubs, herbs that experience changes for all four seasons. It is teeming with animal life as well. Temperate deciduous forests make up most of the eastern United States, parts of Canada, Europe, China, and Japan. Tropical deciduous forests typically are located closer to the equator, such as rainforests. Here there are months of rainfall followed by a dry season.

Coniferous Forest - Although some broad-leaf trees grow here, it is predominantly filled with conifer trees, such as firs, pine, cedar, and spruce just to name a few. These trees have needles instead of leaves and cones instead of flower blooms. Animals and other plant species thrive here with warm summers and cool winters. These forests can be found all over the Northern Hemisphere.

Taiga - Another type of coniferous forest is located just south of the arctic, the taiga biome is also called the boreal forest. This forest is filled with evergreen conifers but the soil quality is low. Animal life is limited due to the harsh conditions. Winters are covered with snow and ice but the summer brings rain and the taiga comes alive with insects and migratory birds.

Grassland Ecosystems

In the grasslands, animals are primarily herbivore grazers or insectivores and those that feed on them. There two types of grasslands, one found in tropical regions and those found in more temperate regions.

Savanna - Located primarily in tropical regions, these grasslands have a few trees and brush. Some areas with the trees and brush are considered woodlands, which differs from a forest. This type of grassland has both a rainy season and a dry season. During the dry season, field fires are common but play a vital role in the diversity of the savanna. The soil here is porous, which provides nutrient-rich plants for many of the animals to survive on.

Temperate grasslands - There are two types of temperate grasslands: prairies and steppes. Prairies have tall grasses and steppes have short grass. Both temperate grasslands are void of trees and brush. Temperatures can reach a hot 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. Winters are quite frigid, with some snowfall in certain areas.

Tundra Ecosystems

Tree growth is hindered in the tundra ecosystems due to low temperatures. In fact, it is the coldest ecosystem on the planet. The word tundra comes for a Russian language dialect meaning "treeless mountain tract". Due to the lack of trees, the tundra can be quite windy.

Arctic - North of the taiga belt is the arctic tundra. Conditions here can be harsh with the fact that it tends to stay frozen throughout most of the year. During the summer, the temperature rises slightly enabling some of the snow and ice to melt, leaving the land wet and soggy. These warm months give way to lakes, marshes, bogs, and streams.

The Antarctic - Located around the South Pole, most of this tundra is solid ice. However, certain areas such as the Antarctic Peninsula have rocky soil that even sustains some plant life. Most of the animal life here contains seals, penguins, and other sea birds.

Alpine - Alpine tundra regions are known for being in higher altitudes. The temperature is cold here but it is mostly because of the low pressure due to the high altitude. Because of these higher altitudes and colder climates, the alpine tundra does not support tree life. Most plant life here is shrubs that grow close to the ground. Most mountain ranges all over the world have some areas of alpine tundra.

Aquatic Biomes

Just like the ecosystems found on land, ecosystems in water areas can be teaming with flora and fauna diversity. There are two major ecosystems in the aquatic biome. These include marine ecosystems which contain saltwater, and freshwater ecosystems which contain freshwater.

Marine Ecosystems

Marine ecosystems have salt and minerals that are dissolved in large amounts. Covering over 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the marine ecosystem is the largest ecosystem on the planet. Within the marine ecosystem, scientists further divide them into smaller ecosystems.

Ocean Ecosystems - The ocean is divided up into three zones, or layers, based on how much sunlight they receive.

The top layer is called the euphotic zone, which receives lots of sunlight. It starts at the ocean's surface and goes down to about 230 feet on average.
The second layer is the disphotic zone, which receives some sunlight, but not enough for plants to survive.
The third layer is the aphotic zone, which gets no light at all. Not only is the aphotic zone completely dark, it is extremely cold and few marine animals can survive here.

Coral Reef Ecosystems - Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth, rivaled only by tropical rain forests. They are made up not only of hard and soft corals, but also sponges, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and much more.

Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that grow along tropical and sub-tropical coasts. Their complex root systems help stabilize the shore line, while filtering pollutants and producing nutrients. Their submerged roots and detritus provide nursery, breeding, and feeding grounds for invertebrates, fish, birds, and other marine life. Many of the animals raised in mangroves migrate to coral reefs for food, spawning and habitat.
Seagrasses are flowering plants that often form meadows between mangrove habitats and coral reefs. They form the foundation of many food webs, providing nutrients for everything from sea urchins and snails to sea turtles and manatees. Seagrass also provides protection and shelter for commercially valuable species such as stone crabs, snappers and lobsters. Additionally, they filter the water column, prevent seabed erosion, and release oxygen essential for most marine life.

Estuary Ecosystems - An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water, and its surrounding coastal habitats, where salt water from the ocean typically mixes with fresh water from rivers or streams.

Salt marsh Ecosystems - Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. They are marshy because the soil may be composed of deep mud and peat. Peat is made of decomposing plant matter that is often several feet thick.

Freshwater Ecosystems

Covering only 2.5 percent of the world's water, freshwater ecosystems are abundant with reptile species, amphibian species, and even 41 percent of the world's fish species. Freshwater ecosystems are also vital to life on land as well.

Lentic - These are slow-moving to being completely still. Ponds and lakes are prime examples of lentic freshwater ecosystems. Other examples of a lentic ecosystem include ditches, basin marshes, and other areas of standing water.

Pond and Lake Ecosystems – These are usually relatively small and contained. Most of the time they include various types of plants, amphibians and insects. Sometimes they include fish, but as these cannot move around as easily as amphibians and insects, it is less likely, and most of the time fish are put in this environment by humans.

Lotic - These are fast-moving water systems, such as brooks, channels, rivers, and streams. Within this system, there are two main zones called rapids and pools. Water moves fast enough in rapids that the water keeps the bottom clear of materials. Pools are where the water is deeper and the current isn't as fast, allowing silt to build upon the bottom.

River Ecosystems – Because rivers always link to the sea, they are more likely to contain fish alongside the usual plants, amphibians and insects.

Wetlands - Wetlands are an area of land that is saturated by standing water. Sometimes this is seasonal and sometimes it is permanent. Some examples of freshwater wetlands include freshwater marshes, bogs, swamps, and fens.

Swamp Ecosystems - Swamps are low-elevation fresh, brackish or salt-water wetlands that are dominated by woody plants such as shrubs or trees. Swamps are often associated with rivers and streams, and can be seasonally flooded bringing additional nutrients and allowing animals and plants to disperse.

Any change, even the smallest change, can upset the balance of these ecosystems. Many of the ecosystems are threatened by human interactions such as pollution, deforestation, over hunting, and over fishing. Although many people don't realize it, the balance of these ecosystems are vital to human survival whether it is direct or indirect.

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