Ecosystem and Circle of Life

Ecosystem and Circle of Life

The ecosystem is the basic structural and functional unit of ecology. it is a community of interacting organisms and their environment. Every element on our planet is a part of it. Not just living beings are part of this. Non-living things are also a part of the ecosystem. Both of them are needed to build an ecosystem. The range of this system can be as small as a room and as big as the earth.  

"Tansley" first proposed this term in 1935. This is the main structure of ecology. 

The type of Ecosystem

There are many types of ecosystems on our planet. Depending upon the species there are 5 types them. They are:

Desert Ecosystems

It does not mean the ecosystem of a desert. The main factor that creates this system is low precipitation. Where the rainfall is low as 25 centimeters per year, the desert ecosystem prevails there. It does not mean that all deserts are hot. Deserts are existent in the tropic and arctic regions. But all the deserts have common characters of being windy and it does not matter what latitude they are on. The area is covered with sand and rocks prevent vegetation. For this reason, the animals living there are adaptive to the dry condition.

Forest Ecosystems

The one that prevails within a forest is known as the forest ecosystem. The types of forests differ from one another because of their climates. Three types of them are- tropical, temperate or boreal. The tropical rainforests are blessed with diverse flora and fauna in comparison to the forest in other areas on the planet. The environment with warmth and moisture helps the trees to grow tall. The forest ecosystem is different in the temperate regions. It can be deciduous or coniferous or sometimes both of them. Some trees may remain green all year round while others shed their leaves. The boreal forests are also known as taiga. We can find them in the far north. It is situated south of the Arctic. These forests are full of coniferous trees.  

Grassland Ecosystems

There are many types of grassland ecosystems are available. We can find them in prairies, savannas, and steppes. Basically, this type of system is found in tropical regions. Besides this region, it is visible in the boreal areas too. Siberian steppe is a good example of this very ecosystem. Semi-aridity is a common feature among every type of grassland. In this ecosystem, grasses intersperse flowers within them. Although trees are nonexistent in this, it produces a lot of foods for the grazing animals.    

Marine Ecosystems

While freshwater is tasteless, seawater is salty. So, the marine ecosystem is different from than that of the freshwater. The species in this system are also different. It is the most abundant ecosystem in the world. The term “Blue Economy” is one of the most common issues around the world for having a great variation of assets under the sea. It just not only the ocean floor. tidal zones, estuaries, salt marshes, and saltwater swamps, mangroves and coral reefs are also some important factors in this.

Tundra Ecosystems

Like the desert ecosystem, tundra ecosystems are also very hard to deal with. The most common features of this are the area is snow-covered, very windy and often treeless. Permafrost is the condition of the soil for staying frozen for many years. The frozen area sees some life in the short spring and summer. Snow melts and creates shallow ponds. The water attracts migrating waterfowl. Small flowers and lichens come into being during this time. Although the term “tundra” indicates the polar areas with lower latitudes, the alpine tundra is situated at the higher latitudes.    

Freshwater Ecosystems

Streams, rivers, springs, ponds, lakes, bogs and freshwater swamps are the sources of freshwater. The ecosystem in these water bodies is known as the freshwater ecosystem. This category is divided into two subdivisions on the basis of water flow. Water remains stationary in bodies like ponds and flows in bodies like creeks. Besides providing habitat to the fish, freshwater is the beholder of algae, plankton, insects, amphibians and underwater plants too.