Ecosystems

and
Types of ecosystems
Distribution of vegetation / ecosystem
 MAJOR TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS

1. Terrestrial Ecosystems
2. Aquatic Ecosystems
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

A terrestrial ecosystem is an ecosystem found

only on landforms. Six primary terrestrial
ecosystems exist:
• Tundra,
• Taiga,
• Temperate deciduous forest,
• Tropical rain forest,
• Grassland; and
• Desert.
TUNDRA

An ecosystem situated near the North Pole in the

Arctic Circle; thus, the coldest and driest of all
terrestrial ecosystems.
Winters are extremely cold with temperatures
typically below -34° C.
The summers last only about two months and the
temperatures are still very cold ranging from 3° to
12° C.

The word tundra comes from the Finnish word

tunturia which means treeless land.
There are two types of tundra
- arctic tundra and alpine tundra.

The arctic tundra is located within the

Arctic Circle while the alpine tundra is the
area high in the mountains above trees.
The largest animal that lives in the tundra
ecosystem is the polar bear.
TAIGA
The largest terrestrial
ecosystem and extends
across Europe, North
America and Asia.
It is also known as
coniferous forest or boreal
forest.
It has short, wet summers
and long, cold winters. It
gets plenty of snow during
the winter and plenty of
rainfall during the summer
TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

It experiences all four seasons-winter, spring,

summer, and fall.

The four seasons are easily recognizable and

each lasts about 3 months.
It is located in the United States, Canada,
Europe, China, Japan and some parts of Russia.
Its soil is very fertile and rich with nutrients.
•Black bears and wolves are very
common animals that live in the
temperate deciduous forest ecosystem.
•The growing season of the temperate
deciduous forest lasts about six months.
•The leaves of deciduous trees change
color in the fall because the plant or tree
stops producing chlorophyll which is
what gives them their green color.
 TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
An ecosystem that covers about 7% of the Earth’s
surface.
Majority of the tropical rain forests lies in South
America in Brazil.
Tropical rainforests are one of the oldest ecosystems
on Earth.
It is responsible for the majority of the oxygen
production in the air that we breathe.
GRASSLAND

Also termed as Prairies and Savannas.

Grasslands are normally situated between a
forest and a desert. In fact, grasslands
surround every desert in Asia.
Twenty-five percent of the Earth is covered
by the grassland ecosystem. There is a
grassland on each continent with the
exception of Antarctica.

Tropical and temperate are the two kinds of

grasslands.
•Tropical grasslands: experience warm weather
all year long while
•Temperate grasslands are warm part of the year
and very cold during the other part.
•Tropical grasslands are located in the Southern
Hemisphere while
•Temperate grasslands are located in the
Northern Hemisphere.
Animals  zebras, lions, wolves, prairie dogs,
and foxes.
Grasslands are perfect for cropping and pasturing
because its soil runs deep and is extremely
fertile.
 DESERT

Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth.

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the desert
ecosystem.
It covers over 300 million square miles.

Many desert animals tend to be nocturnal, sleeping

during the day and coming out at night when the
temperatures are more tolerable.
Because there is hardly any standing water in the
desert, animals either store water in their bodies or get
their water needs met by the foods they eat.
Dust storms occur when the wind picks up dust from
the surface. These storms can be up to 1 mile high and
The desert ecosystem can be found on every continent
except Europe.
Because body fat retains heat, most desert animals
have an adaptation that allows them to store all their
body fat in one area of their body. The camel stores all
its body fat in its hump.

Plants that are able to grow in the desert biome store

water in their stem. They normally grow spaced out so
that their roots can extend and find water.

Cacti have many adaptions to survive in the desert.

Their spines protect them from being eaten by animals
and their waxy outer covering keeps moisture from
escaping.
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located

in a body of water. Two major aquatic
ecosystems exist:
• Marine ecosystem; and
• Freshwater ecosystem
 MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

The largest ecosystem 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.
There are two common and major types of marine
ecosystems: ocean and coral reef ecosystems.
OCEAN

There are five ocean ecosystems - Atlantic Ocean,

Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and
the Arctic Ocean.
The largest ocean of the ocean ecosystems is the
Pacific Ocean.
The ocean ecosystem is home to the largest known
mammal of the world = the blue whale.
 CORAL REEF

It is located in a shallow, clear portion of the ocean in

mostly tropical areas.

These areas include the coasts of East Africa, South

India, Australia, Florida, the Caribbean, and Brazil.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef
ecosystem and is located in Australia. It can actually
be seen from outer space.
The Great Barrier Reef covers more than 1,200 miles
and contains 400 species of coral.
FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

Covers only 0.8% of the Earth’s surface and contain

0.009% of its total water.

There are two basic types of freshwater ecosystems:

lentic, and lotic.

LENTIC ECOSYSTEMS : Aso called standing waters. It

includes lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and vernal
pools.
LOTIC ECOSYSTEMS : Lotic ecosystems are also called
flowing waters. It includes rivers, streams, creeks,
brooks, and springs.
Marine Ecosystems
Vertical stratification is a key feature.
Light and temperature decrease with depth
and deep ocean species often grow slowly.
Cold water holds more oxygen than warm
water, so productivity is often high in cold
oceans such as the North Atlantic.
Ocean systems classified:
Benthic - bottom
Pelagic - water column above the bottom
Area near shore is known as littoral zone
Thermal vent community
abcnews.go.com
Mangroves
Mangroves are trees that grow in saltwater along
tropical coastlines.

1. Help stabilize shoreline

2. Nurseries for fish, shrimp
3. Can be cut for timber
Iucn.org
Tide Pools
Depressions in a rocky shoreline that are flooded at
high tide but retain some water at low tide
Wave action prevents plant growth, but animals
can be found in tidal pools.
Barrier Islands

Narrow islands made of sand that form parallel to a

coastline
Provide protection from storms, waves, tides
Since they are made of sand, they should not be built
on, but they are.

Oftentimes, storms destroy the buildings.

 Freshwater Ecosystems

 Lakes

 Freshwater lakes have distinct vertical zones.

 Epilimnion - warm upper layer
 Hypolimnion - cold, deeper layer that does not mix
 Thermocline - distinctive temperature transition zone
that separates warm upper layer and deeper cold layer
 Benthos - bottom
 Wetlands Swamps - Wetlands with trees.
 Land surface is saturated or covered with water at
least part of the year.
 Swamps - Wetlands with trees.
 Marshes - Wetlands without trees.
 Bogs and Fens - Waterlogged soils that tend to
accumulate peat. Bogs fed by precipitation, while
fens are fed from groundwater. Nutrient poor with
low productivity, but many unusual species.
 Water usually shallow enough to allow full sunlight
penetration, so the majority of wetlands have high
productivity.
 Trap and filter water, and store runoff.
Wetlands
Conservation is very important due to rich
biodiversity.
Wetlands are the breeding grounds for birds.
Make up less than 5% of land area but contain
33% of endangered species. One of the greatest
areas of concern for biologists.
May gradually convert to terrestrial communities
through succession