Ecosystems can be classified into three main scales: 1) Micro 2) Messo 3) Biome.
1) Micro: is a small scale ecosystem such as a pond, tree trunk or a puddle.
2) Messo: is a medium scale ecosystem such as a forest or a large lake.
3) Biome: is a very large ecosystem or a collection of ecosystems with similar biotic & abiotic factors such as an entire rainforest with millions of animals and trees, with many differnt water bodies running through them.
Geographical barriers separating ecosystems are: 1) Deserts 2) Mountains 3) Oceans 4) Lakes 5) Rivers.
As the geographical barriers are never rigid, the cosystems tend to merge into each other. This is why a lake can have many small ecosystems with unique characteristics. Scientists call this blending "Ecotone"
Ecosystems can be grouped into two groups:. 1) Aquatic: If the ecosystem exists in a water body such as ocean, lake, river or a puddle. 2) Terrestrial: If the ecosystem exists on land such as a forest, garden, grasslands.
Organizational levels in an ecosystem: Organizational levels in an ecosystem actually contribute to the complexity of an ecosystem. The levels are as follows: (a) Individual, Species, Organism b) Population c) Community d) Ecosystem e) Biome f) Biosphere.
a) Individual, species, organism: is anything that lives like flora and fauna.
b) Population: is a group of individuals belonging to a particular species living in a given geographical area at a given time.
c) Community: This includes all populations in a given area at a given time.
d) Ecosystem: includes more than one community of living organisms (biotic) interacting with the abiotic components of the environment. Abiotic factors include rocks, water, air & temperature.
e) Biome: is a set of ecosystems that share similar characteristics with their environmentally adapted abiotic factors. f) Biosphere: the sum of all the ecosystems established on Earth. It constitutes a huge community of humans, plants & animals in their defined habitats, living in many different geographic areas, each blending into the other.
Biomes : are often defined by abiotic factors such as Climate, Relief, Geology, Soils & Vegetation. A biome is NOT an ecosystem, although it may look like a massive one. The flora & fauna of a particular biome have special adaptations that make it possible for them to survive the harsh conditions.
There are 5 main categories of biomes on Earth. They are:
1) The Desert Biomes: They are the Hot & Dry deserts, Semi - Arid Deserts, Coastal Deserts & Cold Deserts.
2) The Aquatic Biomes: They are grouped into 2 types: a) Freshwater Biomes: include ponds, rivers, lakes, wetlands & streams. b) Marine Biomes: includes oceans, seas, coral reefs& estuaries.
3) The Forest Biomes: there are 3 types: a) Tropical Rainforest b) Temperate c) Boreal (Taiga).
4) Grassland Biomes: a) The Savannah Grasslands b) Temperate Grasslands.
5) The Tundra Biomes: are of 2 types: a) Arctic Tundra b) Alpine Tundra.
Biomes play a crucial role in sustaining earthly life. For eg. the aquatic biome is home to millions of fish species & is also an important source of water on earth. Fish are an important source of diet for higher carnivores. The terrestrial biomes provide food & shelter to millions of micro as well as macro living organisms, enrich the air with oxygen & help in climate regulation.
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