UNIT 3:

Ecosystems

3.1 CONCEPT OF AN ECOSYSTEM 54

3.1.1 Understanding ecosystems 55
3.1.2 Ecosystem degradation 55
3.1.3 Resource utilisation 56

3.2 STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM 56

3.3 PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS AND DECOMPOSERS 57

3.4 ENERGY FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEM 58

3.4.1 The water cycle 58
3.4.2 The Carbon cycle 59
3.4.3 The Oxygen cycle 60
3.4.4 The Nitrogen cycle 60
3.4.5 The energy cycle 61
3.4.6 Integration of cycles in nature 62

3.5 ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION 62

3.6 FOOD CHAINS, FOOD WEBS AND ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS 62

3.6.1 The food chains 62
3.6.2 The food webs 63
3.6.3 The ecological pyramids 63

3.7 INTRODUCTION, TYPES, CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS 63

3.7.1 Forest ecosystem 65
3.7.2 Grassland ecosystem 70
3.7.3 Desert ecosystem 74
3.7.4 Aquatic ecosystems (ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, oceans) 75

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 3.1 CONCEPT OF AN ECOSYSTEM the Western and Eastern Ghats, the semi-arid
desert in the West, the Deccan Plateau, the
An ‘Ecosystem’ is a region with a specific and Coastal Belts, and the Andaman and Nicobar
recognizable landscape form such as forest, Islands. These geographically distinctive areas
grassland, desert, wetland or coastal area. The have plants and animals that have been adapted
nature of the ecosystem is based on its geo- to live in each of these regions.
graphical features such as hills, mountains,
plains, rivers, lakes, coastal areas or islands. It is At an even more local level, each area has sev-
also controlled by climatic conditions such as the eral structurally and functionally identifiable eco-
amount of sunlight, the temperature and the systems such as different types of forests, grass-
rainfall in the region. The geographical, climatic lands, river catchments, mangrove swamps in
and soil characteristics form its non-living (abi- deltas, seashores, islands, etc. to give only a few
otic) component. These features create condi- examples. Here too each of these forms a habi-
tions that support a community of plants and tat for specific plants and animals.
animals that evolution has produced to live in
these specific conditions. The living part of the Ecosystems have been formed on land and in
ecosystem is referred to as its biotic component. the sea by evolution that has created species to
live together in a specific region. Thus ecosys-
Ecosystems are divided into terrestrial or land- tems have both non-living and living compo-
based ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems in nents that are typical to an area giving it its own
water. These form the two major habitat condi- special characteristics that are easily observed.
tions for the Earth’s living organisms.
Definition: The living community of plants and
All the living organisms in an area live in com- animals in any area together with the non-liv-
munities of plants and animals. They interact ing components of the environment such as soil,
with their non-living environment, and with each air and water, constitute the ecosystem.
other at different points in time for a large num-
ber of reasons. Life can exist only in a small pro- Some ecosystems are fairly robust and are less
portion of the earth’s land, water and its atmo- affected by a certain level of human disturbance.
sphere. At a global level the thin skin of the earth Others are highly fragile and are quickly de-
on the land, the sea and the air, forms the bio- stroyed by human activities. Mountain ecosys-
sphere. tems are extremely fragile as degradation of
forest cover leads to severe erosion of soil and
At a sub-global level, this is divided into bio- changes in river courses. Island ecosystems are
geographical realms, eg. Eurasia called the easily affected by any form of human activity
palaeartic realm; South and South-East Asia (of which can lead to the rapid extinction of sev-
which India forms a major part) is the Oriental eral of their unique species of plants and ani-
realm; North America is the Nearctic realm; mals. Evergreen forests and coral reefs are also
South America forms the Neotropical realm; examples of species rich fragile ecosystems
Africa the Ethiopian realm; and Australia the which must be protected against a variety of
Australian realm. human activities that lead to their degradation.
River and wetland ecosystems can be seriously
At a national or state level, this forms biogeo- affected by pollution and changes in surround-
graphic regions. There are several distinctive ing landuse.
geographical regions in India- the Himalayas, the
Gangetic Plains, the Highlands of Central India,

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 3.1.1 Understanding ecosystems • ‘How does the ecosystem work’?
The ecosystem functions through several
Natural ecosystems include the forests, grass- biogeochemical cycles and energy transfer
lands, deserts, and aquatic ecosystems such as mechanisms. Observe and document the
ponds, rivers, lakes, and the sea. Man modified components of the ecosystem which con-
ecosystems include agricultural land and urban sists of its non-living or abiotic features such
or industrial land use patterns. as air, water, climate and soil. Its biotic com-
ponents, the various plants and animals.
Each ecosystem has a set of common features Both these aspects of the ecosystem inter-
that can be observed in the field: act with each other through several func-
tional aspects to form Nature’s ecosystems.
• ‘What does the ecosystem look like?’ Plants, herbivores and carnivores can be
One should be able to describe specific fea- seen to form food chains. All these chains
tures of the different ecosystems in ones are joined together to form a ‘web of life’
own surroundings. Field observations must on which man depends. Each of these use
be made in both urban and natural sur- energy that comes from the sun and pow-
roundings. ers the ecosystem.

• What is its structure?

Is it a forest, a grassland, a water body, an 3.1.2 Ecosystem degradation
agricultural area, a grazing area, an urban
area, an industrial area, etc.? Ecosystems are the basis of life itself! The natu-
ral ecosystems in the wilderness provide a vari-
What you should see are its different char- ety of products and are regions in which a num-
acteristics. A forest has layers from the ber of vital ecological processes are present,
ground to the canopy. A pond has differ- without which human civilization would not be
ent types of vegetation from the periphery able to exist.
to its center. The vegetation on a mountain
changes from its base to its summit. Ecosystems are however frequently disrupted by
human actions which lead to the extinction of
• What is the composition of its plant and species of plants and animals that can live only
animal species? in the different natural ecosystems. Some spe-
List the well-known plants and animals you cies if eliminated seriously affect the ecosystem.
can see. Document their abundance and These are called ‘keystone’ species. Extinction
numbers in nature: very common, common, occurs due to changes in land use. Forests are
uncommon, rare. Wild mammals will not deforested for timber, wetlands are drained to
be seen in large numbers, cattle would be create more agricultural land and semi arid
common. Some birds are common – which grasslands that are used as pastures are changed
are the most common species? Insect spe- into irrigated fields. Pollution from industry and
cies are very common and most abundant. waste from urban settings can also lead to ex-
In fact there are so many that they cannot tinction of several species.
be easily counted.
The reason for the depletion of natural resources
is twofold – our rapidly exploding population
that needs to sustain itself on resources, and
the growth of affluent societies, which consume

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 and waste a very large proportion of resources The key to this issue is the need for an ‘equi-
and energy. Increasing extraction of resources table’ distribution of all types of natural re-
is at the cost of natural ecosystems, leading to a sources. A more even sharing of resources within
derangement of their important functions. Each the community can reduce these pressures on
of us in our daily lives use a variety of resources. the natural ecosystems.
If tracked back to their source, one finds that
the resources were originally obtained from
nature and natural ecosystems. Our insensitiv- 3.2 STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF AN
ity to using resources carefully has produced ECOSYSTEM
societies that nature can no longer sustain. If
one thinks before wasting resources such as wa- Structural aspects
ter, reusing and recycling paper, using less plas-
tics that are non-degradable, culminatively this Components that make up the structural as-
can have positive implications on the integrity pects of an ecosystem include:
of our natural resource base and conserve the
resources that nature provides. 1) Inorganic aspects – C, N, CO2, H2O.

Ecosystems and man: Every region of our earth 2) Organic compounds – Protein, Carbo-
has different ecosystems based on its climatic hydrates, Lipids – link abiotic to biotic
conditions and geographical feature. There are aspects.
terrestrial ecosystems on land and aquatic eco-
systems in water. 3) Climatic regimes – Temperature, Mois-
ture, Light & Topography.

3.1.3 Resource utilisation 4) Producers – Plants.

Most traditional societies used their environment 5) Macro consumers – Phagotrophs – Large
sustainably. Though inequality in resource utili- animals.
zation has existed in every society, the number
of individuals that used a large proportion of 6) Micro consumers – Saprotrophs, absorb-
resources was extremely limited. In recent times ers – fungi.
the proportion of ‘rich’ people in affluent soci-
eties, grew rapidly. Inequality thus became a se-
rious problem. Whereas in the past many re- Functional aspects
sources such as timber and fuel wood from the
forest were extracted sustainably, this pattern 1) Energy cycles.
has drastically changed during the last century.
The economically better off sections began to 2) Food chains.
use greater amounts of forest products, while
those people who lived in the forest became 3) Diversity-interlinkages between organ-
increasingly poor. Similarly the building of large isms.
irrigation projects led to wealth in those areas
that had canals, while those who hand to re- 4) Nutrient cycles-biogeochemical cycles.
main dependent on a constant supply of water
from the river itself, found it difficult to survive. 5) Evolution.

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 Since each ecosystem has a non-living and a liv- producers
Plants are the ‘producers
producers’ in the ecosystem as
ing part that are linked to each other, one needs they manufacture their food by using energy
to look around us and observe this closely. This from the sun. In the forest these form commu-
is an important aspect that is a vital part of our nities of plant life. In the sea these include tiny
lives. algal forms to large seaweed.

The non-living components of an ecosystem are The herbivorous animals are primary consum-
the amount of water, the various inorganic sub- ers as they live on the producers. In a forest,
stances and organic compounds, and climatic these are the insects, amphibia, reptiles, birds
conditions such as rainfall and temperature, and mammals. The herbivorous animals include
which depend on geographical conditions and for example hare, deer and elephants that live
location which is also related to the amount of on plant life. They graze on grass or feed on the
sunlight. The living organisms in an ecosystem foliage from trees. In grasslands, there are her-
are inseparable from their habitat. bivores such as the blackbuck that feed on grass.
In the semiarid areas, there are species such as
The living component of plant life ranges from the chinkara or Indian gazelle. In the sea, there
extremely small bacteria, which live in air, wa-
ter and soil, algae which live in fresh and salt Herbivores
water, to the terrestrial plants which range from
grasses and herbs that grow after the monsoon
every year, to the giant long-lived trees of the
forest. The plants convert energy from sunlight
into organic matter for their growth. They thus
function as producers in the ecosystem. The liv-
ing component of the animal world ranges from
microscopic animals, to small insects and the
larger animals such as fish, amphibia, reptiles,
birds and mammals. Man is just one of the 1.8
Nectarivores
million species of plants and animals that inhabit
the earth. Frugivores

3.3 PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS AND DECOM-

Gramnivores
POSERS

Every living organism is in some way dependent are small fish that live on algae and other plants.
on other organisms. Plants
are food for herbivorous ani- Grass At a higher tropic level, there are carnivorous
mals which are in turn food animals, or secondary
animals
for carnivorous animals. consumers, which live
Thus there are different on herbivorous ani-
tropic levels in the ecosys- mals. In our forests,
tem. Some organisms such the carnivorous ani-
as fungi live only on dead mals are tigers, leop-
material and inorganic mat- ards, jackals, foxes
ter. and small wild cats. In Carnivores

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 the sea, carnivorous fish live on other fish and is not widely distributed, it becomes extinct for
marine animals. Animals that live in the sea all time.
range in size from microscopic forms to giant
mammals such as the whale.
3.4 ENERGY FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEM
Decomposers or detrivores are a group of or-
ganisms consisting of small animals like worms, Every ecosystem has several interrelated mecha-
insects, bacteria and fungi, which break down nisms that affect human life. These are the wa-
dead organic material into smaller particles and ter cycle, the carbon cycle, the oxygen cycle,
finally into simpler substances that are used by the nitrogen cycle and the energy cycle. While
plants as nutrition. Decomposition thus is a vital every ecosystem is controlled by these cycles, in
function in nature, as without this, all the nutri- each ecosystem its abiotic and biotic features
ents would be tied up in dead matter and no are distinct from each other.
new life could be produced.
All the functions of the ecosystem are in some
Most ecosystems are highly complex and con- way related to the growth and regeneration of
sist of an extremely large number of individuals its plant and animal species. These linked pro-
cesses can be depicted as the vari-
Detrivores ous cycles. These processes de-
pend on energy from sunlight.
During photosynthesis carbon di-
oxide is taken up by plants and
oxygen is released. Animals de-
pend on this oxygen for their res-
piration. The water cycle depends
on the rainfall, which is necessary
for plants and animals to live. The
energy cycle recycles nutrients
into the soil on which plant life
grows. Our own lives are closely
linked to the proper functioning
of these cycles of life. If human
activities go on altering them, humanity cannot
survive on our earth.
of a wide variety of species. In the species-rich
tropical ecosystems (such as in our country), only
a few species are very common, while most spe- 3.4.1 The Water Cycle
cies have relatively few individuals. Some spe-
cies of plants and animals are extremely rare When it rains, the water runs along the ground
and may occur only at a few locations. These and flows into rivers or falls directly into the sea.
are said to be ‘endemic’ to these areas. A part of the rainwater that falls on land perco-
lates into the ground. This is stored underground
When human activities alter the balance in these throughout the rest of the year. Water is drawn
ecosystems, the “perturbation” leads to the up from the ground by plants along with the
disappearance of these uncommon species. nutrients from the soil. The water is transpired
When this happens to an endemic species that from the leaves as water vapour and returned

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 3.4.2 The Carbon cycle
Water Cycle
The carbon, which occurs in
organic compounds, is in-
cluded in both the abiotic and
biotic parts of the ecosystem.
Carbon is a building block of
both plant and animal tissues.
In the atmosphere, carbon
occurs as carbon dioxide
(CO2). In the presence of sun-
light, plants take up carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere
through their leaves. The
plants combine carbon diox-
ide with water, which is ab-
sorbed by their roots from the
soil. In the presence of sun-
light they are able to form car-
bohydrates that contain car-
bon. This process is known as
photosynthesis. Plants use this
complex mechanism for their
growth and development. In
this process, plants release
to the atmosphere. As it is lighter than air, wa- oxygen into the atmosphere on which animals
ter vapour rises and forms clouds. Winds blow depend for their respiration. Plants therefore
the clouds for long distances and when the help in regulating and monitoring the percent-
clouds rise higher, the vapour condenses and age of Oxygen and Carbon dioxide in the earth’s
changes into droplets, which fall on the land as atmosphere. All of mankind thus depends on
rain. Though this is an end-
less cycle on which life de-
pends, man’s activities are
making drastic changes in
the atmosphere through
pollution which is altering
rainfall patterns. This is
leading to prolonged
drought periods extending
over years in countries
such as Africa, while caus-
ing floods in countries such
as the US. El Nino storms
due to these effects have
devastated many places in
the last few years. Carbon Cycle

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 the oxygen generated through this cycle. It also 3.4.4 The Nitrogen Cycle
keeps the CO2 at acceptable levels.
Carnivorous animals feed on herbivorous ani-
Herbivorous animals feed on plant material, mals that live on plants. When animals defecate,
which is used by them for energy and for their this waste material is broken down by worms
growth. Both plants and animals release carbon and insects mostly beetles and ants. These small
dioxide during respiration. They also return fixed ‘soil animals’ break the waste material into
carbon to the soil in the waste they excrete. smaller bits on which microscopic bacteria and
When plants and animals die they return their fungi can act. This material is thus broken down
carbon to the soil. These processes complete the further into nutrients that plants can absorb and
carbon cycle. use for their growth. Thus nutrients are recycled
back from animals to plants. Similarly the bod-
ies of dead animals are also broken down into
nutrients that are used by the
Oxygen Cycle > plants for their growth. Thus
the nitrogen cycle on which
life is dependent is com-
pleted.
>

Nitrogen fixing bacteria and

fungi in soil gives this impor-
tant element to plants, which
absorb it as nitrates. The ni-
trates are a part of the plant’s
>

metabolism, which help in

forming new plant proteins.
This is used by animals that
feed on the plants. The nitro-
gen is then transferred to car-
nivorous animals when they
feed on the herbivores. Thus our own lives are
3.4.3 The Oxygen Cycle

Oxygen is taken up by plants and ani-

>
mals from the air during respiration.
The plants return oxygen to the at-
mosphere during photosynthesis. This
links the Oxygen Cycle to the Carbon
Cycle. Deforestation is likely to gradu-
ally reduce the oxygen levels in our
>

atmosphere. Thus plant life plays an

>

important role in our lives which we

frequently do not appreciate. This is
an important reason to participate in >
afforestation programs. > Nitrogen
Cycle

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 closely interlinked to soil animals, fungi and even Since plants can grow by converting the sun’s
bacteria in the soil. When we think of food webs, energy directly into their tissues, they are known
we usually think of the large mammals and other as producers in the ecosystem. The plants are
large forms of life. But we need to understand used by herbivorous animals as food, which
that it is the unseen small animals, plants and gives them energy. A large part of this energy is
microscopic forms of life that are of great value used up for day to day functions of these ani-
for the functioning of the ecosystem. mals such as breathing, digesting food, support-
ing growth of tissues, maintaining blood flow
and body temperature. Energy is also used for
3.4.5 The Energy Cycle activities such as looking for food, finding shel-
ter, breeding and bringing up young ones. The
The energy cycle is based on the flow of energy carnivores in turn depend on herbivorous ani-
through the ecosystem. Energy from sunlight is mals on which they feed. Thus the different plant
converted by plants themselves into growing and animal species are linked to one another
new plant material which includes leaves, flow- through food chains
chains. Each food chain has three
ers, fruit, branches, trunks and roots of plants. or four links. However as each plant or animal
can be linked to several other plants or
animals through many different link-
ages, these inter-linked chains can be
depicted as a complex food web web. This
is thus called the ‘web of life’ that shows
that there are thousands of interrelation-
ships in nature.

The energy in the ecosystem can be de-

picted in the form of a food pyramid or
energy pyramid
pyramid. The food pyramid has
produc-
a large base of plants called ‘produc-
ers
ers’. The pyramid has a narrower middle
section that depicts the number and bio-
mass of herbivorous animals
animals, which are
first order consumers
called ‘first consumers’. The apex
depicts the small biomass of carnivorous
animals called ‘second
second order consum-
ers
ers’. Man is one of the animals at the
apex of the pyramid. Thus to support
mankind, there must be a large base of
herbivorous animals and an even greater
quantity of plant material.

When plants and animals die, this ma-

terial is returned to the soil after being
broken down into simpler substances by
decomposers such as insects, worms,
bacteria and fungi so that plants can
Energy Cycle absorb the nutrients through their roots.

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 Animals excrete waste products after digesting related to the way in which energy flows
food, which goes back to the soil. This links the through the biological system. The most fre-
energy cycle to the Nitrogen cycle. quent example of successional changes occur
in a pond ecosystem where it fluctuates from a
dry terrestrial habitat to the early colonisation
3.4.6 Integration of cycles in Nature stage by small aquatic species after the mon-
soon, which gradually passes through to a ma-
These cycles are a part of global life processes. ture aquatic ecosystem, and then reverts back
These biogeochcemical cycles have specific fea- to its dry stage in summer where its aquatic life
tures in each of the ecosystems. These cycles remains dormant.
are however linked to those of adjacent ecosys-
tems. Their characteristics are specific to the
plant and animal communities in the region. This 3.6 FOOD CHAINS, FOOD WEBS AND ECO-
is related to the geographical features of the LOGICAL PYRAMIDS
area, the climate and the chemical composition
of the soil. Together the cycles are responsible The transfer of energy from the source in plants
for maintaining life on earth. If mankind disturbs through a series of organisms by eating and
these cycles beyond the limits that nature can being eaten constitutes food chains. At each
sustain, they will eventually break down and lead transfer, a large proportion of energy is lost in
to a degraded earth on which man will not be the form of heat. These food chains are not iso-
able to survive. lated sequences, but are interconnected with
each other. This interlocking pattern is known
as the food web. Each step of the food web is
3.5 ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION called a trophic level. Hence green plants oc-
cupy the first level, herbivores the second level,
Ecological succession is a process through which carnivores the third level and secondary carni-
ecosystems tend to change over a period of time. vores the fourth level. These trophic levels to-
Succession can be related to seasonal environ- gether form the ecological pyramid.
mental changes, which create changes in the
community of plants and animals living in the
ecosystem. Other successional events may take 3.6.1 The food chains
much longer periods of time extending to sev-
eral decades. If a forest is cleared, it is initially The most obvious aspect of nature is that en-
colonized by a certain group of species of plants ergy must pass from one living organism to an-
and animals, which gradually change through other. When herbivorous animals feed on plants,
an orderly process of community development. energy is transferred from plants to animals. In
One can predict that an opened up area will an ecosystem, some of the animals feed on other
gradually be converted into a grassland, a living organisms, while some feed on dead or-
shrubland and finally a woodland and a forest if ganic matter. The latter form the ‘detritus’ food
permitted to do so without human interference. chain. At each linkage in the chain, a major part
There is a tendency for succession to produce a of the energy from the food is lost for daily ac-
more or less stable state at the end of the suc- tivities. Each chain usually has only four to five
cessional stages. Developmental stages in the such links. However a single species may be
ecosystem thus consist of a pioneer stage, a linked to a large number of species.
series of changes known as serel stages, and
finally a climax stage. The successive stages are

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 3.6.2 The food webs Aquatic
Food Pyramid
In an ecosystem there are a very large number
of interlinked chains. This forms a food web. If
the linkages in the chains that make up the web
of life are disrupted due to human activities that
lead to the loss or extinction of species, the web
breaks down.

3.6.3 The ecological pyramids

In an ecosystem, green plants – the producers,

utilize energy directly from sunlight and convert
it into matter. A large number of these organ-
isms form the most basic, or first ‘trophic level’
of the food pyramid. The herbivorous animals
that eat plants are at the second trophic level

Terrestrial and are called primary consumers. The preda-

Food Pyramid tors that feed on them form the third trophic
level and are known as secondary consumers.
Only a few animals form the third trophic level
consisting of carnivores at the apex of the food
pyramid. This is how energy is used by living
creatures and flows through the ecosystem from
its base to the apex. Much of the energy is used
up in activities of each living organism.

3.7 INTRODUCTION, TYPES, CHARACTERIS-

TIC FEATURES, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS

Types of Ecosystems

Terrestrial Ecosystems Aquatic Ecosystems

Forest Pond
Grassland Lake
Semi arid areas Wetland
Deserts River
Mountains Delta
Islands Marine

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 For each of these ecosystems we need to un- • Existence value - ethical and emotional
derstand 4 basic issues: aspects of the existence of wildlife and
nature.
1. What is the nature of the ecosystem? What
is its structure and its functions? Terrestrial ecosystems in their natural state are
found in different types of forests, grasslands,
2. Who uses the ecosystem and for what pur- semiarid areas, deserts and sea coasts. Where
pose? the land is intensively used, these have been
gradually modified over several thousand years
3. How are these ecosystems degraded? into agricultural and pastoral regions. In the re-
cent past they have been rapidly converted into
4. What can be done to protect it from deterio- intensively irrigated agricultural ecosystems or
rating in the long-term? How can the ecosys- into urban and industrial centers. Though this
tem be conserved? has increased production of food and pro-
vides the raw material for ‘consumer’ goods
that we use, the overuse and misuse of land
Ecosystem goods and services and natural ecosystems has led to a serious
degradation of our environment. The unsus-
Direct Values: tainable use of environmental goods such as soil,
These are resources that people depend upon water, fuelwood, timber from forest, grasses
directly and are easy to quantify in economic and herbs from grasslands for grazing and re-
terms. peatedly burning the grass, degrades these natu-
ral ecosystems. Similarly, improper use of re-
• Consumptive Use Value - Non-market sources can destroy the services that the natu-
value of fruit, fodder, firewood, etc. ral ecosystems provide. These processes of na-
that are used by people who collect ture such as photosynthesis, climate control, pre-
them from their surrounds.] vention of soil erosion are disturbed by many
human activities. When our human population
• Productive Use Value - Commercial was small, most ecosystems could supply all our
value of timber, fish, medicinal plants, sustainably’.
needs. Resources were thus used ‘sustainably’.
etc. that people collect for sale. As industrial ‘development’ led to a very great
increase in consumption of resources, the short
Indirect Values: term economic gains for people became an in-
These are uses that do not have easy ways to dicator of progress, rather than long term eco-
quantify them in terms of a clearly definable unsus-
logical benefits. This has resulted in an ‘unsus-
price. tainable use’ of natural resources. Forests thus
disappear, rivers run dry, deserts begin to spread,
• Non-consumptive use value - scientific and air, water and soil become increasingly pol-
research, bird-watching, ecotourism, luted as by-products of development. Human
etc. well being itself is then seriously affected.

• Option value - maintaining options for

the future, so that by preserving them
one could reap economic benefits in the
future.

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 3.7.1 Forest ecosystem The biotic component includes both the large
(macrophytes) and the microscopic plants and
Forests are formed by a community of plants animals.
which is predominantly structurally defined by
its trees, shrubs, climbers and ground cover. Plants include the trees, shrubs, climbers,
Natural vegetation looks vastly different from a grasses, and herbs in the forest. These include
group of planted trees, which are in orderly species that flower (angiosperms), and non-flow-
rows. The most ‘natural’ undisturbed forests are ering species (gymnosperms) such as ferns, bryo-
located mainly in our National Parks and Wild- phytes, fungi and algae.
life Sanctuaries. The landscapes that make up
various types of forests look very different from The animals include species of mammals, birds,
each other. Their distinctive appearance is a fas- reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and other in-
cinating aspect of nature. Each forest type forms vertebrates and a variety of microscopic animals.
a habitat for a specific community of animals
that are adapted to live in it. As the plant and animal species are closely de-
pendent on each other, together they form dif-
ferent types of forest communities. Man is a part
What is a forest ecosystem? of these forest ecosystems and the local people
The forest ecosystem has two parts: depend directly on the forest for several natural
resources that act as their life support systems.
• The non-living or abiotic aspects of the People who do not live in the forest buy forest
forest: The type of forest depends upon the products such as wood and paper, which has
abiotic conditions at the site. Forests on been extracted from the forest. Thus they use
mountains and hills differ from those along forest produce indirectly from the market.
river valleys. Vegetation is specific to the
amount of rainfall and the local tempera- Forest types in India: The forest type depends
ture which varies according to latitude and upon the abiotic factors such as climate and soil
altitude. Forests also vary in their plant com- characteristics of a region. Forests in India can
munities in response to the type of soil. be broadly divided into Coniferous forests and
Broadleaved forests.
• The living or the biotic aspects of the for-
est: The plants and animals form commu- They can also be classified according to the na-
nities that are specific to each forest type. ture of their tree species – evergreen, decidu-
For instance coniferous trees occur in the ous, xerophytic or thorn trees, mangroves, etc.
Himalayas. Mangrove trees occur in river They can also be classified according to the most
deltas. Thorn trees grow in arid areas. The abundant species of trees such as Sal or Teak
snow leopard lives in the Himalayas while forests. In many cases a forest is named after
the leopard and tiger live in the forests of the first three or four most abundant tree spe-
the rest of India. Wild sheep and goats live cies.
high up in the Himalayas. Many of the birds
of the Himalayan forests are different from Coniferous forests grow in the Himalayan moun-
the rest of India. Evergreen forests of the tain region, where the temperatures are low.
Western Ghats and North East India are These forests have tall stately trees with needle-
most rich in plant and animal species. like leaves and downward sloping branches so
that the snow can slip off the branches. They

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 eral months. Some even get two
monsoons, such as in Southern In-
dia. Evergreen plants shed a few of
their leaves throughout the year.
There is no dry leafless phase as in a
deciduous forest. An evergreen for-
est thus looks green throughout the
year. The trees overlap with each
Coniferous forest other to form a continuous canopy.
Thus very little light penetrates down
to the forest floor. Only a few shade
loving plants can grow in the ground
layer in areas where some light fil-
ters down from the closed canopy.
The forest is rich in orchids and ferns.
The barks of the trees are covered
in moss. The forest abounds in ani-
mal life and is most rich in insect life.

Evergreen forest

Broadleaved forest

have cones instead of seeds and are

called gymnosperms.

Broadleaved forests have several types,

such as evergreen forests, deciduous
forests, thorn forests, and mangrove
forests. Broadleaved forests have large
leaves of various shapes.

Evergreen forests grow in the high rain-

fall areas of the Western Ghats, North
Eastern India and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. These forests grow in
areas where the monsoon lasts for sev-

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 Deciduous forest Thorn forest

called xerophytic species and are

able to conserve water. Some of
these trees have small leaves,
while other species have thick,
waxy leaves to reduce water
losses during transpiration. Thorn
forest trees have long or fibrous
roots to reach water at great
depths. Many of these plants
have thorns, which reduce wa-
ter loss and protect them from
herbivores.

Mangrove forests grow along the

coast especially in the river del-
tas. These plants are able to grow

Deciduous forests are found in regions

with a moderate amount of seasonal
rainfall that lasts for only a few months.
Most of the forests in which Teak trees
grow are of this type. The deciduous
trees shed their leaves during the win-
Mangrove
ter and hot summer months. In March
or April they regain their fresh leaves just
before the monsoon, when they grow
vigorously in response to the rains. Thus
there are periods of leaf fall and canopy
regrowth. The forest frequently has a
thick undergrowth as light can penetrate
easily onto the forest floor.

Thorn forests are found in the semi- arid

regions of India. The trees, which are
sparsely distributed, are surrounded by
open grassy areas. Thorny plants are

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 Forest communities:

Forest type Plants Examples Common Animal Examples Rare Animal Examples

Himalayan Coniferous Pine, deodar Wild goats and sheep, Snow leopard, Hangul,
Himalayan black bear. Himalayan brown bear,
Musk deer, Himalayan
Himalayan Broadleaved Maple, oak Wolf.

Evergreen North-east, Jamun, Ficus, Tiger, Leopard, Sambar, Malabar Pigmy Hog, Rhino,
Western Ghats, Dipterocarpus whistling thrush, Malabar Pied Liontailed macaque
Andaman & Nicobar hornbill, tree frogs.
Deciduous – Dry Teak, Ain,
Terminalia Tiger, Chital, Barking deer,
Babblers, Flycatchers, Hornbills.
Moist Sal
Thorn and scrub, Babul, Ber, Neem Blackbuck, Chinkara, Fourhorned Wolf, Bustard, Florican,
Semiarid forests antelope, Partridge, Monitor Bustards,
lizard.
Mangrove Delta Avicenia Crocodile, shorebirds – sandpipers, Water monitor lizard.
Forests plovers, fish, crustacea.

in a mix of saline and fresh water. They grow During the monsoon, the forest retains mois-
luxuriantly in muddy areas covered with silt that ture and slowly releases it through perennial
the rivers have brought down. The mangrove streams during the rest of the year. Plantations
trees have breathing roots that emerge from fail to perform this function adequately. The loss
the mudbanks. of forest cover in the catchments of a river thus
leads to irreversible changes such as excessive
soil erosion, large run-off of surface water dur-
Forest utilisation: Natural forests provide local ing monsoons leading to flash floods, and a
people with a variety of products if the forest is shortage of water once the monsoons are over.
used carefully. Over-exploitation for fuel wood
or timber, and conversion to monoculture plan- Forest products that are collected by people
tations for timber or other products, impover- include food such as fruit, roots, herbs and me-
ishes local people as the economic benefit goes dicinal plants. People depend on fuelwood to
to people who live elsewhere. The entire re- cook food, collect fodder for domestic animals,
source base on which local people have tradi- cut building material for housing, collect
tionally survived for generations, is rapidly de- medicinal plants that have been known for
stroyed. Eventually the forest is completely de- generations for several ailments and use a vari-
graded. ety of non timer forest products such as fiber,
cane, gum, to make household articles. Wood
Natural forest ecosystems play an important role from different species of trees have special uses.
in controlling local climate and water regimes. For instance a soft wood is used for the yok of a
It is well-known that under the canopy of a natu- bullock cart while a very hard wood is used for
ral forest, it is cooler than outside the forest. its axil. These forest products are of great eco-

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 are more resistant to diseases. New industrial
products are being produced from the wild
Forest Products
plants of the forest. Many of our new medi-
cines come from wild plants.

Direct uses of forest products

Fruits – mango, jamun, awla
Roots – Dioscoria
Medicine – Gloriosa, Foxglove
Fuelwood – many species of trees and shrubs
Small timber for building huts and houses
Wood for farm implements
nomic value as they are collected, sold and mar-
keted. Forest dwellers and agricultural people Bamboo and cane for baskets
use these goods directly. Other people get them
indirectly from the market. Traditional types of Grass for grazing and stall feeding livestock
agriculture needs forest material such as
branches and leaves, which are burnt to form
wood ash which acts as a fertiliser for crops such Indirect uses of forest products
as rice. Building material for construction and furni-
ture for the urban sector
Urban people use these forest resources indi-
rectly as all their food and other goods come Medicinal products collected and processed
from agricultural areas that are dependent on into drugs
the neighbouring forests.
Gums and resins processed into a variety of
products
Forest services include the control of the flow
of water in streams and rivers. Forest cover re- Raw material for industrial products and
duces surface runoff of rainwater and allows chemicals
ground water to be stored. Forests prevent ero-
Paper from bamboo and softwoods
sion of soil. Once soil is lost by erosion, it can
take thousands of years to reform. Forests regu-
late local temperature. It is cooler and more
What are the threats to the forest ecosys-
moist under the shade of the trees in the forest.
tem?
Most importantly, forests absorb carbon diox-
As forests grow very slowly, we cannot use more
ide and release oxygen that we breathe.
resources than they can produce during a grow-
ing season. If timber is felled beyond a certain
The wild relatives of our crop plants and fruit
limit the forest cannot regenerate. The gaps in
trees have special characteristics in their genes
the forest change the habitat quality for its ani-
which are used to develop new crops and newer
mals. The more sensitive species cannot survive
varieties of fruit. These newer varieties devel-
under these changed conditions. Overutilizing
oped from wild relatives give greater yields or

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 forest resources is an unsustainable way of mis- linate agricultural crops and fruit trees. This leads
using our limited forest resources. We are now to a decrease in agricultural yields.
creating more and more goods that are manu-
factured from raw material from the forest. This The rain that falls on deforested land flows di-
leads to forest degradation and finally changes rectly into nearby rivers. Thus water is not re-
the ecosystem into wasteland. Wood is illegally tained under the ground. People thus do not
extracted from many forests leading to a highly get a sufficient quantity of water throughout
disturbed ecosystem. the year. The exposed soil is rapidly washed away
during the rains once the protective forest cover
Developmental activities such as rapid popula- is removed. Thus agriculture is seriously affected
tion growth together with, urbanisation, in such areas. In deforested areas, the water in
industrialisation and the increasing use of con- streams is brown in colour as soil is washed away
sumer goods, leads to over utilisation of forest while water in forested streams is crystal clear.
produce. Forests are shrinking as our need for
agricultural land increases. It is estimated that Wild animals lose their habitat. This leads to
India’s forest cover has decreased from about extinction of our precious species. Residual for-
33% to 11% in the last century. The increasing ests must be protected from being destroyed
use of wood for timber, wood pulp for paper any further if all the diverse species of plants
and the extensive use of fuelwood results in and animals are to be kept for future genera-
continual forest loss. Forests are also lost by tions.
mining and building dams. As the forest re-
sources are exploited beyond what they can pro-
duce the forest canopy is opened up, the eco- How can forest ecosystems be conserved?
system is degraded, and its wildlife is seriously We can conserve forests only if we use its re-
threatened. As the forest is fragmented into sources carefully. This can be done by using al-
small patches its wild plant and animal species ternate sources of energy instead of fuelwood.
become extinct. These can never be brought There is a need to grow more trees than are cut
back. Extinction is forever. down from forests every year for timber. Affor-
estation needs to be done continuously from
which fuelwood and timber can be judiciously
What if the forests disappear? used.
When forests are cut down tribal people who
depend directly on them for food and fuelwood The natural forests with all their diverse species
and other products find it very difficult to sur- must be protected as National Parks and Wild-
vive. Agricultural people do not get enough life Sanctuaries where all the plants and animals
fuelwood, small timber, etc. for making houses can be preserved.
and farm implements. Urban people who de-
pend on food from agricultural areas, which in
turn depend on neighbouring forest ecosystems 3.7.2 Grassland ecosystems
have to pay a higher price for food as human
population grows. A wide range of landscapes in which the veg-
etation is mainly formed by grasses and small
Insects that live and breed in the forest such as annual plants are adapted to India’s various cli-
bees, butterflies and moths decrease in abun- matic conditions. These form a variety of grass-
dance once forests are degraded. As their num- land ecosystems with their specific plants and
bers decrease they are unable to effectively pol- animals.

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 What is a grassland ecosystem? Himalayan Pastures
Grasslands cover areas where rainfall is usually
low and/or the soil depth and quality is poor.
The low rainfall prevents the growth of a large
number of trees and shrubs, but is sufficient to
support the growth of grass cover during the
monsoon. Many of the grasses and other small
herbs become dry and the part above the
ground dies during the summer months. In the
next monsoon the grass cover grows back from
the root stock and the seeds of the previous
year. This change gives grasslands a highly sea-
sonal appearance with periods of increased
growth followed by a dormant phase. into the high altitude grasslands in summer and
move down into the forest in winter when the
A variety of grasses, herbs, and several species snow covers the grassland. These Himalayan
of insects, birds and mammals have evolved so pastures have a large variety of grasses and
that they are adapted to these wide-open grass herbs. Himalayan hill slopes are covered with
covered areas. These animals are able to live in thousands of colourful flowering plants. There
conditions where food is plentiful after the rains, are also a large number of medicinal plants.
so that they can store this as fat that they use
during the dry period when there is very little to The Terai consists of patches of tall grasslands
eat. Man began to use these grasslands as pas- interspersed with a Sal forest ecosystem. The
tures to feed his livestock when he began to patches of tall elephant grass, which grows to a
domesticate animals and became a pastoralist height of about five meters, are located in the
in ancient times. low-lying waterlogged areas. The Sal forest
patches cover the elevated regions and the Hi-
Grassland Types in India: Grasslands form a malayan foothills. The Terai also includes
variety of ecosystems that are located in differ- marshes in low-lying depressions. This ecosys-
ent climatic conditions ranging from near desert tem extends as a belt south of the Himalayan
conditions, to patches of shola grasslands that foothills.
occur on hillslopes alongside the extremely moist
evergreen forests in South India. In the Hima-
layan mountains there are the high cold Hima-
layan pastures. There are tracts of tall elephant
grass in the low-lying Terai belt south of the
Himalayan foothills. There are semi-arid grass-
lands in Western India, parts of Central India,
and in the Deccan Plateau.

The Himalayan pasture belt extends upto the

snowline. The grasslands at a lower level form
patches along with coniferous or broadleaved
forests. Himalayan wildlife require both the for-
est and the grassland ecosystem as important
parts of their habitat. The animals migrate up Terai grassland

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 Semiarid grassland patches of forest that occur along the streams
and in depressions. The grasslands are related
to repeated fires that do not permit the forest
to grow.

The grasses are the major producers of biomass

in these regions. Each grassland ecosystem has
a wide variety of species of grasses and herbs.
Some grass and herb species are more sensitive
to excessive grazing and are suppressed if the
area is over grazed. Others are destroyed by re-
peated fires and cannot regenerate. Thus over-
used or frequently burnt grasslands are de-
graded and are poor in plant species diversity.
The Semi-arid plains of Western India, Cen-
tral India and the Deccan are covered by grass-
land tracts with patches of thorn forest. Several How are grasslands used?
mammals such as the wolf, the blackbuck, the Grasslands are the grazing areas of many rural
chinkara, and birds such as the bustards and communities. Farmers who keep cattle or goats,
floricans are adapted to these arid conditions. as well as shepherds who keep sheep, are highly
The Scrublands of the Deccan Plateau are cov- dependent on grasslands. Domestic animals are
ered with seasonal grasses and herbs on which grazed in the ‘common’ land of the village. Fod-
its fauna is dependent. It is teaming with insect der is collected and stored to feed cattle when
life on which the insectivorous birds feed. there is no grass left for them to graze in sum-
mer. Grass is also used to thatch houses and
Shola grassland farm sheds. The thorny bushes and branches of
the few trees that are seen in grasslands are
used as a major source of fuelwood.

Overgrazing by huge herds of domestic livestock

has degraded many grasslands. Grasslands have
diverse species of insects that pollinate crops.
There are also predators of these insects such
as the small mammals like shrews, reptiles like
lizards, birds of prey, and amphibia such as frogs
The Shola grasslands consist of patches on and toads. All these carnivorous animals help to
hillslopes along with the Shola forests on the control insect pests in adjoining agricultural
Western Ghats, Nilgiri and Annamalai ranges. lands.
This forms a patchwork of grassland on the
slopes and forest habitats along the streams and
lowlying areas. What are the threats to grassland ecosys-
tems?
Grasslands are not restricted only to low rainfall In many areas grasslands have been used for
areas. Certain grassland types form when clear- centuries by pastoral communities.
ings are made in different forest types. Some Overutilization and changes in landuse of the
are located on the higher steep hill slopes with

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 ‘common grazing lands’ of rural communities shoots which the domestic animals graze on. If
has lead to their degradation. The grassland this is done too frequently the grasslands begin
cover in the country in terms of permanent pas- to deteriorate. Finally grasslands become bare,
tures now covers only 3.7 percent of land. A the soil is solidly compacted by trampling, or is
major threat to natural grasslands is the con- washed away during the monsoon by rain and
version of grasslands into irrigated farmlands. whipped into dust storms during the hot dry
In the Deccan, grasslands have been altered to summer. The land is degraded, as there is no
irrigated farms and are now mainly used to grow grass to hold the soil in place. It becomes a
sugarcane. After continuous irrigation such land wasteland.
becomes saline and useless in a few years. More
recently many of these residual grassland tracts
have been converted into industrial areas. This Why are our grassland species vanishing?
provides short-term economic gains but result Most people feel that it is only our forests and
in long-term economic and ecological losses. its wildlife that is disappearing. However, other
natural ecosystems such as grasslands are dis-
Grasslands have a limited ability to support do- appearing even more rapidly.
mestic animals and wildlife. Increasing this pres-
sure by increasing the number of domestic ani- Many of the grassland species have disappeared
mals reduces the ‘naturalness’ of the grassland from several parts of India in which they were
ecosystem leading to its degradation. found 50 or 60 years ago. The Cheetah is ex-
tinct in India. The Wolf is now highly threatened.
Most grassland ecosystems are highly modified Blackbuck and chinkara are poached for meat.
by human activities. Cattle, sheep and goat graz- Birds such as the beautiful Great Indian Bustards
ing, and lighting repeated fires affects grasslands are vanishing. Unless grassland species are pro-
adversely. Changing the grasslands to other tected they will vanish from their shrinking habi-
forms of landuse such as agriculture, tree plan- tat, as natural and undisturbed grasslands are
tations and industrialisation forms a serious left in very few locations. If these animals and
threat to this highly productive ecosystem. Thus birds are killed or their habitat is reduced fur-
some of the grassland patches which are in a ther, their extinction will rapidly follow.
less disturbed state and have retained their spe-
cial plants and animals need to be urgently pro-
tected. What if our grasslands disappear?
If our grasslands are lost we will lose a highly
Degradation of grasslands due to over grazing specialised ecosystem in which plants and ani-
by cattle, sheep and goats occurs if more than mals have been adapted to these habitat condi-
a critical number of domestic animals are present tions over millions of years. Local people will not
in the grasslands. When animals overgraze the be able to support their livestock herds.
area, the grasses are converted into flat stubs
with very little green matter. Degraded grass- The extinction of species is a great loss to Man-
lands have fewer grass species as the nutritious kind. The genes of wild grasses are extremely
species are entirely used up by the large num- useful for developing new crop varieties. New
ber of domestic animals. They are thus unable medicines could well be discovered from wild
to regenerate. grassland plants. It is possible that genes from
wild herbivores such as wild sheep, goats and
When fires are lit in the grasslands in summer, antelopes may be used for developing new
the burnt grass gets a fresh flush of small green strains of domestic animals.

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 How can grassland ecosystems be conserved? • Keeping grasslands alive is a National prior-
Grasslands should not be overgrazed and areas ity.
of the grasslands should be closed for grazing.
It is better to collect grass for stall feeding cattle.
A part of the grassland in an area must be closed 3.7.3 Desert ecosystem
every year so that a rotational grazing pattern is
established. Fires must be prevented and rap- Desert and semi arid lands are highly specialised
idly controlled. In hilly areas soil and water man- and sensitive ecosystems that are easily de-
agement in each micro-catchment helps grass- stroyed by human activities. The species of these
lands to return to a natural highly productive dry areas can live only in this specialised habi-
ecosystem. tat.

To protect the most natural undisturbed grass-

land ecosystems, Sanctuaries and National Parks What is a desert or a semi-arid ecosystem?
must be created. Their management should fo- Deserts and semi arid areas are located in West-
cus on preserving all their unique species of ern India and the Deccan Plateau. The climate
plants and animals. Thus they should not be in these vast tracts is extremely dry. There are
converted into plantations of trees. The open also cold deserts such as in Ladakh, which are
grassland is the habitat of its specialised fauna. located in the high plateaus of the Himalayas.
Planting trees in these areas reduces the natu- The most typical desert landscape that is seen
ral features of this ecosystem resulting in the in Rajasthan is in the Thar Desert. This has sand
destruction of this unique habitat for wildlife. dunes. There are also areas covered with sparse
grasses and a few shrubs, which grow if it rains.
In most areas of the Thar the rainfall is scanty
What should we do? and sporadic. In an area it may rain only once
• There is a need to preserve the few natural every few years. In the adjoining semi arid tract
grassland areas that still survive by creating the vegetation consists of a few shrubs and
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in thorny trees such as kher and babul.
all the different types of grasslands.
The Great and Little Rann of Kutch are highly
• Animals such as the wolf, blackbuck, specialised arid ecosystems. In the summers they
chinkara and birds such as bustards and are similar to a desert landscape. However as
floricans have now become rare all over the
country. They must be carefully protected
in the few National Parks and Wildlife Sanc-
tuaries that have natural grassland habitats
as well as outside these Protected Areas.

• We need to create an awareness among

people that grasslands are of great value. If
we are all concerned about our disappear-
ing grasslands and their wonderful wildlife,
the Government will be motivated to pro-
tect them.

Desert and Semi arid eco systems

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 these are low-lying areas near the sea, they get wells lowers the water table creating an even
converted to salt marshes during the monsoons. drier environment. Thus human activities destroy
During this period they attract an enormous the naturalness of this unique ecosystem. The
number of aquatic birds such as ducks, geese, special species that evolved here over millions
cranes, storks, etc. The Great Rann is famous, of years may soon become extinct.
as it is the only known breeding colony of the
Greater and Lesser Flamingos in our country.
The Little Rann of Kutch is the only home of the How can desert ecosystems be conserved?
wild ass in India. Desert ecosystems are extremely sensitive. Their
ecological balance that forms a habitat for their
Desert and semi arid regions have a number of plants and animals is easily disturbed. Desert
highly specialized insects and reptiles. The rare people have traditionally protected their mea-
animals include the Indian wolf, desert cat, gre water resources. The Bishnois in Rajasthan
desert fox and birds such as the Great Indian are known to have protected their Khejdi trees
Bustard and the Florican. Some of the com- and the blackbuck antelope for several genera-
moner birds include partridges, quails and tions. The tradition began when the ruler of their
sandgrouse. region ordered his army to cut down trees for
his own use. Several Bishnois were said to have
been killed while trying to protect their trees.
How are desert and semi-arid ecosystems
used? There is an urgent need to protect residual
Areas of scanty vegetation with semi-arid scru- patches of this ecosystem within National Parks
bland have been used for camel, cattle and goat and Wildlife Sanctuaries in desert and semi arid
grazing in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and for sheep areas. The Indira Gandhi Canal in Rajasthan is
grazing in the Deccan Plateau. destroying this important natural arid ecosys-
tem, as it will convert the region into intensive
Areas that have a little moisture, such as along agriculture. In Kutch, areas of the little Rann,
the watercourses, have been used for growing which is the only home of the Wild Ass, will be
crops such as jowar, and bajra. The natural destroyed by the spread of salt works.
grasses and local varieties of crops have adapted
to growing at very low moisture levels. These Development Projects alter the desert and arid
can be used for genetic engineering and devel- landscape. There is a sharp reduction in the habi-
oping arid land crops for the future. tat available for its specialised species bringing
them to the verge of extinction. We need a sus-
tainable form of development that takes the
What are the threats to desert ecosystems? special needs of the desert into account.
Several types of development strategies as well
as human population growth have begun to
affect the natural ecosystem of the desert and 3.7.4 Aquatic ecosystems
semi arid land. Conversion of these lands
through extensive irrigation systems has The aquatic ecosystems constitute the marine
changed several of the natural characteristics environments of the seas and the fresh water
of this region. The canal water evaporates rap- systems in lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands.
idly bringing the salts to the surface. The region These ecosystems provide human beings with a
becomes highly unproductive as it becomes sa- wealth of natural resources. They provide goods
line. Pulling excessive groudwater from tube that people collect for food such as fish and

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 Aquatic ecosystems
marine salt water. There is very little fresh wa-
ter on earth, which is a key resource for people
all over the world.

What is an aquatic ecosystem?

In aquatic ecosystems, plants and animals live
in water. These species are adapted to live in
different types of aquatic habitats. The special
abiotic features are its physical aspects such as
the quality of the water, which includes its clar-
crustaceans. Natural aquatic systems such as riv- ity, salinity, oxygen content and rate of flow.
ers and seas break down chemical and organic Aquatic ecosystems may be classified as being
wastes created by man. However, this function stagnant ecosystems, or running water eco-
has limitations, as the aquatic ecosystem can- systems. The mud gravel or rocks that form the
not handle great quantities of waste. Beyond a bed of the aquatic ecosystem alter its charac-
certain limit, pollution destroys this natural func- teristics and influence its plant and animal spe-
tion. cies composition. The aquatic ecosystems are
classified into freshwater
freshwater, brackish and marine
If aquatic ecosystems are misused or over uti- ecosystems, which are based on the salinity lev-
lized, their ability to provide resources suffers in els.
the long term. Over-fishing leads to a fall in the
fish catch. River courses that are changed by The fresh water ecosystems that have running
dams to provide electricity affect thousands of water are streams and rivers. Ponds, tanks and
people who do not get a continuous supply of lakes are ecosystems where water does not flow.
water downstream for their daily use. When Wetlands are special ecosystems in which the
wetlands are drained, their connected rivers tend water level fluctuates dramatically in different
to cause floods. These are all examples of un- seasons. They have expanses of shallow water
sustainable changes in the use of natural re- with aquatic vegetation, which forms an ideal
sources and nature’s ecosystems that are de- habitat for fish, crustacea and water birds.
pendent on hydrological regimes.
Marine ecosystems are highly saline, while brack-
Water is an important factor in all our ecosys- ish areas have less saline water such as in river
tems. Several ecosystems exist in freshwater and deltas. Coral reefs are very rich in species and

Types of Aquatic ecosystems

Fresh water ecosystems Marine ecosystems

Flowing water Still water Brackish water Saline water

Streams Rivers Ponds, Deltas Coastal Deep ocean

wetlands, shallows,
lakes Coral reefs

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 are found in only a few shallow tropical seas. water consists of floating weeds and rooted veg-
The richest coral reefs in India are around the etation on the periphery which grow on the
Andaman and Nicobar islands and in the gulf of muddy floor under water and emerge out of
Kutch. the surface of the water.

Brackish water ecosystems in river deltas are As the pond fills in the monsoon a large num-
covered by mangrove forests and are among ber of food chains are formed. Algae is eaten
the world’s most productive ecosystems in terms by microscopic animals, which are in turn eaten
of biomass production. The largest mangrove by small fish on which larger carnivorous fish
swamps are in the Sunderbans in the delta of depend. These are in turn eaten by birds such
the Ganges. as kingfishers, herons and birds of prey. Aquatic
insects, worms and snails feed on the waste
material excreted by animals and the dead or
The Pond ecosystem decaying plant and animal matter. They act on
the detritus, which is broken down into nutri-
The pond is the simplest aquatic ecosystem to ents which aquatic plants can absorb, thus com-
observe. pleting the nutrient cycle in the pond. The tem-
porary ponds begin to dry after the rains and
There are differences in a pond that is tempo- the surrounding grasses and terrestrial plants
rary and has water only in the monsoon, and a spread into the moist mud that is exposed. Ani-
larger tank or lake that is an aquatic ecosystem mals such as frogs, snails and worms remain dor-
throughout the year. Most ponds become dry mant in the mud, awaiting the next monsoon.
after the rains are over and are covered by ter-
restrial plants for the rest of the year.
Lake ecosystem
When a pond begins to fill during the rains, its
life forms such as the algae and microscopic A lake ecosystem functions like a giant perma-
animals, aquatic insects, snails, and worms come nent pond. A large amount of its plant material
out of the floor of the pond where they have is the algae, which derives energy from the sun.
remained dormant in the dry phase. Gradually This is transferred to the microscopic animals,
more complex animals such as crabs frogs and which feed on the algae. There are fish that are
fish return to the pond. The vegetation in the herbivorous and are dependent on algae and
aquatic weeds. The small animals such as
snails are used as food by small carnivo-
rous fish, which in turn are eaten by larger
Pond carnivorous fish. Some specialised fish,
such as catfish, feed on the detritus on the
muddy bed of the lake.

Energy cycles through the lake ecosystem

from the sunlight that penetrates the wa-
ter surface to the plants. From plants en-
ergy is transferred to herbivorous animals
and carnivores. Animals excrete waste
products, which settle on the bottom of
the lake. This is broken down by small ani-

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 mals that live in the mud in the floor of the lake. in this ecosystem vary from microscopic algae
This acts as the nutrient material that is used by to large seaweeds. There are millions of zoop-
aquatic plants for their growth. During this pro- lankton and a large variety of invertebrates on
cess plants use Carbon from CO2 for their which live fish, turtles and marine mammals.
growth and in the process release Oxygen. This
Oxygen is then used by aquatic animals, which The shallow areas near Kutch and around the
filter water through their respiratory system. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are some of the
most incredible coral reefs in the world. Coral
reefs are only second to tropical evergreen for-
Stream and River ecosystems ests in their richness of species. Fish, crustacea,
starfish, jellyfish and the polyps that deposit the
Streams and rivers are flowing water ecosystems coral are a few of the thousands of species that
in which all the living forms are specially adapted form this incredible world under the shallow sea.
to different rates of flow. Some plants and ani-
mals such as snails and other burrowing ani- Deforestation of adjacent mangroves leads to
mals can withstand the rapid flow of the hill silt being carried out to sea where it is depos-
streams. Other species of plants and animals ited on the coral which then dies. There are
such as water beetles and skaters can live only many different types of coastal ecosystems
in slower moving water. Some species of fish, which are highly dependent on the tide.
such as Mahseer, go upstream from rivers to
hill streams for breeding. They need crystal clear The marine ecosystem is used by coastal
water to be able to breed. They lay eggs only in fisherfolk for fishing which forms their livelihood.
clear water so that their young can grow suc- In the past, fishing was done at a sustainable
cessfully. level. The marine ecosystem continued to main-
tain its abundant supply of fish over many gen-
As deforestation occurs in the hills the water in erations. Now with intensive fishing by using
the streams that once flowed throughout the giant nets and mechanised boats, fish catch in
year become seasonal. This leads to flash floods the Indian Ocean has dropped significantly.
in the rains and a shortage of water once the
streams dry up after the monsoon.
Seashore ecosystems
The community of flora and fauna of streams
and rivers depends on the clarity, flow and oxy- Beaches can be sandy, rocky, shell covered or
gen content as well as the nature of their beds. muddy. On each of these different types, there
The stream or river can have a sandy, rocky or are several specific species which have evolved
muddy bed, each type having its own species of to occupy a separate niche. There are different
plants and animals. crustacea such as crabs that make holes in the
sand.

Marine ecosystems Various shore birds feed on their prey by prob-

ing into the sand or mud on the sea shore.
The Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay
of Bengal constitute the marine ecosystems Several different species of fish are caught by
around peninsular India. In the coastal area the fishermen. In many areas the fish catch has de-
sea is shallow while further away, it is deep. Both creased during the last decade or two.
these are different ecosystems. The producers

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 How are aquatic ecosystems used? What are the threats to aquatic ecosystems?
Man uses aquatic ecosystems for the clean fresh- Water pollution occurs from sewage and poorly
water on which his life is completely dependent. managed solid waste in urban areas when it
We need clean water to drink and for other enters the aquatic ecosystem of lakes and riv-
domestic uses. Water is essential for agriculture. ers. Sewage leads to a process called eutrophi-
Fisherfolk use the aquatic ecosystems to earn a cation, which destroys life in the water as the
livelihood. People catch fish and crabs. They also oxygen content is severely reduced. Fish and
collect edible plants. This is used locally as food crustacea cannot breathe and are killed. A foul
or for sale in the market. Over fishing leads to a odour is produced. Gradually the natural flora
serious decline in the catch and a long-term loss and fauna of the aquatic ecosystem is destroyed.
of income for fisherfolk.
In rural areas the excessive use of fertilisers
Marshes and wetlands are of great economic causes an increase in nutrients, which leads to
importance for people who live on their fish, eutrophication. Pesticides used in adjacent fields
crustacea, reeds, grasses and other produce. pollute water and kills off its aquatic animals.
Chemical pollution from industry kills a large
Modern man impounds water in dams to be able number of life forms in adjacent aquatic eco-
to store it throughout the year. Agriculture and systems. Contamination by heavy metals and
industry are highly dependent on large quanti- other toxic chemicals affects the health of people
ties of water. However this leads to problems who live near these areas as they depend on
for tribal people who have lived there before this water.
the dams were built as they are displaced to
build large dams. These dams make rich people
richer in the farmland and supports people in CASE STUDY
large urban centres that use enormous quanti-
ties of water. The poor tribal folk become even Threats to wetlands in Assam
poorer as the natural resources they depend on
are taken away as their lands are submerged Almost 40% of all wetlands in Assam are
under the water of the dam. under threat. A survey conducted by the
Assam Remote Sensing Application Center
Dams are built across rivers to generate elec- (ARSAC), Guwahati, and the Space Research
tricity. A large proportion of this energy is used Center, Ahemadabad, has revealed that
by urban people, by agriculturists in irrigated 1367 out of 3513 wetlands in Assam are
farmlands and in enormous quantities for indus- under severe threat due to invasion of
try. Large dams have serious ill effects on natu- aquatic weeds and several developmental
ral river ecosystems. While water from dams activities. The wetlands of Assam form the
used for irrigation has lead to economic pros- greatest potential source of income for the
perity in some areas, in semiarid areas that are State in terms of fisheries and tourism.
artificially irrigated the high level of evaporation Though the wetlands of Assam have the ca-
leads to severe salinisation as salts are brought pacity of producing 5,000 tones of fish per
up into the surface layers of the soil. This makes hectare per year, around 20,000 tones of
such lands gradually more and more saline and fish have to be imported to meet local de-
unproductive. mands. This is primarily due to poor wetland
management.

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 How can aquatic ecosystems be conserved?
For sustainable use of an aquatic ecosystem,
water pollution must be prevented. It does not
make sense to allow water to be polluted and
then try to clean it up.

Changing the nature of the aquatic ecosystem

from a flowing water ecosystem to a static eco-
system destroys its natural biological diversity.
Thus dams across rivers decrease the popula-
tion of species that require running water, while
favouring those that need standing water.

Aquatic ecosystems, especially wetlands, need

protection by including them in Sanctuaries or
National Parks in the same way in which we
protect natural forests. These sanctuaries in
aquatic ecosystems protect a variety of forms
of life as well as rare fish which are now highly
endangered such as the Mahseer. Wetland
Sanctuaries and National Parks are of greatest
importance as this is one of the most threat-
ened of our ecosystems. As the proportion of
the earth’s surface that is naturally covered by
wetlands is very small compared to forests or
grasslands, the wetland ecosystems are very
highly threatened.

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