ECOSYSTEMS
TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS
Natural Artificial
Cropland
Terrestrial Aquatic
Wetland
Forest Ponds
Grassland Lakes
Deserts Rivers & streams
Wetland
Marine
FOREST ECOSYSTEM
• Abiotic factors
• Biotic factors
• Types of forests in India
a) Coniferous Forests
b) Broadleaved Forests
i) Evergreen Forests
ii) Deciduous Forests
iii) Thorn Forests
•Evergreen Forests –
oHigh rainfall areas like Western
Ghats, N. Eastern India, Andaman
and Nicobar Islands
oMonsoon is for several months
oNo leafless phase
oOnly shade loving tress can grow in
the ground layers as canopy overlap
oForest is rich is orchids, ferns, but
most rich in insect life
• Deciduous Forest
o Moderate rainfall areas
o Most of the forests in
which Teak grow are of
this type
o Tress shed their leaves
during the winter and hot
summer months
o Light can penetrate and
reach the forest floors
• Thorn Forests
o Found in semi arid regions
o Tress are sparsely distributed
o Plants can conserve water
o Plants have long fibrous roots
to reach depths
o Most tress can withstand long
dry periods
• Uses of the forest ecosystem
o Fruits
o Flowers
o Food
o Medicines
o Bamboo and cane for
baskets
o Fodder
o Wood
o Gum
o Raw material for a variety
of things
• Services provided by the forest
o Control flow of water
o Watershed protection
o Help increase ground water level
o Prevent soil erosion
o Control temperature
o Absorb CO2
o Gene pool
• Threats to the Forest Ecosystem
o Deforestation
o Poaching
o Overexploitation of resources
o Development activities (mining , dams)
o Changing land use patterns
o Fragmentation
o Habitat degradation
o Forest fires
• Conservation of Forest Ecosystems
o Use resources carefully
o Alternate source of energy for fuel wood
o Afforestation
o NP and Wildlife Sanctuaries
o Control population
BE A PART IN PROTECTING OUR
FORESTS
GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM
•A grassland is an area where the annual rainfall is
insufficient to support a luxuriant growth of tress, but
still is high enough so that deserts are not formed
•Depending on the rain there are tall, medium and
short grasses
•Animal life is evolved along two lines: those that run,
eg:Blackbuck, wolf, cheetah etc and those that
burrow eg: Hedgehog
• Grasslands have enormous number of
insects which attract a large number of
predatory animals like lizards and
birds
• Ecologists estimate that more than
43% of the Indian subcontinent is in
the process of changing from grassland
to deserts
• Types of grasslands in India:
a) Himalayan pasture belt
b) Terai belts
c) semi arid plains
d) Shola grasslands
• Himalayan pasture belts:
o They have large variety of
grasses and herds
o These grasslands at the
lower level are found along
with the forests
o The Himalayan animals
migrate up into the
grasslands in summer and
move down into the forests
in winter
• Terai belts:
o They are at the foothills of the Himalayas
o Consist of tall elephant grass with Sal forests
o The largest herbivore of the Terai is the elephant
o These grasslands form the habitat of the Swamp deer, Wild
buffalo and the Rhinoceros
• Semi-arid grasslands:
o These grasslands are interspread
with thorn forests
o Blackbuck, Chinkara, Great Indian
Bustard are found in these
grasslands
• Shola grasslands:
o Found in higher rainfall areas
o Found in Western Ghats,
Annamalai ranges
o They are located on hill slopes
with patches of forest that occur
along the nala courses.
• Uses of grasslands:
o Fodder
o Fuel wood
o Gene pools
• Threats to grassland
ecosystems:
o Over utilization of resources
overgrazing
o Fires
o Development activities
o Change in land use
• What will happen if grasslands disappear?
o Lose a highly specialized ecosystem
o Extinction of species
• Conservation of grassland ecosystems
o Rotational grazing
o Strict laws on poaching
o Fencing
o Prevent fires
o NP and Wildlife Sanctuaries
o Create awareness
ARID AND DESERT ECOSYSTEM
• The climate in these vast tracts is extremely dry
• Types of deserts:
Hot and cold deserts
• The most typical landscape of a hot desert is The Thar Desert
• The Great and Little Rann of Kutch are highly specialized arid
ecosystems
• The Little Rann of Kutch is the only home of the wild ass in India
• Biotic and abiotic components of the desert ecosystem
Desert ecosystem
• High temperatures and scarcity of water
• Adaptations in desert animals to acquire and
retain water and to regulate body temperature
• Mammals, reptiles, amphibians live in burrows
to keep away from hot and dry winds
• Certain animals like squirrelsslow down the
metabolism in summer to conserve water and
energy
Adaptations in plants
• Cactus are succulunts having own ways of
storing water
• The leaves are modified into thorns to stop
transpiration rate
• Succulents are able to absorb large
quantities of water within a short period
• Stems and leaves also have a waxy cuticle
Adaptations of desert animals
• Develop long body parts providing greater
body surface eg- jackrabbits
• Most desert animals are light in colour to
reflect heat
• Waste products are in the form uric acid.
• Uses of the desert ecosystem
o Some patches which have grass are
used for grazing
o Areas which have little moisture have
been used to grow crops such as jowar
and bajra
o Precious gene pool
• Threats to desert ecosystem
o Growth of human population
o Development activities
o Conversion of these lands through extensive
irrigation systems has changed several of the
natural characteristics of this area
o Deletion of ground water table
o Extinction of highly adapted species
• Conservation of desert ecosystems
o Awareness programs
o NP and Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Example of Bishnois in Rajasthan
• ‘Bis’ meaning 20 and ‘noi’ meaning 9
29 environmentally friendly rules that they
have to follow on an everyday basis