Terrestrial Ecosystem

Name of member ID Number

Md. Saiful Islam 117470

Md. Abul Kashem 117472

Shamima Nasrin 117473

Mamunur Rashid 117477

Yeasmin Sultana 107437

Group : 10

EcosystemDefinition

Any ecological unit that includes all the organisms, the

communities in a given area which interact among themselves

and with the physical environment, so that a flow of energy

leads to clearly defined trophic structure, biotic diversity and

material cycle within the system, is known as ecological system

or ecosystem.

In other words,  ecosystem is a community of living organisms in

conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment,

interacting as a system.

Types of ecosytem Various constituent ecosystems of the biosphere fall into the following categories :

o 1. Natural ecosystems. These types of ecosystems operate by themselves without

any major interference by man. Based upon the particular kind of habitat, these are

further classified as :

(i) Terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, deserts, a single log, etc.

(ii) Aquatic ecosystems which may be further distinguished as follows : (a) Fresh

water ecosystems. (b) Marine ecosystems.

o 2. Artificial ecosystems. These are also called man-made or man-engineered

ecosystems. These are maintained artificially by man where, by addition of energy

and planned manipulations, natural balance is disturbed regularly, e.g., croplands

such as sugarcane, maize, wheat, rice-fields ; orchards, gardens, villages, cities,

dams, aquarium and manned spaceship.

Terrestrial ecosystem

Terrestrial ecosystem refers to the ecosystem on land.

It comprises 28% area of the world.

Beside of the comparatively small area it makes the most

variable flora and fauna

The complexity and variegation of terrestrial ecosystems are

much greater than those of aquatic ecosystems

Types of terrestrial ecosystem

The earth surface— the continental land masses have

been classified by bio-geographers and ecologists into

following regions : (i) Biogeographic realms ; (ii) Biomes.

They are further subdivided into various form

Biogeographic realms has six subdivisions

Biomes has seven sub divisions

Biogeographic realmsRegions Careful studies of the distribution of plants and animals over

the earth have revealed the existence of six major biogeographic

realms, each characterized by the presence of certain unique organisms.

Each of these realms embraces a major continental land mass and each

remains separated by oceans, mountain ranges, or desert . Palaearctic realm Nearctic realm Neotropical realm Afrotropic realm Indomalaya realm Australasia realm

Fig: Distribution of biogeographic realm

Palearctic realmGeographical distribution: The largest region including whole Europe, Soviet Russia

Flora and Fauna There occurs a great variety in the number of species of flora in

Palearctic realm.

The number of fauna is also variable.

One bird family, the Accentors is endemic to the Palearctic region.

The Holarctic has four other endemic bird families: the

Divers , Grouse, Auks, and Waxwings.

There are no endemic mammal orders in the region, but several

families are endemic: Calomyscidae, Prolagidae, and Ailuridae.

Nearctic realmGeographical distribution The Nearctic region covers most of North America,

including Greenland, Central Florida and the highlands of Mexico

Flora and fauna Plants families endemic or nearly endemic to the Nearctic

include Crossosomataceae, Simmondsiaceae, and Limnanthaceae.

Animals originally unique to the Nearctic include:

o Family Canidae, dogs, wolves, foxes, and coyotes

o Family Camelidae, camels and their South American relatives including the llama. Family Equidae, horses and their relatives.

o Family Antilocapridae, which includes the pronghorn

o Tremarctinae, or short-faced bears, including the extinct giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simius). The last remaining member of the group is the spectacled bear(Tremarctos ornatus) of South America.

Neotrophic realmGeographical distribution It includes the tropical terrestrial of both Americas and the entire South American temperate zone

Flora and fauna Plant families that originated in the Neotropic

include Bromeliaceae, Cannaceae and Heliconiaceae. 31 bird families are endemic to the Neotropical ecozone Mammals groups originally unique to the Neotropics include:o Order Xenarthra: Anteaters, Sloths, and Armadilloso New World monkeyso Caviomorpha rodents, including capybaras and guinea pigs, and chinchillaso American opossums (order Didelphimorphia) and shrew opossums

(order Paucituberculata)o 43 fish families and subfamilies are endemic to the Neotropical ecozone,

more than any other realm 

Afrotropic realm

Distribution: It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the southern and eastern fringes of

the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean.

Flora and Fauna:

 There are about 950 vascular plant species, with at least 15 site endemics

The Afrotropic has various endemic bird families, including Struthionidae, Sagittariidae,

Numididae, Coliidae. Also, several families of passerines are limited to the Afrotropics.

Africa has three endemic orders of mammals, the Tubulidentata Afrosoricida,

and Macroscelidea.

Four species of Great Apes are endemic to Africa: both species of Gorilla (Western

Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla, and Eastern Gorilla, Gorilla beringei) and both species of

Chimpanzee (Common Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, and Bonobo, Pan paniscus).

Indomalaya realmDistribution: Indomalaya extends from Afghanistan through the Indian

subcontinent and Southeast Asia to lowland southern China, and through Indonesia, east of which lies the Wallace line. Indomalaya also includes the Philippines, lowland Taiwan, and Japan's Ryukyu Islands.

Flora and fauna: A variety of plant species from desert plant to mangrove plant are present Two orders of mammals, the Dermoptera and Scandentia, are endemic to the

realm, as are families Craseonycteridae, Diatomyidae, Platacanthomyidae, Tarsiidae and Hylobatidae. Large mammals characteristic of Indomalaya include the leopard, tigers, water buffalos, Asian Elephant, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Malayan Tapir, orang-utans, and gibbons.

Indomalaya has three endemic bird families, the Irenidae, Megalaimidae and Rhabdornithidae.

Australasia realmDistribution:

 It includes Australia, the island of New Guinea, and the eastern part of the

Indonesian archipelago, including the island of Sulawesi, the Moluccan

islands and islands of Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, and Timor. The

Australasian realm also includes several Pacific island groups.

Flora and fauna:

 Eucalypts are the predominant trees in much of Australia and New Guinea.

This region has monotreams and marsupial animals.

New Zealand has no native land mammals, but also had ratite birds,

including the kiwi and the moa.

BiomesBiome is a large community unit characterized by the kinds of plants and animals present. In each biome the kind of climax vegetation is uniform—grasses, conifers, deciduous trees—but the particular species of plant may vary in different parts of the biome.

The major biomes are as in the following: Tundra Taiga Moist temperate coniferous forest biome Temperate Deciduous forest biome Temperate grassland biome Savanna Desert biome Tropical rainforest biome Chaparral biomes

Fig : Distribution of biomes across the globe

Tundra Tundra is type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short

growing seasons.

Location: Regions south of the Arctic and extending across North America, Europe and

Siberia.

Average temperature: Around -28ºc

Tundra tends to be windy, with winds often blowing upwards of 50–100 km/h 

In terms of precipitation, it is desert-like, with only about 15–25 cm (6–10 in) falling per year 

Flora and fauna: The flora and fauna of tundra is low: 1,700 species of vascular plants and only 48 species of land mammals can be found, although millions of birds migrate there each year for the marshes. There are also a few fish species. There are few species with large populations. Notable animals in the Arctic tundra include caribou (reindeer), musk ox, Arctic hare, Arctic fox, snowy owl, lemmings, and polar bears.

Fig: Tundra

Taiga Taiga is the world's largest land biome, and makes up 29% of the

world's forest cover; the largest areas are located in Russia and Canada

Temperatures vary from −54 °C to 30 °C

Taiga soil tends to be young and poor in nutrients

Flora: The forests of the taiga are largely coniferous, dominated

by larch, spruce, fir and pine. 

Fauna: It includes 85 species of mammals, 130 species of fish, and an

estimated 32,000 species of insects.

More than 300 species of birds have their nesting grounds in the taiga.

Fig: Taiga Biome

Temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the

world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest

Location: The Pacific temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, the Valdivian

temperate rain forests of southwestern South America, the rain forests of New

Zealand and Tasmania, northwest Europe, southern Japan, and the eastern Black

Sea-Caspian Sea region of Turkey and Georgia to northern Iran.

Flora: Many species of tree inhabit these forest including cedar, cypress, Douglas

fir, fir, juniper,kauri, pine, podocarpus, spruce, redwood and yew. The understory

also contains a wide variety of herbaceous and shrub species.

Fauna: The wildlife here includes rich fur bearing animals such as mink, silver

fox, lynx, sable, and beaver.

Figure: Temperate Coniferuous forest

Deciduous forests Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the

middle of Europe. There are many deciduous forests in Asia. Some of the major areas that they are in are southwest Russia, Japan, and eastern China. South America has two big areas of deciduous forests in southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay. There are deciduous forests located in New Zealand, and southeastern Australia also.

Temperature: -30°C to 30°C, yearly average is 10°C, hot summers, cold winters

Precipitation: 750 to 1,500 mm of rain per year

Flora: Broadleaf trees (oaks, maples, beeches), shrubs, perennial herbs, and mosses

Fauna: A wide variety of mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles can be found in a deciduous forest biome. Mammals that are commonly found in a deciduous forest include bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wood mice, and, in the U.S., deer can be found in these forests. While bobcats, mountain lions, timberwolves, and coyotes are natural residents of these forests, they have nearly been eliminated by humans because of their threat to human life. Other animals that were native to this biome, such as elk and bison, have been hunted to near extinction.

Fig: Deciduous forest

Grassland

Location: Temperate grasslands are located north of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North) and south of the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees South). The major temperate grasslands include the veldts of Africa, the pampas of South America, the steppes of Eurasia, and the plains of North America.

Flora: Grasses are the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are largely absent

Fauna: Temperate grasslands have a low diversity of wildlife, but a high abundance of wildlife. In North America the dominant grazing animals are bison and pronghorn. Rodents include pocket gophers and prairie dogs. Carnivores include wolves, coyotes, swift foxes, badgers and black-footed ferrets. Birds include grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks and owls.

Fig: Grassland

Savanna A savanna is characterized by the trees being sufficiently

widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. Location: The divergence has sometimes caused areas such as

extensive savannas north and south of the Congo and Amazon Rivers to be excluded from mapped savanna categories

The climate is usually warm and temperatures range from 68° to 86°F (20 to 30°C

The annual rainfall is from 10 - 30 inches (25 - 75 cm) per year. Flora: The savanna is dominated by grasses such as Rhodes

grass, red oats grass, star grass, lemon grass, and some shrubs.

Fauna: African elephants, zebras, horses, and giraffes. Many animals in the savanna are herbivores, which means they eat plants, and there is plenty of grass in the savanna. 

The desert biome Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur

where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year. Although most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia, occur at low latitudes, another kind of desert, cold deserts, occur in the basin and range area of Utah and Nevada and in parts of western Asia.

Location: North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia

From 32 °F at night and 113 °F at day.

Flora: Cactus, shrubs, Cardon, Camel Thorn Tree, Prickly pear, Saguaro.

Fauna: Snakes, lizards, tarantulas, dingo, porcupines, coyotes.

Fig: The desert biome

Tropical rainforest Location: Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn

Temperature: 20°C to 25°C, must remain warm and frost-free

Precipitation: 2,000 to 10,000 millimeters of rain per year

Flora: Vines, palm trees, orchids, ferns

Fauna: Many species of animal life can be found in the rain forest. Common

characteristics found among mammals and birds (and reptiles and

amphibians, too) include adaptations to a life in the trees, such as

the prehensile tails of New World monkeys. Other characteristics are bright

colors and sharp patterns, loud vocalizations, and diets heavy on fruits.

Fig: Tropical rainforest

Chaparral biomes Location: Mexico, Europe and the Northern part of

Africa.

Climate: Average temperature 30-40 °F

Flora: Cactus, poison oak, scrub oak and shrubs.

Fauna: Jackals, lizards, Bobcats, cougars, deer.

Fig : Chapparl Biome

References

• Odum, E.P. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology

• Smith R.L. 2011. Elements of Ecology

• Verma P.S. 2000. Principles of Ecology