major types of ecosystems

MAJOR TYPES OF

ECOSYSTEMSTERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

Ms. Catherine T. Añano (Fulltime Lecturer)

TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

A terrestrial ecosystem is an

ecosystem found only on landforms.

Six primary terrestrial ecosystems

exist:

• tundra,

• taiga,

• temperate deciduous forest,

• tropical rain forest,

• grassland; and

• desert.


TUNDRA

An ecosystem situated near the

North Pole in the Arctic Circle; thus,

the coldest and driest of all terrestrial

ecosystems.

Winters are extremely cold with

temperatures typically below -34° C.

The summers last only about two

months and the temperatures are still

very cold ranging from 3° to 12° C.


TUNDRA

The word tundra comes from the

Finnish word tunturia which means

treeless land.

There are two types of tundra - arctic

tundra and alpine tundra. The arctic

tundra is located within the Arctic

Circle while the alpine tundra is the

area high in the mountains above

trees.

The largest animal that lives in the

tundra ecosystem is the polar bear.


TUNDRA

Arctic Tundra Alpine Tundra



Tundra in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.


Polar bears Beetle

Long-tailed weasel

TAIGA

The largest terrestrial ecosystem and

extends across Europe, North

America and Asia.

It is also known as coniferous forest

or boreal forest.

It has short, wet summers and long,

cold winters. It gets plenty of snow

during the winter and plenty of

rainfall during the summer.



Taiga

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

It experiences all four seasons-

winter, spring, summer, and fall.

The four seasons are easily

recognizable and each lasts about 3

months.

It is located in the United States,

Canada, Europe, China, Japan and

some parts of Russia.

Its soil is very fertile and rich with

nutrients.


TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

Black bears and wolves are very

common animals that live in the

temperate deciduous forest ecosystem.

The growing season of the temperate

deciduous forest lasts about six months.

The leaves of deciduous trees change

color in the fall because the plant or tree

stops producing chlorophyll which is

what gives them their green color.


TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

An ecosystem that covers about 7% of

the Earth’s surface.

Majority of the tropical rain forests lies

in South America in Brazil.

Tropical rainforests are one of the

oldest ecosystems on Earth.

It is responsible for the majority of the

oxygen production in the air that we

breathe.



Amazon Rainforest

GRASSLAND

Grasslands are also known as prairies

and savannas.

Grasslands are normally situated

between a forest and a desert. In fact,

grasslands surround every desert in

Asia.

Twenty-five percent of the Earth is

covered by the grassland ecosystem.

There is a grassland on each continent

with the exception of Antarctica.


GRASSLAND

Tropical and temperate are the two

kinds of grasslands. Tropical

grasslands experience warm weather

all year long while temperate

grasslands are warm part of the year

and very cold during the other part.

Grasslands are perfect for cropping

and pasturing because its soil runs

deep and is extremely fertile.


GRASSLAND

Tropical grasslands are located in the

Southern Hemisphere while temperate

grasslands are located in the Northern

Hemisphere.

Animals that you can expect to find in

a grassland ecosystem are zebras,

lions, wolves, prairie dogs, and foxes.

The grasslands in the United States

are known as prairies and are

considered to be temperate

grasslands.



A grassland west of Coalinga, California.


Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya.


Colorado prairie

DESERT

Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth.

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in

the desert ecosystem. It covers over 300

million square miles.

Many desert animals tend to be

nocturnal, sleeping during the day and

coming out at night when the

temperatures are more tolerable.

Because there is hardly any standing

water in the desert, animals either store

water in their bodies or get their water

needs met by the foods they eat.


DESERT

Dust storms occur when the wind

picks up dust from the surface. These

storms can be up to 1 mile high and

travel over a hundred miles.

The desert ecosystem can be found on

every continent except Europe.

Because body fat retains heat, most

desert animals have an adaptation that

allows them to store all their body fat

in one area of their body. The camel

stores all its body fat in its hump.


DESERT

The plants that are able to grow in the

desert biome store water in their stem.

They normally grow spaced out so

that their roots can extend and find

water.

Cacti have many adaptions to survive

in the desert. Their spines protect

them from being eaten by animals and

their waxy outer covering keeps

moisture from escaping.



Sahara Desert

AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

An aquatic ecosystem is an

ecosystem located in a body of

water.

Two major aquatic ecosystems

exist:

• Marine ecosystem; and

• Freshwater ecosystem


MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

The largest ecosystem with coverage

of nearly 71% of the Earth’s surface

and containing 97% of the planet’s

water.

The water in marine ecosystems has

salts and minerals dissolved in them

in high amounts.

There are two common and major

types of marine ecosystems: ocean

and coral reef ecosystems.


OCEAN

There are five ocean ecosystems -

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian

Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the Arctic

Ocean.

At 36, 200 feet deep, the Mariana Trench

is the deepest part of the ocean

ecosystem.

The largest ocean of the ocean

ecosystems is the Pacific Ocean.

The ocean ecosystem is home to the

largest known mammal of the world = the

blue whale.



Atlantic Ocean

CORAL REEF

It is located in a shallow, clear portion of

the ocean in mostly tropical areas. These

areas include the coasts of East Africa,

South India, Australia, Florida, the

Caribbean, and Brazil.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral

reef ecosystem and is located in

Australia. It can actually be seen from

outer space.

The Great Barrier Reef covers more than

1,200 miles and contains 400 species of

coral.


FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

Covers only 0.8% of the

Earth’s surface and contain

0.009% of its total water.

There are two basic types of

freshwater ecosystems:

lentic, and lotic.


LENTIC ECOSYSTEMS

Lentic ecosystems are also

called standing waters.

It includes lakes, ponds,

swamps, marshes, and

vernal pools.



Manzanita Lake toward Mt. Lassen, California

LOTIC ECOSYSTEMS

Lotic ecosystems are also

called flowing waters.

It includes rivers, streams,

creeks, brooks, and springs.



Agusan River

major types of ecosystems

Education

aano fulltime lecturerms

aano fulltime lecturer

tundra ecosystem

types of tundra

grassland ecosystem

boreal forest

coniferous forest

primary terrestrial