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10.forest Ecosystem

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21 views

10.forest Ecosystem

Uploaded by

salihundamravikumar100
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Types, & Crucial Roles

in Environmental Balance

Table of Contents

1. Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity and Harmony


2. Forest Ecosystem Overview: The Essence of Forest Diversity
3. Forest Ecosystem: Guardians of Biodiversity and Environmental Balance

Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Types, & Crucial Roles


in Environmental Balance
Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity and Harmony
A forest ecosystem is a complex and interconnected community of plants, animals, microorganisms, and their physical
environment within a forested area. They provide habitats for countless organisms, from tiny insects to large mammals,
and support a diverse range of flora.

Forest Ecosystem Overview: The Essence of Forest Diversity


A forest is a large and complex ecosystem characterized by a dense collection of trees, shrubs, plants, and various
organisms within a particular geographic area.
Forests can vary widely in terms of tree species, climate, and ecological conditions.

Types of Forest: Exploring Diverse Forest Ecosystem


Forest ecosystems are of three types:

Coniferous /Taiga/Boreal Forest


Temperate Forest
Tropical Rainforest

1. Coniferous forest/Taiga/Boreal Forest: A Unique Forest Ecosystem


About: This forest ecosystem is sandwiched between the tundra to the north and the temperate forest to the south.
Distribution: It stretches in a great continuous belt across North America, Europe and Asia.
Almost absent in the southern hemisphere because of the narrowness of the southern continents in the high
latitudes.
Abiotic components: Well defined seasons: a lengthy, bitterly cold winter and a brief, mild summer.
The existence of local winds, such as the buran of Eurasia and blizzards of Canada.
Precipitation: Evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. It ranges from 200 to 600 mm per year.
Soil type: Podzolized soil (acidic, excessively leached and mineral deficient)
Biotic components:
Flora: Consists mostly of conifers evergreen; conical in shape; thick, leathery and needle-shaped leaves. E.g.: Pine,
Fir, Spruce, Larch
Fauna: Mink, Silver fox, Lynx, Wolf.

2. Temperate Forest: Exploring the Temperate Forest Ecosystem

About: It is distinguished by broad-leaved trees that produce new foliage in the autumn and shed their leaves in the
autumn.
Further division: it can be further divided into –Temperate Deciduous (mainly in the northern hemisphere),
Temperate Evergreen (found in Mediterranean climatic region) and Temperate Rainforest (found in both the
hemispheres and coastal regions).
Distribution:
Found in the mid-latitudes, between the tropics (grade into Tropical rainforest) and the polar regions (which
transition into the boreal forest).
Found in both the northern and southern hemisphere.
Abiotic components:
Climate: Presence of distinct seasons. Moisture-filled, warm summer and frosty or wet winter.
Soil type: Alfisol or brown forest soil (under temperate broadleaved deciduous forests.)
Biotic components:
Flora: Broadleaf trees (oaks, maples, beeches), shrubs, perennial herbs, and mosses.
Fauna: Squirrels, marsupials, brown bears, bats, rodents.

3. Tropical Rainforest: Lush Green Ecosystem

About: It is described as the most lush green forest with a wide variety of communities and constitutes one of the
biggest biomes on the planet.
Distribution:
Found in wet tropical uplands and lowlands around the Equator.
Abiotic components:
Humidity: High humidity and temperature (more or less uniform)
Precipitation: Exceeds 200cm, evenly distributed throughout the year
Soil type: Red latosol (high rate of leaching makes it agriculturally useless). But it can rejuvenate with nutrients
when left undisturbed.
Biotic Components:
Flora: A wide range of angiosperms and a dearth of gymnosperms.
Algae, liverworts, creepers, ferns, mosses, and lichens are also present.
There is presence of both a dense upper canopy and a thick undergrowth.
Fauna: Monkeys, rhinos, large numbers of insects, birds.
Distinctive Features: These forests’ vegetation exhibits a layered structure.
Each Layer has distinct features depending on varying levels of water, sunshine, and air movement.
Four-Layered Structure: Tropical forest’s vegetation exhibits a four-layered structure which are as Emergent
Layer, Canopy Layer, Understory Layer and Forest Floor layer.

Why is the soil of tropical rainforests poor and infertile?


Highly acidic: Low pH of soil makes the soil highly acidic. The ability of plant roots to absorb nutrients depends
on the acidity variation between the soil and the roots. Low acidity difference leads to low nutrient absorption by
plants.
Clay soil: Tropical rainforest soil has a particular form of clay, which has low nutrient-trapping capacity, thus
unable to prevent nutrients from being washed away.
Decompose fast: Due to high temperature and humidity, organic matter decomposes more quickly than in other
biomes, releasing and losing nutrients quickly.
High precipitation: High rainfall in the region washes nutrients out of the soil rapidly.

Forest Ecosystem: Guardians of Biodiversity and Environmental Balance


Forest ecosystems are intricate and invaluable components of our planet’s natural heritage.
They provide essential ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, climate regulation, and water
purification, while also supporting biodiversity and human well-being.

Previous Year Questions (Prelims)


Q. If a tropical rainforest is removed, it does not regenerate quickly as compared to a tropical deciduous forest. This
is because_________________(2011)

a. The soil of rainforest is deficient in nutrients


b. Propagules of the trees in a rainforest have poor viability
c. The rain forest species are slow-growing
d. Exotic species invade the fertile soil of rainforest

Answer (A)

Q. Consider the following statements: (2011)

1. Biodiversity is normally greater in the lower latitudes as compared to the higher latitudes.
2. Along the mountain gradients, biodiversity is normally greater in the lower altitudes as compared to the higher
altitudes.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (C)

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