Explained: Ecosystem and what its different kinds?  

Environmental awareness is becoming ubiquitous, and has found its way into some of the most important discussions of today- from national budgets to future city planning. In world which is becoming more and more aware about nature and the environment due to pressing issues like climate change, it is important to have basic knowledge about certain subjects. Read on to acquaint yourself further with a significant environment studies-based topic: Ecosystem. 

What exactly is an ecosystem? 

Essentially, an ecosystem is defined as a community of a vast array of lifeforms which exist in concurrence and interact with non-living components which are a part of the environment. Thus, it is the structural and functional unit of ecology wherein living things interact with their surrounding environment. Every ecosystem is composed of two types of components: biotic and abiotic. The former includes all lifeforms such as plants, animals, fungi, etc. while the latter consists of elements such as sunshine, climate, weather, water bodies, etc. 

The word ‘ecosystem’ is derived from the Greek words ‘oikos’ and ‘systema’ which translate to ‘home’ and ‘system’ respectively. This term was coined in the year 1935 by an English botanist name A.G. Tansley. 

The two types of ecosystems 

Ecosystems are quite diverse in nature. Some of them can be as small as an oasis in a desert, while others can span hundreds of miles in a forest. There are two fundamental kinds of ecosystems: 1) Terrestrial ecosystem and 2) Aquatic ecosystem. 

Terrestrial ecosystem 

Such ecosystems are fundamentally land-based ones. Depending upon various geological zones, there are four kinds of terrestrial ecosystems- 

• Forest ecosystem: This type of a terrestrial ecosystem consists of animals, microorganisms, plants and trees which live and interact with abiotic components. Forest ecosystems are responsible for maintaining the Earth’s temperature and act as the major carbon sink. For example, the Amazon rainforest. 
• Grassland ecosystem: Here, the vegetation primarily consists of grasses and herbs. Some examples include savannah grasslands and temperate grasslands. 
• Tundra ecosystem: Such ecosystems exist in extremely cold climates and are covered in snow. They have a very scarce number of trees. For example, the Himalayas. 

• Desert ecosystem: Typically, such ecosystems experience extremely low rainfall, with hot days and cooler nights. For example, the Sahara desert. 

Aquatic ecosystem 

An ecosystem which exists in a body of water such as a pond, river, sea, ocean, lake, etc. is called an aquatic ecosystem. There are two kinds: 1) Freshwater ecosystem and 2) Marine ecosystem 

• Freshwater ecosystem: As the name suggests, such an aquatic ecosystem consists of freshwater bodies such as lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, streams, etc. Unlike marine ecosystems, they do not have a significant salt content. 
• Marine ecosystems: This primarily includes oceans and seas. In comparison to freshwater ecosystems, they have a significantly larger salt content as well as greater biodiversity.