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Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Types, & Crucial Roles in Environmental Balance

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Forest Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Types, & Crucial Roles in Environmental Balance

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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) 

  1. The soil of rainforest is deficient in nutrients 
  2. Propagules of the trees in a rainforest have poor viability 
  3. The rain forest species are slow-growing 
  4. 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? 

  1. 1 only 
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer (C)

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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