Ecotone-An ecotone is a zone of junction or a transitional area between two biomes [diverse ecosystems]. It is the boundry line where two communities meet and integrate.
e.g. 1.The mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem
2. grassland (between forest and desert), estuary (between fresh water and salt water) and river bank or marsh land (between dry and wet).
Characteristics of Ecotone
It may be narrow (between grassland and forest) or wide (between forest and desert). It may be local (zone between field and forest ) or regional (zone between forest and grassland ecosystems ).As it is a zone of transition, it has conditions intermediate to the adjacent ecosystems. It may also include a number of highly adaptable species that tend to colonize .Hence it is a zone of tension.Usually, the number and the population density of the species of an outgoing community decreases as we move away from community or ecosystem.
- Edge Effect –( Edge Species) It is the tendency for increased variety and density at community junctions .It was coined by Aldo Leopold(1933). OR Sometimes the number of species and the population density of some of the species in the ecotone is much greater than either community. This is called edge effect.
- The organisms which occur primarily or most abundantly in this zone are known as edge species.
- In the terrestrial ecosystems edge effect is especially applicable to birds. For example the density of birds is greater in the mixed habitat of the ecotone between the forest and the desert.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Share your comments on this
article. Subscribe and follow me in Google + to get notified with new articles.
No comments:
Post a Comment