TIPOS DE ECOSISTEMAS: Terrestres, Marítimos y de Agua Dulce (EJEMPLOS)🏜️🌊🏞️

Key Concepts:

• Ecosystem: Abiotic and biotic factors interacting in a specific area.
• Terrestrial Ecosystems: Tropical, temperate, and arctic ecosystems.
• Freshwater Ecosystems: River and lake ecosystems.
• Marine Ecosystems: Coastal and pelagic (oceanic) ecosystems.
• Biogeochemical Cycles: Water cycle, CO₂ cycle.
• Latitude, Altitude, Rainfall: Determining factors for ecosystem formation.

1. Terrestrial Ecosystems

• Main Types: Tropical, temperate, and arctic.
• Tropical Ecosystems:
  • Humid Tropical Forest: Highly diverse, especially lowland rainforests (e.g., Amazon). Subtypes include floodplain forests (white water, black water) and forests varying by dominant species (e.g., morichal dominated by moriche palm in Venezuelan plains). Cloud forests exist at 800-3,000 meters above sea level (e.g., Andes' eastern yunga in Peru), characterized by tree strata, epiphytes, and climbing plants.
  • Dry Tropical Forest: Develops in bi-seasonal climates. Deciduous forests lose all foliage in the dry season, while semi-deciduous forests have more water availability. Semi-deciduous forests in tropical America can have trees reaching 40-50 meters (e.g., ceiba, mijao).
  • Scrub and Thorn Forest: Arid areas with bushes, small trees, often thorny. Common in the American tropics with shrubby and arborescent cacti. Leguminosae is a common angiosperm family.
  • Savannahs: Plains, plateaus, or gentle hills with warm climates and bi-seasonality. Dominated by grasses, sometimes with scattered trees or palms. Leguminous trees are abundant (e.g., Acacia in Africa, Saman in America). African savannahs have large herbivores (wildebeest, zebra) and carnivores (lion, hyena, leopard).
  • High Mountain Grasslands: Above the tree line (3,400-4,000 meters), dominated by rose-shaped herbs and small shrubs. Moors (more humid) and puna (drier) are characterized by high solar radiation and low temperatures. Espeletia is a genus endemic to the Colombian-Venezuelan Andes.
  • Coastal Grasslands: Coastal areas with herbs, sub-shrubs, and small shrubs adapted to high salinity and strong winds (e.g., saladillo grass, beach purslane).
  • Mangrove: Transition ecosystem between land and sea, dominated by trees adapted to high salinity (e.g., red mangrove). Associated with marine ecosystems like submerged meadows and coral reefs.
  • Hot Deserts: Arid regions with extreme humidity limitations. Daytime temperatures can exceed 50°C, while nighttime temperatures can be near 0°C. Scarce vegetation and fauna adapted to water deficit. Characteristic animals include dromedaries and camels in Africa and Asia.
• Temperate Ecosystems:
  • Coniferous Forest: Northernmost latitudes of the temperate zone or mountainous areas. Dominated by gymnosperms of the order Coniferae (pines, cypresses, junipers, cedars). Californian redwood forests can have trees up to 115 meters tall.
  • Mixed Forest: Intermediate between coniferous and broadleaf forests. Includes both coniferous and broadleaf species (oak, beech, birch). Gymnosperms in the southern hemisphere belong to Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae. Located in North America, Europe, and Asia in the northern hemisphere.
  • Deciduous Forest: Oak, holm oak, alder forests, and other angiosperms typical of the temperate zone. Adapted to seasonal regimes. Predominant tree genera include Quercus, Fagus, Betula, Castanea, and Carpinus. In the southern hemisphere, Quercus and Nothofagus predominate.
  • Mediterranean Forest: Mediterranean climate (Mediterranean Sea basin, California, Chile, South Africa, Australia) with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Plants are stunted and sclerophyllous (hard evergreen leaves). Common species include oaks and cork oaks.
  • Meadows: Herbaceous formations with grasses in plains, plateaus, or hilly areas in temperate regions. Similar to savannahs in structure but differ in climate and composition. Includes North American and European grasslands, pampas (Argentina), steppes (Eastern Europe and Asia), and velts (South Africa).
  • Coastal Grasslands: Similar to tropical zones, with herbs, sub-shrubs, and shrubs adapted to high salinity, but with different floristic composition (e.g., Aleuropus littoralis in the Mediterranean).
• Taiga/Arctic Ecosystems:
  • Taiga: Coniferous forest of cold regions, forming a continuous band from North America to Eastern Asia. Tall coniferous forest with sparse undergrowth (mosses, lichens). Subtypes include dark taiga (leafy evergreen conifers) and light taiga (bordering the tundra with Pinus and deciduous conifers).
  • Tundra: Beyond the tree line, dominated by mosses and lichens on permafrost.
  • Cold Desert: Antarctica and Greenland with ice-covered areas and scarce plants and fauna. Dominant animals are linked to the marine environment (polar bears, sea lions, seals).

2. Freshwater Ecosystems

• Main Types: River (fluvial) and lake (lentic) ecosystems.
• Fluvial Ecosystems: Rivers and streams forming the planet's basins. Diversity is enormous due to the large number of rivers. The Amazon River has various ecosystems due to varying climate, temperature, and water composition from source to mouth.
• Lake Ecosystems: Lakes, lagoons, and confined bodies of water. Distributed globally in dissimilar climates. Canada has over 30,000 lakes. Examples include Lake Maracaibo (tropical) and Lake Ontario (cold). Lake Titicaca in the Andes is at 3,812 meters above sea level. Each lake is a particular ecosystem with associated flora, fauna, and abiotic conditions.

3. Marine Ecosystems

• Main Types: Coastal and pelagic (oceanic) zones.
• Marine environment covers about 361,132,000 square kilometers, with depths up to 11,000 meters and temperatures from 26°C to frozen areas. Includes superficial areas bathed in tropical sunlight to deep areas where light does not reach. Oceans are essential for life, participating in biogeochemical cycles (water cycle, CO₂ cycle). Plankton is the main producer of oxygen.
• Coastal Ecosystems (Neritic/Littoral Zone): Up to 200 meters deep, with abundant solar radiation.
  • Coral Reefs: Most productive ecosystems in the oceans, made up of organisms with calcareous exoskeletons forming colonies at shallow depths.
  • Seagrass Meadows: Angiosperm species in shallow marine areas of tropical and subtropical zones. Turtle grass meadows are common in the tropics, and Posidonia oceanica meadows are found in the Mediterranean.
• Pelagic (Oceanic) Zone: Open sea, with variations based on depth and latitude (temperature).
  • Sargassum Sea: Variable area of about 3,500,000 square kilometers with floating sargassum algae. Currents determine warm waters and allow the development of marine organisms in the algae mass.
  • Hydrothermal Vents: Oceanic ridges of the Atlantic at about 2,400 meters deep. High-temperature water emissions due to volcanic activity. Dissolved chemical substances and temperature allow the development of chemosynthetic archaea, which form the base of food chains including clams, tube worms, and other organisms.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The video provides a detailed overview of the Earth's diverse ecosystems, categorized into terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. Each category is further divided into subtypes based on specific abiotic and biotic conditions, geographical location, and dominant species. The video highlights the key factors influencing ecosystem formation, such as latitude, altitude, and rainfall, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these ecosystems for comprehending the planet's biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles.