Ecosystems
Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a geographic area
where plants, animals, and other
organisms, as well as weather and
landscape, work together to form a
bubble of life.
Biodiversity?
The variety of plant and animal life in
the world.
Eco systems
As a collective group it was decided
to focus on Aquatic and terrestrial
ecosystems just to give a general
understanding of both systems.
1 min:
What comes to your mind when you
hear these systems?
Enkiad, Roji, Akiarra, Khushnood
Plants that are found in Terrestrial ecosystem are trees,
Which is aquatic vs. terrestria? shrubs, vines, grasses and herbaceous plants.
Plants that are found in aquatic ecosystem are Algae, Paper
reed, Floating water-plantain, Anubias barteri, Hygrophila
difformis.
Teresstrial ecosystem is habitat to many mammals such as
elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, buffalo, lions,
leopards, and cheetahs. Other animals include baboons,
crocodiles, antelopes, meerkats, ants, termites, kangaroos,
ostriches, snakes, etc.
Aquatic ecosystem includes aquatic animals that lives in
different kinds of water such as seas, oceans, rivers,
lakes, ponds etc. Some of the aquatic animals are fish,
jellyfish, sharks, whales, octopus, barnacle, sea otters,
crocodiles, crabs, dolphins, eels, rays, mussels, and so on.
Terrestrial and Aquatic ecosystems can be both artificial
and natural, the artificial ecosystems would perish
without human assistance where the natural one doesn’t
require human assistance
The weather at terrestrial ecosystems depends on their
location for example the ones that are in northern areas
are tend to be cold.
Most of the aquatic ecosystem have a temperature of
Take a wide guess around 5-25 temperature and thats the temperature
Hint Hint where most of aquatic species can stay alive
• Terrestrial ecosystems differ from aquatic ecosystems by the predominant presence of soil rather than water at
the surface and by the extension of plants above this soil/water surface in terrestrial ecosystems. There is a wide
range of water availability among terrestrial ecosystems (including water scarcity in some cases), whereas water is
seldom a limiting factor to organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Because water buffers temperature fluctuations,
terrestrial ecosystems usually experience greater diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations than do aquatic
ecosystems in similar climates.

• Biodiversity is believed to be the highest in the terrestrial ecosystem and. However the number is decreasing a lot
due to deforestation which is an important factor to survive for photosynthesis. High diversity is an indicator to
high human health. Unfortunately, our aquatic biodiversity is under threat from a wide range of environmental
factors including increasing population and movements, a changing climate, coastal developments, and aquatic
pests.

• Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of
animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have healthy ecosystems. For example, if the number of
deforestation is increasing in the terrestrial ecosystems, it means there’ll be disruptions in photosynthesis which is
a prime factor in human oxygen receiving and food production through plants. It also contributes to global
warming.

Are any of the plants and animals found in both?

In both ecosystems:

1. Plants : mangroves
2. Animals : Ducks, frogs & crabs

Elephants are terrestrial because they only live in land and can't survive in water.