Biome / UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Biome

The natural ecosystems on global scale having almost similar biotic and a biotic conditions are called as biome. A Biome is a major ecological region of distinctive plant and animal group well adapted to the physical environment of its distribution area. The studies of biomes include study of global distribution Patten of climate, soil, plants and animals as well as their special adaptations to the regional climate.  

Vegetation is the most dominant component of biomes due to their enormous biomass. Vegetation and climate in turn are inter-related and world is divided into different biomes on the basis of major world climates, as following:

1.       Terrestrial Biome

(a)    Tundra Biome

(b)   Temperate Biome – Taiga Forest; Temperate Deciduous Forest; Temperate Grassland ; and Mediterranean

(c)    Tropical Biome - Desert; Tropical savanna ; and Tropical Forest

2.       Freshwater Biome

3.       Marine Biome

We will study Monsoon Biome which is actually included in Deciduous Forest Biome under Tropical Biome.

Monsoon Forest Biome

ECOSYSTEM & ECOLOGY

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a fundamental functional unit of ecological study. An ecosystem is a system – ecological system – in which organisms interact with each other and with their environment in a given and unit-time. In other words an ecosystem is a biotic community together with its physical environment considered as an integrated unit. Implied within this definition is the concept of a structural and functional unit, unified through life processes.

An ecosystem is broadly composed of two components:

(1)   Biome – All the plants, animal and microorganisms, in fact all the living beings in a given spatial unit. These are biotic elements.

(2)   Habitat – The Physical environment i.e. a biotic elements such as air, water and land.

Both these components are integrated by the continuous flow of energy and matter between them. We can call Energy as the third component of the ecosystem.

In other words each organism (including humans) is affected by and interacts with its environment. That environment is formed from a combination of interactive nonliving and living elements. When we consider both forms of elements and their interactions as a single entity we have an ecosystem at same level of organization.