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Plant Physiology and Ecology

BOTN2112
Lecture-35

Muhammad Javed
Department of Botany
University of Education, Lahore
Campus Dera Ghazi Khan

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 TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM
• Ecosystem is divided into following categories;
Natural ecosystem
Artificial ecosystem

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 NATURAL ECOSYSTEM
• A natural ecosystem is an ecosystem which is
self-sufficient, with balanced ecological units
and a high fraction of native biodiversity
• It also has negligible human disruption
• Like grassland ecosystem, tropical rain forest
ecosystem, temperate forest ecosystem, taiga
ecosystem, tundra ecosystem etc.

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 ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM
• In this type of ecosystem, natural balance is
disturbed by man and balance is maintained
by it
• like manmade forests, orchards, cultivated
fields etc.
• Both natural as well as artificial ecosystems
can be aquatic and terrestrial

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 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
• An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of
water
• The two main types of aquatic ecosystem are;
 Marine ecosystem
 Fresh water ecosystem
Marine ecosystems
• This ecosystem consists of deep water bodies like
ocean etc.
Fresh water ecosystem
• This ecosystem consists lotic or running fresh water
like stream or rivers and lentic standing water like
pond, lake etc.
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 TERRESTRIAL EOCSYSTEMS
• A terrestrial ecosystem is a land-based
community of organisms and the interactions
of biotic and abiotic components in a given
area
• Examples of terrestrial ecosystem include the
tundra, taigas, temperate deciduous forests,
tropical rainforests, grasslands and deserts

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 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM-POND
• Pond water being stationary possesses lentic
environment as against lotic environment of
streams and rivers
• Three zones can be distinguished in a pond
• These are;
Littoral zone
Limnetic zone
Profundal zone
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 LITTORAL ZONE
• It is larger than limnetic or profundal zone
• In some ponds, limnetic or profundal zones
may be absent
• Littoral zone is the shallow water region near
the edge of pond

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 LIMNETIC ZONE
• It is open water region that has a depth up to
which light can penetrate
• This is called compensation level i-e the depth
at which photosynthesis is just equal to
respiration in plants
• The term euphotic zone is used to express
total illuminated area including both littoral
and limnetic zones

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 PROFUNDAL ZONE
• It is the bottom and deep water area, where
light can not penetrate effectively

Fig. Three major zones of a pond

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 KINDS OF LIFE FORM IN POND
• Five kinds of life form are distinguished in a
pond ecosystem
• These are;
Benthose
Periphyton
Plankton
Nekton
Neuston
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Benthose
• These organisms are attached or resting on
the bottom or living in the bottom sediments
Periphytons
• These organisms are attached or clinging to
stems and leaves of rooted plants or other
surfaces projecting above the bottom
Planktons
• Floating organisms drifted by the water
currents
• They may be phytoplanktons or zooplanktons
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Nektons
• Swimming organisms, such fish, amphibians,
large insect etc. which can move about in
water at their own will even against water
currents
Neustons
• Organisms resting or swimming on the surface
of water

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 PRODUCERS
• These are the green photosynthetic vascular
plants, floating on surface of water or
submerged and rooted in water and
phytoplanktons
• These plants show zonation in the littoral zone
• The deepest water of the littoral zone is
inhabited by floating plants like Lemma,
Wolffia etc.
• The shallower water of littoral zone has
submerged rooted plants such Hydrilla,
Vallisneria etc. 15
• Algae like Chara and Nitella are also mixed
among them
• Towards the edge of the ponds, common
rooted floating plants like Nymbhea etc. may
be present
• Right over the edge grow the emergent plants
like Typha, Phragmites, Sagittaria etc.
• Outside the edge of pond, are found various
sedges (Carex), rushes (Juncus) and smart
weeds (Polygonum)

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• Many species of algae are found floating in
the littoral and limnetic zone
• Some species of algae are attached to or
associated with rooted plants of the littoral
zones
• Several species of algae form Plankton in the
limnetic zone
• These are diatoms like Pinnularia etc. green
algae such as spirogyra etc. and blue green
algae

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• Blue green algae like Oscillatoria etc. cover the
bottom of pond or may be attached to the
branches and leaves of plants
• Profundal zone may be absent in most of the
ponds
• If present it is without producers because light
cannot penetrate up to this depth and no
Photosynthesis can occur

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