| Eoctone | and | Edge effect| Ecology, Plant communities, HPU BSc 1st year скачать в хорошем качестве

| Eoctone | and | Edge effect| Ecology, Plant communities, HPU BSc 1st year

ECOTONE An ecotone is a zone of junction or a transition area between two biomes [diverse ecosystems]. It is where two communities meet and integrate. For e.g. the mangrove forests represent an ecotone between marine and terrestrial ecosystem. Other examples are 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). As it is a zone of transition, it has conditions intermediate to the adjacent ecosystems. 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. A well-developed ecotones contain some organisms which are entirely different from that of the adjoining communities.