Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems - Essay Example The level of salinity is different across several marine bodies. Aquatic ecosystem such as the oceans, is a huge reserve for atmospheric CO or carbon monoxide (Aquatic ecosystems: carbon cycle and as atmospheric CO sink). As the aquatic ecosystems are huge reservoirs of flora and fauna, these are often overexploited by the people to satisfy their needs. Industrial fishing that gained preference over the past half-century had alarmingly depleted the highest levels of the aquatic food chain which are the little fishes and organisms (Pauly, et. al.). These small fishes and marine organisms are the preys or food products for the organisms belonging to the higher levels in the aquatic food chain. But multi cultural people and their food habits seems to have taken a toll on this aspect. With the growing love for sea foods in modern times, over fishing of these small creates can harm the larger marine creatures significantly. Terrestrial ecosystem is the one which is found in the land mass and consists of the tundra, the taiga, the temperate deciduous forest, and the grassland (Sheaffer & Moncada, 230).These are the source to different plant and animals. Just like the aquatic form, the terrestrial ecosystem has been over overexploited by man. The trees of the tropical grass lands are cut at a very rapid rate for many activities. The future consequences of thee activities will be that it would harm the global balance and also wipe out many exotic species. One of the exploitation activities seen in the lands is the cutting down of trees for making paper. The cost incurred is high and the revenue generated is also very profitable, similarly, over fishing in the water bodies is a form of exploitation which reduces the number of marine animals. Here too the benefit is in the form of increased revenue for the people. Altering the ecosystems Human activities like cultivation whether on the land or water can change the primary form of the ecosystems. terrestrial ecosystem con sists of agricultural land, rain forests etc. cultivation is carried out in these areas because of the easy availability of soil , manures etc. this can harm the natural balance of the ecosystems as with the increase in cultivation, the land will be modified which would also alter the landscape of the nearby areas. The animals living in those areas would be forced to migrate to other areas which would disrupt the food chain in the long run (Environmental Biology – Ecosystems). Similar disruption can be seen in the aquatic bodies too. Overfishing can lead to the depletion of the smaller, marine creatures which would force the larger creatures like the sharks and whales to survive on other forms of nutrients which might not be suitable for the organisms. Prioritization of the conservation efforts in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems On the basis of the principles mentioned in paper 1, the terrestrial organisms Pronghorns, desert cottontails and Single-leaf Pinyon can be priori tized over the others as these are exotic creatures that survive on dry arid conditions. For the aquatic creatures, Chasmistes cujus I need to be conserved as the number of their family genus is depleting. This is followed by Cui-uis, Curly-leaf pondweed or Potamogeton crispus and The Lahontan cutthroat trout or Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi as it is an endangered species. Both the ecosystems need to be conser