![]() ![]() Plants usually open their stomata during the day and close them at night.Other adaptations that xerophytic plants use include the ability to move or fold up their leaves, dropping their leaves during dry periods, a waxy coating to prevent evaporation (called the cuticle) and thick hairy leaf coverings.The adaptations have evolved to help save water stored in the plant and to prevent water loss.These have developed several adaptations to living in dry ecological niches.Through time, the species eventually develop special features that help them adapt to their environment.Abiotic factors, such as temperature, climate, and soil type, of an ecosystem will help form the niches, while natural selection works to set which niches would be favoured and not.Both abiotic and biotic factors help shape the niche of an ecosystem.Thus, a habitat may consist of many niches and could support various species at a given time.While habitat is a geographical place, a niche is the relationship of a species with the components of an ecosystem.It may be a forest, a river, a mountain, or a dessert. ![]() In ecology, a habitat is a place where an organism or a biological population normally (or is adapted to) live(s), reside(s), or occur(s).As such, ecotones hold evolutionary significance for researchers Because this region borders two well-defined ecosystems, it promotes gene flow from one community to another, thereby giving rise to interesting variations.As such, this area is of high environmental and scientific importance. Ecotones act as biodiversity hotspots between two ecosystems.It prevents a massive amount of danger from infiltrating the terrestrial region For instance, if a tsunami hits a coast, it’s usually the mangrove vegetation that acts as the shock absorbers.They act as buffer regions when catastrophic conditions strike and protect the adjacent ecosystem from any prospective dangers. Ecotones are the biological analogues of buffer states.The Estuaries represent an ecotone between saltwater and freshwater\.The Grasslands represent an ecotone between desert and forest.The Mangrove Forests represent an ecotone between Marine and Terrestrial ecosystem.The influence of the two bordering communities on each other is known as the edge effect.An ecotone may exist along a broad belt or in a small pocket, such as a forest clearing, where two local communities blend together.Therefore, an ecotone can create a diverse ecosystem.Because an ecotone is the zone in which two communities integrate, many different forms of life have to live together and compete for space.The abundance of introduced species in an ecotone can reveal the type of biome or efficiency of the two communities sharing space.There will be specific organisms on one side of an ecotone or the other.A change of species can signal an ecotone.Example, Water bodies, such as estuaries, can have a region of transition, and the boundary is characterized by the differences in heights of the plant species present in the areas because this distinguishes the two areas’ accessibility to light.A change in physiognomy (physical appearance of a plant species) can be a key indicator.For example, a change in colours of grasses or plant life can indicate an ecotone.An ecotone can have a sharp vegetation transition, with a distinct line between two communities.It has some of the characteristics of each bordering biological community and often contains species not found in the overlapping communities.An Ecotone is a transitional area of vegetation between two different plant communities, such as forest and grassland. ![]()
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