an ecocline is a variation of the physicochemical environment dependent of one or two physico-chemical factors of life, and thus presence/absence of certain species.The ecotone and ecocline concepts are sometimes confused: an ecocline can signal an ecotone chemically (ex: pH or salinity gradient), or microclimatically ( hydrothermal gradient) between two ecosystems. The phenomenon of increased variety of plants as well as animals at the community junction is called the edge effect and is essentially due to a locally broader range of suitable environmental conditions or ecological niches.Īn ecotone is often associated with an ecocline: a "physical transition zone" between two systems. The ecotone contains not only species common to the communities on both sides it may also include a number of highly adaptable species that tend to colonize such transitional areas. Ecotones are particularly significant for mobile animals, as they can exploit more than one set of habitats within a short distance. As a result, the ecotone represents a shift in dominance. Beyond this competitors of the adjacent community take over. Plants in competition extend themselves on one side of the ecotone as far as their ability to maintain themselves allows. Different intensity of disturbances can cause landslides, land shifts, or movement of sediment that can create these vegetation patches and ecotones. The spatial variation of ecotones often form due to disturbances, creating patches that separate patches of vegetation.
Mont Ventoux in France is a good example, marking the boundary between the flora and fauna of northern and southern France. They may also provide a boundary between species due to the obstructive nature of their terrain. Mountain ranges often create such ecotones, due to the wide variety of climatic conditions experienced on their slopes. Elsewhere, a more gradually blended interface area will be found, where species from each community will be found together as well as unique local species. Therefore, an ecotone can create a diverse ecosystem.Ĭhanges in the physical environment may produce a sharp boundary, as in the example of the interface between areas of forest and cleared land. Because an ecotone is the zone in which two communities integrate, many different forms of life have to live together and compete for space. Lastly, the abundance of introduced species in an ecotone can reveal the type of biome or efficiency of the two communities sharing space. If different species can survive in both communities of the two biomes, then the ecotone is considered to have species richness ecologists measure this when studying the food chain and success of organisms. These are known as spatial mass effects, which are noticeable because some organisms will not be able to form self-sustaining populations if they cross the ecotone. Other factors can illustrate or obscure an ecotone, for example, migration and the establishment of new plants. There will be specific organisms on one side of an ecotone or the other. Third, a change of species can signal an ecotone. Scientists look at color variations and changes in plant height. Water bodies, such as estuaries, can also have a region of transition, and the boundary is characterized by the differences in heights of the macrophytes or plant species present in the areas because this distinguishes the two areas' accessibility to light. Second, a change in physiognomy (physical appearance of a plant species) can be a key indicator. For example,Ī change in colors of grasses or plant life can indicate an ecotone. First, an ecotone can have a sharp vegetation transition, with a distinct line between two communities. There are several distinguishing features of an ecotone. Fig.8 shows an ecotone that could have been formed by an animal modifying its environment. Fig.7 shows a common interpenetration of media (such as that found at the edge of a forest). 5 & 6 show the edges of forests or banks treated in such a way as to lengthen the ecotone considerably without excessively modifying the environment. Fig.3 shows an inclusion of each medium in the other, creating multiple ecotones, which are shown in a more complex form in figure 4. Fig.1 & 2 show simple ecotones with equal and homogeneous surfaces in both cases.
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