Forest: Types, Ecosystems & Biological Importance

Forest is defined as a massive space of land lined by trees and woody vegetation. It plays a significant role in maintaining the variety and also the scheme of planet earth. they're home to several wild species of animals, reptiles, and insects. The climate, soil, and topography of the region confirm the sort of trees that grow in an exceedingly large forest. It helps to keep up the ecological balance and supply water, food, and shelter to any or all sorts of living beings.

What is Forest Biology?

A forest can be defined as a large geographical area that is dominated by trees, aquatic biomes, animals belonging to several species, and a million varieties of microorganisms. Forest biology is a multifaceted field that consists of various molecular transmission and population genetics, physical limits of the heights of the trees, landscape genomics, biogeography, causes of drought, forest pathology and entomology, and the ecosystem ecology of the forest. 

Forest Biodiversity

Forest biodiversity can be defined as the study of the life forms which are living or non-living but are found in the forest and also the study of their ecological roles in that forest. Forest can be regarded as a diverse natural habitat system that portrays the most extravagant biological areas on the face of this planet. Almost 30 per cent of the total Earth’s surface is covered with forests, but the data is plummeting due to the increased commercial exploitation of the forests.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), forest biodiversity is an outcome of the evolutionary process that occurred over millions of years ago. The process of evolution was guided by ecological forces such as climate, fire, temperature, water, exposure to light, and the ecological phenomena like competition and disturbances in the forest.

What is a Forest Ecosystem?

As per the forest ecosystem definition, the forest ecosystem is the study of the interdependent relations of flora and fauna in a forest. In the forest ecosystems, the whole interaction between the biotic and the abiotic components present in the forest happens naturally without human interference. The ecological potential of the species in the forest depends on the habitat requirements such as temperature, frugality, climate, reproducing capacity, and their lifespan.

Types of Forest Ecosystem

There are three types of forest ecosystems which are mainly:

• Temperate forest ecosystem

• Boreal or Taiga forest ecosystem

• Tropical rainforest ecosystem

The producers in the forest ecosystem are responsible for producing food for the whole ecosystem, and the primary producers in the ecosystem are the plants and trees. The consumers in a forest ecosystem are the ones that are not capable of producing their own food and therefore depend on the producers for their food and other resources. The primary consumers are the ones that eat only plants. For instance, all the herbivores like rabbits and deer are considered to be the primary consumers as they depend only on the plants for their survival. Secondary consumers are the ones that feed on the herbivores. Examples of herbivores include lion, tiger, cheetah, bear, etc. as they derive their nutrition not directly from the plants but from the animals that consume them. Another category of the consumers is omnivores, which feed both on the plants and the animals that eat plants. Pigs, chimpanzees, raccoons, and mice are examples of omnivores.

The Decomposers play a very vital role in a forest ecosystem. Organisms like fungi, ants, worms, microbes, and some other bugs act as decomposers as they are responsible for breaking down the plant and animal waste in the forest ecosystem and break those particles into smaller particles that can easily blend into the environment. Human beings are another example of omnivores as they feed both on the plants as well as the animals and are, therefore, a part of the ecosystem.

Different Types of Forests

The forests can be divided into five categories depending on the types of trees that are found in them. The different types of forests with names are given below:

• Mediterranean Forest: The temperature in these forests is most suitable for short oaks and pines, and thus they are also called scrublands. These forests contain a huge variety of wildflowers and insect-eating birds. These forests are also termed as ‘Maquis.’

• Coniferous Forest: The major number of trees that are found in this type of forest mainly consists of the cone-bearing trees like the pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock. These forests are mostly found in the northern parts of North America, Asia, and Europe.

• Deciduous Forest: The trees of such forests are found to have broad leaves that shed between the late summer to early autumn. The leaves are usually green, but with the change in the season, they acquire yellow, red, and orange colors later on. These forests are generally found in America, western and Central Europe, and Northeastern Asia where the summers are warm, and the winters are cold.

• Tropical Rainforest: These forests are usually found in the areas where the temperature is generally hot. They are called tropical rainforests as they receive continuous rainfall throughout the year, and they are habitat to several insects and mammals. They are usually found in Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia. 

• Mixed Forest: Mixed forests are the ones that contain both types of coniferous and deciduous vegetation. They are usually present all around the world in the mountainous regions.

Ecological Importance of Forests

Forests are 31 % of the world’s land and they collect and store water. The trees standing tall within the forest hold the soil powerfully to keep up the health of the soil. The trees facilitate the balance of greenhouse emissions by ingesting them in a cathartic atomic number 8 for the organisms.

They are an excellent supply of food for every kind of animal which has herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. The herbivores prey on the plants and also the eater species is the prey for the carnivores. Once the animals die they decompose into the soil that helps the plants to sustain and live as food for others.

Apart from the wild inhabitants, forests serve an excellent service to the social animals too, i.e. humans. Humans extremely depend on forests for their survival because it provides fuel, food, and shelter. Humans slow down trees from forests for his or her use to create homes, articles of furniture and burn down the wood for change of state.

Economic Importance of Forests

Forests contribute to quite 100 per cent of the GDP in several countries. In several developing countries, forests offer around ten million and around thirty to forty million formal and informal employment.

Forests contain several ancient herbs which will be used for medicative functions. and also the governments of the many countries export those herbs to perform trade and earn a profit. Several scientists are responsible for researching the merits and demerits of bound herbs, characteristics of their edges and positive use.

Environmental Importance of Forests

Forests manage the climate and purify the atmosphere for the survival of all living beings. The trees within the forest hold the soil powerfully and maintain the health of the soil. The dense vegetation balances the temperature and weather conditions by reducing the greenhouse emission by humans. It conjointly controls sound pollution by engrossing the noise made by humans.

The forests increase precipitation by condensing low clouds and increasing precipitation to some extent. They guard the soil by holding it and supporting the basic structure of the trees, reducing erosion. They shield the watersheds and improve the water quality by filtering rain.

How will Deforestation have an Effect on Us?

The need for humans for his or her survival has been prone to deforestation, and that reciprocally has unbalanced the cycle. Currently, humans are lowering 35-40 trees per minute and continuous application can deprive the world of its basic requirements.

This ends up in several synthetic disasters like drought, flood, landslide, etc. several wild inhabitants migrate to urban areas for shelter that may be a result of huge deforestation. With no trees to soak up heat, glaciers are melting and adding to the water level in rivers and oceans. In some cases, rivers area unit evaporation because of escalating heating.

The rise in temperature, drying rivers, melting glaciers, and the unbalanced cycle is leading to the extinction of the many species and plenty of area units on the vulnerable list.

We must always live by the motto “If you chop one tree then you must plant six saplings to keep up the ecological balance.”