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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