What is the Ecotone and Edge Effect?

By Balaji

Updated on: February 17th, 2023

An ecotone is an area where an ecosystem (or community) rapidly migrates from one to another. With higher densities and biodiversity due to a number of more diverse ecosystem traits, diverse flora, and landscape aspects, the edge effect is a phenomenon along the ecotone. The term “edge effect” refers to changes in population or community structures that occur near the border of two environments (ecotone).

Table of content

1. Ecotone and Edge Effect Characteristics
2. What is the Ecotone and Edge Effect?

Ecotone and Edge Effect Characteristics

The characteristics of the Ecotone and the Edge Effect have been elaborated on below:

Ecotone characteristics:

It could be wide or narrow.
It is a high-pressure zone (as it has conditions intermediate to the bordering ecosystems).
It could have species that are completely different from those found in nearby systems.
There are both natural and man-made ecotones.
A man-made ecotone, for example, stands between an agricultural field and a forest.

Ecotone’s importance:

They have a broader variety of living things.
They also make a good nesting site for animals looking for a place to nest or food.
Because of their greater genetic diversity, they serve as a conduit for gene transfer between populations.
They can act as a buffer zone, shielding nearby ecosystems from harm.
A wetland, for example, can retain pollutants and prevent them from entering rivers.
Ecotones are another sensitive indicator of global climate change.
Climate change is thought to be the cause of altering ecosystem boundaries.
As a result, ecotones are receiving more attention from scientists and environmentalists.

Summary: