Biology · Ecosystems · NEET
Grassland is a terrestrial ecosystem. NCERT gives forest, grassland and desert as the three examples of terrestrial (land) ecosystems. Do not confuse grassland with a pond just because both may look flat and green.
A pond is an aquatic ecosystem because it is in water. NCERT lists pond, lake, wetland, river and estuary as aquatic ecosystems. A pond is the classic small example used in ecology chapters.
They are man-made ecosystems. NCERT clearly says crop fields and an aquarium may also be considered man-made ecosystems. So they are neither counted as natural terrestrial nor natural aquatic examples in the NCERT list.
The main difference is the physical medium. Terrestrial ecosystems exist on land, so the surrounding environment is soil and air. Aquatic ecosystems exist in water, so the surrounding environment is water. For NEET, remember the two example sets, not just the definition.
NCERT says the biosphere (the global ecosystem) is too big and complex to study at once. So it is split into two basic categories, terrestrial and aquatic, to make it easier to study. This split is a common one-mark fact in NEET.
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Terrestrial (on land) and aquatic (in water). This is the exact split given in NCERT for the Ecosystem chapter.
Forest, grassland and desert. These are the three examples used by NCERT.
Pond, lake, wetland, river and estuary. All of these are water-based systems.
Yes. A forest is a large terrestrial ecosystem. NCERT even notes an ecosystem can range in size from a small pond to a large forest or a sea.
Yes. Many ecologists regard the entire biosphere as a single global ecosystem, made of all local ecosystems on Earth.
