Autogenic engineers: They change the environment via their own physical structures, i.e. their living and dead tissues. As they grow and become larger, their living and dead tissues create habitats for other organisms to live on or in.
Examples of Autogenic Engineering: Trees, corals, and giant kelps are good examples of autogenic engineers. As they grow and become larger, their living and dead tissues create habitats for other organisms to live on or in.
O` Lianas (woody vines) are autogenic engineers. For example, when lianas grow through a forest canopy, they connect trees together, forming arboreal pathways that monkeys and other animals can use to travel without having to descend to the ground.
o Coral reef organisms like hard corals, sponges, or algae act as ecosystem engineers by creating habitats for other organisms and often controlling the availability of resources. They produce and release inorganic (i.e. calcium carbonate structures) and organic (i.e. mucus and sugars) compounds, and fulfill important biogeochemical functions such as C and N fixation,
o Shell production by mollusks is another example of autogenic engineering. In aquatic habitats, mollusk shells are abundant, persistent, ubiquitous structures that are used by other organisms for attachment, as refuges from predation, physical or physiological stress, and to control transport of solutes and particles in the benthic environment.
BPCS Notes brings Prelims and Mains programs for BPCS Prelims and BPCS Mains Exam preparation. Various Programs initiated by BPCS Notes are as follows:-