Transcript There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands

Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 7
Core Case Study: Connections between
Wind, Climate, and Biomes
 Wind
• Indirect form of solar energy
 Circulates
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Heat
Moisture
Plant nutrients
Soil particles
Long-lived air pollutants
Good and bad
 Good• Blow nutrients like iron and phosphates to the
Bahamas and Brazil
• Might help reduce hurricane frequency by
blocking sunlight
• Stimulates growth of phytoplankton
• Source of renewable energy
 Bad• Transports harmful substances like pesticides
and fungi
• Linked to outbreaks of toxic “red tide”
• Degrades air quality from thousands of miles
away
• Intensifies storms and warming of polar regions
• “everything we do affects some other part of the
biosphere because everything is connected”
Dust Blown from West Africa to the
Amazonian Rain Forests
7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?
 Concept 7-1 An area's climate is determined
mostly by solar radiation, the earth’s rotation,
global patterns of air and water movement,
gases in the atmosphere, and the earth’s
surface features.
The Earth Has Many Different
Climates (1)
 Weather – short term temp. precip., humidity, wind
speed, cloud cover etc.
 Climate- long term pattern of atmospheric or weather
conditions measured over long periods.
 Air circulation in lower atmosphere due to
• Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun
• Rotation of the earth on its axis
• Properties of air, water, and land
The Earth Has Many Different
Climates (2)
 Currents
• Prevailing winds
• Earth’s rotation
• Redistribution of heat from the sun
 Link between air circulation, ocean currents, and
biomes
 Ocean currents are affected by winds in the
atmosphere
 Heat from the ocean affects atmospheric
conditions
 Air circulation patterns, prevailing winds and the
placement of the oceans and land masses
results in biomes.
Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the
Earth’s Current Climate Zones
Global Air Circulation
Energy Transfer by Convection
in the Atmosphere
Connected Deep and Shallow
Ocean Currents
Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents,
and Biomes
Greenhouse Gases Warm the
Lower Atmosphere
 Greenhouse gases
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H2O
CO2
CH4
N2O
 Greenhouse effect- natural warming effect of
the troposphere.
 Human-enhanced global warming Computer models indicate that there is a 9099% chance that human input of greenhouse
gases are enhancing the earth’s natural
greenhouse effect.
 This could lead to climate change in places that
would last for hundreds to thousands of years.
Flow of Energy to and from the Earth
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect
Local Climates
 Heat absorption by land and water- heat is
released more slowly by water- creates land and
sea breezes
 Effect of
• Mountains
• Rain shadow effect- reduction of rainfall and moisture on
the side of the mountain away from the prevailing winds
• Cities
• Microclimates- bricks, concrete, asphalt, and
building materials hold heat- buildings block wind
• Cars and heating/cooling systems release pollution
• Cities tend to have more smog, higher temps, and
lower wind speeds.
Rain Shadow Effect
Active Figure: Biomes map
Active Figure: Climate and ocean
currents map
Animation: El Nino Southern Oscillation
Animation: Air circulation
Animation: Greenhouse effect
Animation: Increasing greenhouse gases
Animation: Coastal breezes
Animation: Seasonal variation
Animation: Upwelling along western
coasts
7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature
and Locations of Biomes?
 Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual
precipitation and temperature lead to the
formation of tropical, temperate, and cold
deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely
determine their locations.
Climate Affects Where Organisms
Can Live
 Major biomes- large terrestrial regions
characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and
animals, regardless of where they are found in
the world
 Latitude and elevation- north or south of the
equator and height above sea level
 The equator gets the largest input of solar
energy
 Annual precipitation and temperature- main
components of climate- give us
tropical,temperate, and polar
The Earth’s Major Biomes
Generalized Effects of Elevation and
Latitude on Climate and Biomes
Elevation
Mountain ice
and snow
Tundra (herbs,
lichens, mosses)
Coniferous
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Latitude
Tropical
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Coniferous
Forest
Tundra
(herbs,
lichens,
mosses)
Polar ice
and snow
Fig. 7-9, p. 147
Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and
Average Temperature as Limiting Factors
Science Focus: Staying Alive
in the Desert
 Plant adaptations
 Animal strategies and adaptations
There Are Three Major Types of Deserts
 Tropical deserts- Sahara and Namib
 Temperate deserts- Mohave
 Cold deserts-Gobi
 Fragile ecosystem
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Slow plant growth
Low species diversity
Slow nutrient recycling
Lack of water
Adaptations for the desert
 Plants- no leaves or reduced leaves, lose
leaves, store water in stems, spines for
protection from predators, open pores at night,
deep roots or shallow roots, inactive seeds, wax
coated leaves,
 Animals- small animals burrow, nocturnal, large
animals store water in fat, get water from food,
don’t sweat, thick outer coverings to retain
water, dry feces and urine
Climate Graphs of Three Types of
Deserts
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (1)
 Tropical- savannah
 Temperate-prairies, steppes, pampas
 **Prairies- winds blow continuously, fires are
common in summer and fall, tree growth is
hindered by fires and wind**
 Cold (arctic tundra)- permafrost
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (2)
 Tropical
• Savanna-Widely scattered clumps of trees, warm
temperatures year-round, alternating dry and wet
seasons, with herds of herbivores.
• Grazing animals
• Browsing animals
 Temperate
• Tall-grass prairies
• Short-grass prairies
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (3)
 Arctic tundra: fragile biome
 Adaptations of plants and animals
 Permafrost
 Alpine tundra
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate,
and Cold Grasslands
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-12, p. 151
Monoculture Crop Replacing Biologically
Diverse Temperate Grassland
Temperate Shrubland: Nice Climate,
Risky Place to Live
 Chaparral
 Near the sea: nice climate
 Prone to fires in the dry season
Chaparral Vegetation in Utah, U.S.
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-14, p. 152
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (1)
 Tropical
 Temperate
 Cold
• Northern coniferous and boreal
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (2)
 Tropical rain forests
• Temperature and moisture
• Stratification of specialized plant and animal
niches
• Little wind: significance
• **Rapid recycling of scarce soil nutrients
• Trees are broad leafed and evergreen
• **thin, poor soil with most of the nutrients being
found in the living organisms
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (3)
 Temperate deciduous forests
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Temperature and moisture
Broad-leaf trees
Slow rate of decomposition: significance
Impact of human activities
**examples of tree types: oak, hickory, maple
Thick leaf litter especially in fall because trees are
deciduous.
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (4)
 Evergreen coniferous forests: boreal and taigas
• Temperature and moisture
• Few species of cone: bearing trees
• Slow decomposition: significance
 Coastal coniferous forest
 Temperate rain forests
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate,
and Cold Forests
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-15, p. 154
Some Components and Interactions in a
Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem
Ocelot
Harpy
eagle
Blue and
gold macaw
Squirrel
monkeys
Climbing
monstera palm
Katydid
Green tree
Slaty-tailed
snake
trogon
Tree frog
Ants
Bacteria
Bromeliad
Fungi
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary to
secondary
consumer
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Fig. 7-16, p. 155
Stratification of Specialized Plant and
Animal Niches in a Tropical Rain Forest
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40
Emergent
layer
Harpy
eagle
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Toco
toucan
Canopy
Height (meters)
30
25
20
15
Under
story
Wooly
opossum
10
Brazilian
tapir
5
0
Black-crowned
antpitta
Shrub
layer
Ground
layer
Fig. 7-17, p. 156
Temperate Rain Forest in Washington
State, U.S.
Mountains Play Important
Ecological Roles
 Majority of the world’s forests
 Habitats for endemic species
 Help regulate the earth’s climate
 Can affect sea levels
 Major storehouses of water
• Role in hydrologic cycle
Mount Rainier National Park in
Washington State, U.S.
Video: Caribou on tundra
Video: Desertification in China
Video: Eagle fishing
Animation: Prairie food web
Active Figure: Rainforest food web
Video: Sequoias
Video: Tundra flyover
7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s
Terrestrial Ecosystems?
 Concept 7-3 In many areas, human activities
are impairing ecological and economic services
provided by the earth’s deserts, grasslands,
forests, and mountains.
Humans Have Disturbed Most of
the Earth’s Lands
 Deserts- large cities, soil destruction by off road
vehicles, soil salinization, groundwater
depletion, disturbance for mineral extraction
 Grasslands- conversion to cropland, release of
CO2 from burning, overgrazing, oil production in
arctic tundra
 Forests- clearing for agriculture, livestock
grazing, timber, and urban development,
conversion of diverse forests to tree planations,
damage by ATV’s, pollution of forest streams
 **temperate deciduous forest is most disturbed
by human activities
 Mountains- agriculture, timber extraction,
mineral extraction, hydroelectric dams and
reservoirs, increasing tourism, urban air
pollution, increased ultraviolet radiation from
ozone depletion, soil damage from ATV’s
NATURAL CAPITAL
DEGRADATION
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems
Deserts
Grasslands
Forests
Clearing for
Large desert cities Conversion
agriculture,
to cropland
Soil destruction by Release of CO2 livestock grazing,
off-road vehicles
to atmosphere timber, and urban
from burning development
Soil salinization
grassland
Conversion of
from irrigation
diverse forests to
Overgrazing tree plantations
Depletion of
by livestock
groundwater
Damage from offOil production road vehicles
Land disturbance and off-road
and pollution from vehicles in
Pollution of
mineral extraction arctic tundra forest streams
Mountains
Agriculture
Timber extraction
Mineral extraction
Hydroelectric dams
and reservoirs
Increasing tourism
Urban air pollution
Increased ultraviolet
radiation from ozone
depletion
Soil damage from off-road
vehicles
Fig. 7-20, p. 158
Video: Gopher
Video: Grizzly bears
Video: Owl hunting