Transcript Presentation

biomes terrestrial regions with characteristic
types of natural, undisturbed
ecological communities adapted to
the climate of the region
Tropic of
Cancer
Equator
Tropic of
Capricorn
Arctic tundra (polar grasslands)
Desert
Boreal forest (taiga), evergreen coniferous
forest (e.g., montane coniferous forest)
Tropical rain forest,
tropical evergreen forest
Temperate deciduous forest
Temperate grassland
Dry woodlands and
shrublands (chaparral)
Tropical deciduous forest
Tropical scrub forest
Tropical savanna,
thorn forest
Semidesert,
arid grassland
Mountains
(complex zonation)
Ice
Biomes are defined by Climate:
which is determined by amounts of precipitation and
temperatures.
Polar
Tundra
Subpolar
Temperate
Coniferous
forest
Deciduous
Forest
Desert
Grassland
Chaparral
Tropical
Desert
Rain forest
Savanna
Tropical
seasonal
forest
Scrubland
Effects of altitude and latitude
Altitude
Mountain
Ice and snow
Tundra (herbs,
lichens,
mosses)
Coniferous
Forest
Latitude
Deciduous
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Coniferous
Forest
Tundra (herbs,
lichens, mosses)
Parallel changes occur in vegetation type
when we travel from the equator to the
poles or from lowlands to mountaintops.
Polar ice
and snow
Plant Size, Shape, and
Survival Strategies
1) Tall plants cannot survive in extreme
cold
–
Shrubs and grasses better adapted
2) Desert plants
–
–
–
Adaptations to prevent overheating
Adaptations to conserve water
“Succulent” plants



No leaves
Fleshy tissue
Stomates only open at night
Plant Size, Shape, and
Survival Strategies
3) Tropical rainforest trees
– Broadleaf evergreen plants
 Collect ample sunlight
 Radiate heat
4) Cold (and dry) winter climates
– Broadleaf deciduous plants
 Shed leaves
 Become dormant
Plant Size, Shape, and
Survival Strategies
5) Very cold winters, short cool
summers
– Coniferous evergreen plants




Narrow pointed leaves (needles)
Waxy coating
Clustering of needles
Hold leaves year-round

Don’t need to grow new leaves in Spring
Desert Biomes
Desert Biomes
• Evaporation
exceeds
precipitation
• Less than 10
inches of rain
per year
• Sparse, widely
spaced , low
vegetation
DESERT BIOMES
• Variations in
annual
temperature (red)
and precipitation
(blue) in tropical,
temperate and
polar or cold
deserts.
Figure 5-12
Tropical
desert
Temperate desert
(Reno, Nevada)
(Saudi Arabia)
Cold desert (northwest China)
“Beat the Heat”
“Every Drop of Water Counts”
Plant Adaptations
• Wax-coated leaves
• Deep roots and
wide-spread shallow
roots
• Spongy tissue
• Drop leaves
• Become dormant
• Store biomass in
seeds
Animal Adaptations
• Hide in burrows
during day
• Thick outer
coverings (insects)
• Dry feces
• Obtain water from
dew or food
• Becoming dormant
Red-tailed hawk
Producer
to primary
consumer
Gambel's
quail
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Yucca
Jack
rabbit
Agave
Collared
lizard
Prickly
pear
cactus
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Roadrunner
Diamondback rattlesnake
Darkling
beetle
Bacteria
Fungi
Kangaroo rat
Human Impacts
•
•
•
•
•
•
Soil destruction by vehicles
Depletion of underground water
Urban development
Soil salinization
Waste storage (radioactive and toxic)
Solar cells and solar collectors
Polar Tundra
Alpine Tundra
Temperate Grassland
Grasslands
Tropical Savanna
Grassland characteristics
• Seasonal drought
• Grazing
• Occasional fires (prevent trees)
GRASSLANDS BIOMES
• Variations in
annual
temperature
(red) and
precipitation
(blue).
Figure 5-14
Tropical grassland
(savanna)
Temperate
grassland
(Harare, Zimbabwe)
(Lawrence, Kansas)
Polar grassland (arctic tundra) (Fort Yukon, Alaska)
Tropical Grassland and
Savannas
• High average temperature
• Low to moderate precipitation
• Prolonged dry season
Cape buffalo
Wildebeest
Beisa oryx
Topi
Warthog
Thompson's Waterbuck
gazelle
Dry Grassland
Grant's zebra
Moist Grassland
grazing – grass and herb eating
Giraffe
African elephant
Gerenuk
Black rhino
Dik-dik
East African
eland
Dry Thorn Scrub
Blue
duiker
Greater
kudu
Bushbuck
Riverine Forest
browsing – twig and leaf nibbling
Temperate Grasslands
• Bitterly cold
winters
• Hot, dry
summers
• Sparse, uneven
precipitation
1) Tall- and shortgrass prairies
(NA)
2) Pampas (SA)
3) Veldt (Africa)
4) Steppes (Europe
and Asia)
Temperate Grasslands
• The cold winters
and hot dry
summers have
deep and fertile
soil that make
them ideal for
growing crops
and grazing
cattle.
Golden eagle
Pronghorn antelope
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Coyote
Grasshopper
sparrow
Grasshopper
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Blue stem
grass
Temperate
tall-grass
prairie
Prairie
dog
Bacteria
Fungi
Prairie
coneflower
Polar Grasslands
(Artic Tundra)
• Bitterly cold
• Frigid winds
• Ice and snow
Permafrost
Long-tailed jaeger
Grizzly bear
Producer to
primary
consumer
Caribou
Primary to
secondary
consumer
Mosquito
Snowy owl
Arctic
fox
Horned lark
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All consumers
and producers
to decomposers
Willow ptarmigan
Dwarf
Dwarfwillow
willow
Lemming
Polar
Grasslands
(Artic tundra)
Mountain
Mountaincranberry
cranberry
Moss campion
campion
Moss
Temperate Shrubland or
Chaparral
• Dense growth of lowgrowing, evergreen
shrubs
• Mild winters
• Long, hot, dry summers
• Referred to as
“Mediterranean climate”
along coastal areas
• People like to live in
this biome
Chaparral
• Chaparral has
a moderate
climate but its
dense thickets
of spiny
shrubs are
subject to
periodic fires.
Figure 5-18
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate deciduous forests
Forest Biomes
Tropical rain forests
FOREST BIOMES
• Variations in
annual
temperature (red)
and precipitation
(blue) in tropical,
temperate, and
polar forests.
Tropical rain
forest
Temperate
deciduous forest
(Manaus, Brazil)
(Nashville, Tennessee)
Polar evergreen coniferous forest (boreal forest, taiga)
(Moscow, Russia)
Tropical Rain Forests
• Warm temperatures
• High humidity
• Heavy daily rainfall
• Most biologically
diverse biome
• Nutrient poor soils
45
40
Harpy
eagle
Toco
toucan
35
Height (meters)
Emergent
layer
30
Canopy
25
20
15
Wooly
opossum
Understory
Understory
10
5
0
Black-crowned
antpitta
Brazilian
tapir
stratification
Shrub
layer
Ground
Ground
layer
layer
Temperate Rainforest
• Occurs in coastal
temperate areas
– Coast of North America
from Canada to northern
California
• Ample rainfall or moist,
dense ocean fogs
• Spruce, Douglas fir,
redwoods
Temperate
Deciduous
Forest
• Long, warm
summers
• Cold winters
• Abundant
precipitation
• Nutrient rich
soils
Broad-winged
hawk
Hairy
woodpecker
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Gray
squirrel
White oak
White-footed
mouse
Metallic
Metallic woodwood-boring
boring
beetle
beetle
and
and
larvae
Mountain
Mountain
winterberry
winterberry
White-tailed
deer
Shagbark hickory
May
May beetle
beetle
Long-tailed
Fungi Long-tailed
weasel
weasel
Bacteria
Producer
to primary
consumer
Racer
Wood frog
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Evergreen Coniferous Forests
‘Boreal’ or ‘Taiga’
• 60° N Latitude
• Long, dry and extremely
cold winters
• Short, mild summers
• Plant diversity is low
• Deep layer of
decomposed conifer
needles provide rich
source of peat bogs
Blue jay
Great
Great
horned
horned
owl
owl
Marten
Marten
Balsam fir
Moose
White
White
spruce
spruce
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
Wolf
Bebb
willow
Pine sawyer
Pine
sawyer
beetle and
larvae
Snowshoe
hare
Fungi
Starflower
Bacteria
Bunchberry
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Human impacts on forests
• Clearing of tropical forests for agriculture,
livestock grazing, and timber
• Clearing of temperate deciduous forests
for timber, agriculture and urban
development
• Clearing of evergreen coniferous forests
• Conversion of diverse forests to less
biodiverse tree plantations
Tree
Plantation
(monoculture)
MOUNTAIN BIOMES
• High-elevation
islands of
biodiversity
• Often have snowcovered peaks
that reflect solar
radiation and
gradually release
water to lowerelevation streams
and ecosystems.
HUMAN IMPACTS ON
TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
• Human activities have damaged or
disturbed more than half of the world’s
terrestrial ecosystems.
• Humans have had a number of specific
harmful effects on the world’s deserts,
grasslands, forests, and mountains.
Natural Capital Degradation
Desert
Large desert cities
Soil destruction by off-road
vehicles
Soil salinization from
irrigation
Depletion of groundwater
Land disturbance and
pollution from mineral
extraction
Natural Capital Degradation
Grasslands
Conversion to cropland
Release of CO2 to atmosphere
from grassland burning
Overgrazing by livestock
Oil production and off-road
vehicles in arctic tundra
Natural Capital Degradation
Forests
Clearing for agriculture, livestock
grazing, timber, and urban
development
Conversion of diverse forests to tree
plantations
Damage from off-road vehicles
Pollution of forest streams
Natural Capital Degradation
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