Transcript The Biosphere

The Biosphere
By: Ali Ball, Alex Wampler,
Holly Rhoden, & Ada Tolliver
The Biosphere:
Is all of the Earth that is inhabited by
life.
It extends from the atmosphere several
km above the Earth to the depths of the
oceans.
Ecology:
Is the scientific study of the interactions
of organisms with their environments
Comes from the Greek word, oikos,
meaning home
Key Terms
Biotic Factors- all of the organisms in the area that
are the living component of the environment
Abiotic Factors- environment’s non-living
components
Habitat- the specific environment an organism lives
in, including the biotic and abiotic factors in the
surrounding
Organism- an individual living thing, such as
bacterium, fungus, protist, plant, or animal
Key Terms Continued…
Population- a group of individuals or the same
species living in a particular geographic area
Community- an assemblage of all the populations of
organisms living close enough together for potential
interaction
Ecosystem- Both the biotic and abiotic components
of the environment
Landscapes- arrays of ecosystems
Factors that influence life in
the biosphere
Energy source
Temperature
Nutrients
Other aquatic factors
Other terrestrial factors
Biomes- major types of ecological
associations that occupy broad regions of
land or water
Marine Biomes
Found in the ocean
Coral reefs- a diverse group of cnidarians that
secrete a hard external skeleton-and by multicellular
algae encrusted with limestone
Estuary- occurs where a freshwater stream or river
merges with the ocean
Wetlands- is transitional between an aquatic
ecosystem-marine or freshwater
Freshwater Biomes
Includes lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, and a variety of wetlands
Connected with the soils and organisms of the ecosystems that
surround them
Sunlight plays a big role in these biomes
Affected by nitrogen and phosphorus (sewage, runoff, etc.)
Terrestrial Biomes
Grouped into 8 major types of biomes
Separated by the average temperature
and climate
Tropical Rainforest
Near the equator
Among the most complex of all biomes
Frequent rainfalls
Many organisms (plants, animals, etc.)
Poor soil
Produces most of our oxygen
Savannas
Grassland with scattered trees
Warm year round
Poor soil and lack of moisture
Grazing animals
Frequent fires caused by lightning or human activity
Long periods of drought
Deserts
Defined by their dryness
Low and unpredictable rainfall
Cycles of growth and reproduction are key to rainfall
Plants and animals are adapted to drought and extreme
temperatures
Desertification-the conversion of semiarid regions to desert
Chaparral
Dense, spiny shrubs with tough evergreen leaves
Mild rainy winters
Hot dry summers
California_chaparral_yucc#D81AA
Also known as Mediterranean
Vegetation is adapted to periodic fires most often caused by
lightening
Temperate Grasslands
Have some characteristics of tropical savannas
Mostly treeless
Relatively cold winter temperatures
Rainfall averaging between 25 and 75 cm per year with periodic
severe droughts
Large grazing mammals
Temperate Forests
Dominated by broadleaf trees
More open than tropical forests
Soils are rich in organic and inorganic nutrients
This biome is getting destroyed daily by loggers, and the land is
being cleared.
Coniferous Forest
Cone bearing evergreen trees
Long, cold winters
Short, wet summers
Soil is thin and acidic
Warm, moist air
Considerable precipitation in the form of snow
Tundra
Long, bitter cold winters
Extremely cold with little sun and little light
Short summers
Characterized by permafrost-continuously
frozen subsoil
Occurs in the Northern Hemisphere around
the north pole
The Water Cycle
The water and air move in a global pattern
Repeating cycle!
Over the ocean, evaporation exceeds precipitation
Surface water and ground water flow back into sea
Affected by human activity
Destruction of tropical rainforests
Pumping ground water for irrigation
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