Transcript Module 12 Climate and Biomes 1

Module 12
Climate and Biomes
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Weather and Climate – The Difference
Weather is the daily condition of
the atmosphere.
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Climate is the long term weather
conditions of a region.
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The Koppen Climate Classification
System:
This system uses average monthly and
annual measurements of temperatures
and precipitation to place climates into
categories.
There are five main groups in the Koppen
system.
1. Humid tropical climates
2. Dry climates
3. Humid mid latitude
4. Polar
5. Highland
Image Credit: arctic.noaa.gov
1. Humid Tropical Climates
• Location: Generally found along the southeast
coasts of continents.
• They are between 20 degrees and 40 degrees
between the equator.
• Temperatures: Range between 50 degrees and
95 degrees.
• Seasons: Long hot summers and short mild
winters.
• Rainfall: Average 48 inches per year.
Image Credit: NASA.gov
2. Dry Climates
• Location: Scattered throughout the continents. Most are
near middle latitude but cold deserts are found at higher
latitudes.
• Dry climates cover 12% of the continents.
• Dry Climates are subcategorized by hot and cold deserts.
• Temperatures: Extreme range from freezing to 120 degrees.
• Rainfall: Less than 20 inches per year.
Image Credit: NASA.gov
3. Humid Mid Latitude
• Seasons: Hot muggy summers, frequent
thunderstorms. Mild winters.
• Location: 30 degrees to 50 degrees latitude, mainly
on the eastern and western borders of continents.
• Rainfall: Heavy precipitation during the mild winters.
Image Credit: srh.noaa.gov
4. Polar
• Temperatures do not get above 50 degrees even in the
summer months.
• Northern landmasses of North America, Eurasia, Antarctic
and nearby islands.
• Vegetation consists of mosses, lichens and scrubby trees
Image Credit: alaskafisheries.noaa.gov
5. Highland or Alpine Climate
• As air rises it gets colder. No month has a temperature
above 50 degrees.
• Location: Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Alps,
Sierra Nevada, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and
Andes.
Image Credit: srh.noaa.gov
What is the biosphere and how is it
organized?
Biosphere – Area of the earth where life exists;
extends from oceans depths to a few kilometers
above land.
fc.nps.org
Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors
• Abiotic factors are NON LIVING components of an environment.
• Examples are: Sunlight, air, water and minerals.
• They interact with living things to create an ecosystem.
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
• Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem.
• Examples are: Animals, Fungi, Plants, and Bacteria.
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Biotic and abiotic factors determine biome
classification by the amount of such factors as:
•Temperature
•Rainfall
•Altitude
•Type of plants
•Latitude
•Type of animals
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Biodiversity: What does it really mean?
↑
↗
(Life) (Variety)
Image Credit: aris.ormansu.gov.tr
Each living thing has an important role in
an ecosystem.
Image Credit: nsf.gov
Even the lowly and maligned mosquito
is an important food source and many
species depend on it.
Image Credit: nsf.gov
The more biodiversity in an ecosystem,
the healthier that ecosystem is.
Image Credit: scq.ubc.ca
Biomes – An extensive area of similar
climate and vegetation; there are six
terrestrial biomes and three aquatic
biomes on Earth.
Photo Credit: blueplanetbiomes.org
Ecosystem
• A physically distinct, self supporting
unit of interacting organisms and their
environment. Ex. Forest or pond
Photo Credit: kidsgeo.com
Communities and Populations
• Communities – all the ecosystem’s interacting
biotic factors.
• Communities may be broken down into
smaller units called populations.
Photo Credit: nefsc.noaa.gov
Populations – A group of individuals that
belong to the same species and occupy the
same area and share common resources.
Photo Credit: teara.govt.nz
b. A community may have 1000’s of
populations (tropical rainforest) or relatively
few (tundra)
Image Credit: noaa.gov
Biomes of North Carolina
Globally, North Carolina is in the
TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST biome.
However, North Carolina is further divided into
three “sub” biomes.
1. Coastal Plains
2. Piedmont
3. Mountains
Image Credit: secretary.state.nc.us
1. Coastal Plains
•
•
•
•
•
Climate: Humid Sub Tropical
Geography: Flat, covers 45 percent of the
state. Mostly wetlands.
Plants: Adapted to wet periods; Bald Cypress,
Venus Fly Traps, Pines.
Soil: Sandy to salt marsh.
Animals: Wide variety including American
Alligator and Black Bear.
Photo Credit: nps.gov
Photo Credit: sarracenia.com
Photo Credit: science.nationalgeographic.com
The Piedmont
•Made from the collision of the North American Plate, a volcanic
arc, and the African Plate.
•The piedmont is defined by rolling hills, and clay soils. This region
once produced the most clay brick in the country.
•Climate is humid subtropical.
•Plants are pines, deciduous trees.
•Animals include mammals, reptiles, amphibians etc.
Image Credit: columbus.k12.nc.us
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image Credit: gpnc.org
3. Mountains
• Elevations from 1500 to 6400 feet.
• Climate is humid continental.
• Plants are many species of firs, spruce, pines and
hardwoods.
• Animals include Black Bear, Elk, Mountain Lion,
reptiles and amphibians.
• There is only one native species of fish, the Brook
Trout. All other species have been introduced.
Photo Credit: dnr.state.oh.us
Photo Credit: nps.gov
Photo Credit: animals.nationalgeographic.com
Invasive Species
• Alien or Invasive species are organisms that have
been introduced from their native region.
• They have no natural predators which allows them
to reproduce and spread.
• This threatens biodiversity because these invasive
species take over the habitats of native species.
Image Credit: nps.gov
Invasive species in North Carolina include:
Fish species such as
Northern Snakehead,
Asian Carp, White Amur
Carp, Koi, goldfish, and
several snail species
compete with native
fish for food and space
leading to a reduction
in the native aquatic
species.
Image Credit: wvdnr.gov
Kudzu is a native vine species originally from
Japan. It was used in the 1930’s by the U.S.
government to control erosion and
sedimentation caused by construction projects.
Kudzu is now taking over forests and natural
habitats in the Southeast.
Efforts to control or kill it have been
unsuccessful because of its extensive root
system.
Image Credit: charlottesierraclub.org
Several species of land planarians are large terrestrial
flatworms that are predatory on earthworms. They
were probably introduced by importing and
transplanting ornamental plants from Southeast Asia.
Photo Credit: projectnoah.org
Fire Ants were introduced by accident from
Argentina by international shipping through
contaminated soil. They probably entered into
the U.S. at Mobile, Alababma and quickly spread
because of favorable conditions and no natural
predators.
Photo Credit: vtnews.vt.edu
•
•
Invasive species are killing native species in our state
by encroaching on their habitats.
There are hundreds of invasive species in the US
ranging from insects that are killing forests to pythons
in the everglades.
To learn more about invasive species and how you can help, check out
the website: http://www.invasive.org/eastern/
Image Credit: usgs.gov
The End 