Transcript What is Climate? - Castle High School

The Role of Climate
 Living things adjust to their
environment—up to a point
 Things you won’t see….
 Animals have limits on how much
variance from their normal conditions
they can tolerate
 The climate is an important part of this
What is Climate?
 In the atmosphere, temperature,
precipitation, and other environmental
factors combine to produce weather and
climate.
 What is the difference?
What is Climate?
 Weather is the day-to- day condition of
Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time
and place.
 Climate refers to the average, year-afteryear conditions of temperature and
precipitation in a particular area.
Factors that affect
Climate
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Trapping of heat by the atmosphere
Latitude
Winds and Ocean Currents
Precipitation
Shape and Elevation of Land Masses
The Greenhouse Effect
 Atmospheric gases trap heat energy from
the sun
 Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor
 Acts like a blanket, keeping earth’s
temperature within a suitable range for
life
 The earth’s atmosphere would be 30 º C
(54 ºF) cooler without greenhouse gases
Sunlight takes multiple paths
as it enters Earth’s
atmosphere
Greenhouse gases reflect
infrared radiation back to
earth
The Effect of Latitude on
Climate
 Why is it colder in December than it is in
July?
 Because the earth is round
 Sunlight strikes earth at different angles
throughout the year
Climate Zones
Differences in latitude cause different
angles of heating
 Think of sitting in the sun---what parts of
you get burned the most?
Climate Zones
Heat Transport in the
Biosphere
 Warm air rises, cool air falls
 Air near equator will?
 Rise
 Air near the poles will?
 Sink
 This creates air currents, or winds
 Transfers heat energy throughout
biosphere
Heat Transport in the
Biosphere
 Ocean currents form for the same
reasons
 Cold water near poles sinks
 Warmer water rises closer to equator
 Winds create ocean waves and currents
 Surface ocean currents affect
temperature of air above them
Heat Transport in the
Biosphere
 Landmasses affect winds and ocean
currents
 Can interfere with movement of air masses
Rain Shadow
What
shapes an
Ecosystem?
What Shapes an Ecosystem?
 Biotic and Abiotic Factors
 Niche
 The full range of physical and
biological conditions in which an
organism lives and the way in
which the organism uses those
conditions.
 Community Interactions
 Ecological Succession
Non-living Components
Includes:
Air
Water
Sunlight
Temperature
Rocks
Sand
- Non-Living
parts of the
ecosystem
Living Components
- living and once living
components of an
ecosystem
Includes:
Dead organisms
Dead parts of an organism (leaves)
Waste products of an organism
Interact with each
other in the
ecosystem
Can you think of
any examples of
these interactions?
Ecosystem Terms
 Habitat
 The area where an organism lives (its “address”) within an
ecosystem
 Niche
 The function or position of an organism within an
ecological community (its “occupation”)
 An organism’s niche includes:
 Feeding relationships
 Space and temperature requirements
 Impact on environment
 Both include biotic and abiotic factors
Lynx Primary Habitat
Niche of
the Lynx
With their long legs and
large furry paws, lynx are
built for hunting in deep
snow.
Their main food source is
the snowshoe hare, but
they are also known to take
rodents, birds and fish.
Lynx are cautious and secretive, and will avoid large open areas.
They need a mosaic of stand types to den and find prey, but also
need unbroken forest to provide stalking and security cover. Even
when hunting, lynx prefer some cover and they typically won't
cross openings more than 300 feet across.
Types of Community
Interactions
 Competition
 Predation
 Symbiosis
 Parasitism
 Commensalism
 Mutualism
Community Interactions
 Competition
 COMPETITION is a relationship in which
different individuals or populations attempt
to use the same limited resource.
 A resource refers to any necessity of life,
such as
 Water
 Nutrients
 Light
 Food
 Space
Community
Interactions
 Predation
 An interaction in which one organism captures and
feeds on another organism
 Organism that does the killing-PREDATOR!!!!!!!!!!
 Organism that is the food is the PREY
Examples: snakes eating mice, bats eating insects, whales
consuming krill.
Why are adaptations (like mimicry or camouflage) useful in
this type of species interactions?
 Symbiosis- when two organisms live in
close association
 3 main interactions
 Parasitism
 Mutualism
 Commensalism
 A relationship where one species (the
parasite) benefits from the other
species (the host) and usually harms it.
 Difference between a parasite and a
predator:
 Parasite spends some of its life in or on
host
 Parasites don’t usually kill
their host
 A close relationship between two
species in which each species provides
a benefit to the other.
 Bacteria/digestive system
 A relationship in which one species
benefits and the other species is neither
harmed nor helped.
 Remoras/sharks
 Birds nesting in trees
ECOLOGICAL Succession
 Ecosystems are constantly changing in
response to natural and human
disturbances.
 As an ecosystem changes, older
inhabitants gradually die out and new
organisms move in, causing further
changes in the community.
ECOLOGICAL Succession
 Primary Succession
 Occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
 Ex. Volcanic eruptions
 Secondary Succession
 A disturbance of some kind changes an
existing community
 Ex. wildfires
Pioneer Species
The first species to
populate the area
 Often are lichens
 Break up rocks as they grow
 Add organic material to form soil when
they die
Stages of Primary
Succession
Secondary Succession
 A disturbance changes the community
without removing the soil
 When does this happen?
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Clearing farmland
Wildfires
Mowing your yard
Weeding your garden
Yellowstone Fire 1988
Yellowstone 2002
Then
Now
Succession in a Marine
Ecosystem
p. 96
p. 87
Large group of ecosystems that share the same
type of climax community
.
Temp. Range: -30 Celsius – 15 C (-22 - 5 F)
Rainfall: Less than 20 cm/year
Soil: Layer of frozen soil called permafrost; thin topsoil,
lacking nutrients
Short growing season, long summer days
Plant Life: lichens, mosses, grasses, small bushes,
dwarf shrubs, cushion plants
Animal life: caribou, musk oxen, polar bears,
lemmings, snowy owls, arctic foxes, mosquitoes
Temp: -20-20 Celsius (-4 - 68 F)
Rainfall: 30-40 cm rain/year (11-16 in)
Soil: water logged, peat swamp habitat; topsoil
develops from decaying coniferous needles
Animal Life: Moose, weasels, mink, snowshoe
hare, lynx, caribou (migrate from tundra in
winter)
Plant Life: Evergreen trees: spruce, fir,
hemlock (also known as the BOREAL FOREST)
Temp: 10-40 degrees Celsius (50-104 F)
Rainfall: Less than 25 cm rain/year ( 10 in)
Soil: sandy
Animal Life: lizards, snakes, scorpions,
mice, hawk, owl, kangaroo rat
Plant Life: cacti, small bushes, mesquite
trees, creosote bushes
Rainfall: 25-75 cm of rain/year (10-30 in)
Temp Range: 0-30 degrees Celsius (32-86 F)
Occupies more area than any other terrestrial
biome!
Soil is rich with humus
Animal Life: antelope, deer, rabbits, prairie dogs,
bison, insects, birds, reptiles, foxes
Plant Life: grasses, ideal for growing cereal grains:
rye, oats & wheat; wildflowers
Rainfall: 70-150 cm of rain/year (27-59 in)
Temperature Range: -20 – 38  Celsius (4-100 F)
Soil: Rich topsoil, deep layer of clay
Animal Life: deer, black bear, squirrels, insects, foxes,
snakes, robins, owls
Plant Life: Hardwood trees that loose their leaves in
the winter: hickory, maple, beech, oak
Rainfall: 200-400 cm of rain/year (78-158 in)
Temperature range: Remain about 25Celsius (77 F)
Nutrient poor soil
Animal Life: reptiles, amphibians, primates,
butterflies, birds, cougars, tree frogs, cobras, pythons,
bats
Plant Life: Trees, ferns, mosses
What is biodiversity?
 Every day, somewhere on Earth, a
unique species of organism becomes
extinct as the last member of that
species dies…often because of human
actions.
What is biodiversity?
 Short for “biological diversity”
 Refers to the number and variety of
different species in a given area.
 The estimated number of species
range from 8 million to 50 million
…why is this number so broad?
Levels of Diversity
 Biodiversity can be studied and
described at 3 different levels:
 Species Diversity
 Ecosystem Diversity
 Genetic Diversity
 Refers to all the differences between
populations of species, as well as
between different species.
 Receives the most attention
 Refers to the variety of habitats,
communities, and ecological processes
within and between ecosystems.
 Refers to all the different genes
contained within all members of a
population.
 A gene is a piece of DNA that codes for
a specific trait that can be inherited by
an organism’s offspring.
 Biodiversity can affect the stability of
ecosystems and the sustainability of
populations.
 Humans benefit from biodiversity
 Species are connected to
 Every species is either depended on or
depended upon by at least one other
species.
 When one species disappears, a strand
in a food web is removed. Could this
cause a problem?
 Species that are critical to the
functioning of an ecosystem
 Sea otter/kelp population
 The level of genetic diversity within
populations is a critical factor in
species survival.
 Genetic variation increases the chance
that some members of a population will
survive environmental pressures.
 Medical, Industrial, and Agricultural Uses
 Throughout history, we have used the
variety of organisms on Earth for food,
clothing, shelter, and medicine.
 ¼ of medications used in U.S. are derived
from plants. (ex. Antibiotic-fungi)
 Ethics, Aesthetics, and Recreation
 Ethics-some believe that
ecosystems/species have a right to
exist whether or not they have value
 Recreation/Aesthetic-pets, camping,
wildlife
 Species with small populations in limited
areas can easily become extinct
 Species at a high risk of extinction:
 Those that migrate
 Those that need large or special habitats
 Those that are exploited by humans.
 Endangered Species- A species that is
likely to become extinct if protective
measures are not taken immediately
 Habitat destruction and fragmentation
 Invasive Exotic Species
 Harvesting, Hunting, and Poaching
 Pollution
 As the human population grows, we use
more land to build homes and harvest
resources.
 Habitat loss causes more than 75%
of the extinctions now occurring.
 Ex: Florida panther,
<80
 An exotic species is a species that is not
native to a particular region.
 Exotic species can threaten native
species that have no natural defenses
against them.
 Excessive harvesting and hunting can lead
to extinction. (pets, houseplants, wood,
food, or medicine)
 Laws are put into place to regulate
hunting, fishing, harvesting, and trade of
wildlife.
 If these laws are broken, then it is
considered poaching.
 Pesticides, cleaning agents, drugs, and
other chemicals are making their way into
food webs around the globe.
 Ex. DDT/bald eagle
 Captive Breeding Programs
 Preserving Genetic Material
 Zoos, Aquariums, Parks, and Gardens
 More Study
 Involves breeding species in captivity,
with the hopes of reintroducing
populations to their natural habitats
 Example: California condors (habitat
loss, poaching, lead poisoning)
 Germ plasm banks-store genetic
material for research or speciesrecovery efforts
 Material is stored as seeds, sperm,
eggs, or pure DNA
 The most effective way to save species is
to protect their
 Conservation Strategies- conserve entire
ECOSYSTEMS instead of a single
species….WHY?
 U.S. Laws:
 Endangered Species
Act (1973)-designed to
protect plant and
animal species in
danger of extinction
 International Cooperation
 International Union for the Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
 200 governments, 700 private organizations
 CITES (Convention of International Trade in
Endangered Species) treaty
 The Earth Summit (United Nations
Conference, 1992)
 Biodiversity Treaty-preserve biodiversity and
ensure the sustainable and fair use of genetic
resources in all countries
 International Cooperation
 Private Organizations
 World Wildlife Fund
 Nature Conservancy
 Conservation International
 Greenpeace International
 The important part of protecting a
species is making the value of
biodiversity understood by more people.