Transcript Biomes and Succession Power Point

Essential Question: How
diverse is our Earth?
Biomes
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❧ Biome – large region characterized by specific
climate & certain types of plants & animals
❧ i.e., similar ecosystems
❧ Biomes are determined by Climate – weather
conditions in an area over long time; includes:
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Temperature
Precipitation = rainfall
Humidity
Winds
Biomes
❧Type of biome changes with:
❧Latitude – distance north or south of
equator
❧Altitude – height above sea level
Biomes
❧Biomes are characterized by:
❧Abiotic factors – the non-living part of the
environment, including water, rocks, light &
temperature
❧Biotic factors – factors that are associated
with or results from the activities of living
organisms, including
❧ Predation
❧ Decomposition
❧ Reproduction
Biome Graphic Organizer:
Record COMPLETELY & TURN IN!
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Arctic
Tundra
Subarctic
Taiga
Temperate
Temperate forest
Temperate
Grassland
Desert
Tropical
Tropical rain forest
Wet
Savanna
Decreasing precipitation
Desert
Dry
Forest Biomes
1. Taiga = northern coniferous
forest
❧ Long winters (6-10 months);
average temp. below freezing
❧ Plant growth occurs in
summer - constant daylight &
high precipitation
(~10cm/month)
❧ Plants: conifers
❧ shape of leaves & waxy
coating prevent H2O loss
❧ Cone shape prevents snow
build up
❧ Pine needles makes oil
acidic
❧ Animals: summer birds;
mice; hares, lynx, foxes,
wolves
Agafia’s Taiga Life
Taiga life
Forest Biomes
2. Tropical Rain Forest
❧ Near equator (South America, Africa, SE Asia,
Australia)
❧ High precipitation & moderate temps year round
❧ Helps regulate world climate by sucking up CO2
Forest Biomes
3. Temperate Deciduous
Forest
❧ Eastern US, Europe & Asia
❧ Abundant rainfall, moderate
temp.
❧ Trees: maple, oak, birch
❧ Plant adaptation: trees lose
leaves each fall
❧ Animals: deer, squirrel,
bears, insects, birds
❧ Some hibernate
❧ Threats: development,
logging
Forest Biomes
❧4. Temperate Rain Forest
❧ Pacific Northwest US,
Australia (coastal areas)
❧ High precipitation &
moderate temps year round
❧ Trees: spruce, fir,
redwood
❧ Animals: flying squirrel,
bears, insects, cougars,
birds – northern spotted
owl
❧ Threats: development
❧ Planet Earth Seasonal Forest:
Forest Biomes
❧Tropical Rain Forest continued
❧ Plants: buttress root trees, orchids, epiphytes, etc.
❧ Animals: parrots, monkeys, snakes, tons of insects
❧ Soil is nutrient poor b/c decomposition happens so
fast & all the plants suck up nutrients
Layers :
Forest Biomes
❧Tropical Rain Forest continued
❧ Provides food & medicines
❧ Biodiversity fact: tropical rainforest covers <7% of
Earth’s surface, but contains 50% of all plant &
animal species
Tropical Rainforest
Human Planet: Jungles
Forest Biomes
❧Tropical Rain Forest continued
❧ Threats: logging, agriculture, & oil exploration
❧ Plants & animals face habitat loss &
poaching
❧ Years of Living Dangerously
Grassland Biomes
1. Temperate Grassland
❧ Interior of North America (prairies), South America &
Asia
❧ Moderate rainfall, but too little for trees
❧ Lightning-caused fires in summer
❧ Root systems form dense layers to survive drought
& fire
❧ Soil is very fertile!
Grassland Biomes
❧Temperate Grassland cont.
❧Animals: antelope, bison, badgers, prairie
dogs, burrowing owls, hawks
❧Threats: farming & overgrazing → soil
erosion
❧ Dust bowl 1930s
Grassland Biomes
2. Savanna (tropical grassland)
❧ Parts of Africa, South America, India, & Australia
❧ Rain falls in spring & late-fall; drought in between
❧ Plants: adapted to survive drought
❧ Lose leaves; body parts die off except for near ground
❧ Large, horizontal root system to collect water
Grassland Biomes
❧Savanna cont.
❧Animals: lots of big herbivores
❧ Elephants, giraffe, antelopes, zebra,
wildebeest, rhinos
❧ Predators: lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocs,
snakes
Grassland Biomes
3. Tundra
❧ Found in northern arctic regions
❧ Winters too cold & dry for trees
to grow
❧ Has permafrost: permanently
frozen soil layer
❧ Plants: mosses & lichens
❧ Dwarf shrubs – keeps
plants out of wind &
increased area for sunlight
Grassland Biomes
❧Tundra cont.
❧ Animals: mosquitoes!, migratory birds, caribou,
wolves, moose, mice, hares, foxes, polar bear
❧ Threats: oil – pollution & habitat destruction
Desert Biomes
Desert = Low Precipitation
1. Tropical Desert
❧ Ex: Sahara desert in Africa
❧ Temperature changes during day: 100°F + in day
to cool at night; daytime temps hot all year long
❧ Very few plants
Desert Biomes
2. Temperate Desert
❧ North & South America, Asia, Australia
❧ Daytime temps high in summer, low in winter
❧ Plants: adapted to obtaining & conserving H2O
❧ Cacti: thick, fleshy stems that store water; leaves have
waxy cuticle
Desert Biomes
❧Desert cont.
❧ Animals: some mammals, snakes, lizards, tortoises
❧ Have thick skin to prevent water loss
❧ Amphibians burrow & go dormant during “dry”
season
❧ Most are nocturnal
Desert Biomes
3. Cold Desert
❧ Ex: China’s Gobi Desert
❧ Winters are quite cold,
summers are warm/hot
❧ Animals: lizards, gazelle,
bactrian camel
Aquatic Life Zones
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❧ Freshwater ecosystems – lakes, rivers, wetlands
(marshes & swamps)
❧ Marine ecosystems – coastal marshes, estuaries,
coral reefs, ocean
❧ Abiotic factors that affect life : temperature,
light, dissolved oxygen, nutrients
Freshwater Ecosystems
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❧ Wetlands – areas of land covered with fresh
water for at least part of the year
❧ Important b/c:
❧ Remove pollutants & improve water quality
❧ Control flooding
❧ Home for native & migratory
wildlife
Marine Ecosystems
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❧ Estuaries –where fresh water from a river mixes
with salt water from the ocean
❧ Home for many organisms, very productive
❧ Animals : fish, dolphins, manatees, otters, crabs, birds
❧ Threats: pollution, human development
Marine Ecosystems
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❧ Coral reefs – areas where coral animals build
skeletons & support thousands of organisms (= high
biodiversity)
❧ Found in shallow, clear tropical waters
❧ Threats: Coral bleaching – high water temperatures
causes coral to die
Marine Ecosystems
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❧Ocean
❧ Open ocean – phytoplankton perform
photosynthesis → eaten by zooplankton →
eaten by fish
❧ Deep ocean is dark, cold
❧ Supports decomposers, filter feeders
❧ Threats: pollution (runoff, city waste),
overfishing, global warming
Aquatic Biomes Review
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Aquatic biomes are divided into two
major types: marine (saltwater) &
freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: Marine &
Freshwater
High O , Low CO b/c of photosynthesis
❧ Generally divided
into three layers:
❧ Surface
❧ Middle
❧ Bottom
❧ Environmental
factors (temperature,
sunlight, dissolved
oxygen) vary among
the layers
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2
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Freshwater Biomes
❧❧ Provides many services:
❧ Includes:
❧ Standing bodies of H2O: lakes,
ponds, wetlands
❧ Flowing H2O: rivers, streams
❧ Wetlands: marshes, swamps,
floodplains
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nutrient cycling
groundwater recharge
food, drinking water
electricity
Transportation
Recreation
Employment
etc.
Freshwater Biomes: Lake
Zones
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❧ Top layer = littoral
zone
❧ 2nd layer = limnetic
zone
❧ Open, sunlit water
❧ 3rd layer = profundal
zone
❧ Cool, dark water
❧ Bottom = benthic zone
Marin
e
Biome
s
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❧ Covers 71% of Earth’s surface
❧ ~250,000 plant & animal species
❧ Performs climate control, CO2 absorption
❧ Provides food, medicines, recreation, employment, etc.
Coastal Marine Biomes
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❧ Estuary: area where
saltwater mixes w/
freshwater & nutrients
from rivers & runoff
from land
❧ Includes:
❧ Inlets, bays, sounds,
mangrove swamps, & salt
marshes
❧ Is a harsh environment
b/c of changes in temp,
salinity, etc. due to tides
Coastal Marine Biomes
❧ Coral reef: complex
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ecosystem that forms in
clear, warm tropical
coastal waters
❧ High biodiversity
❧ Vulnerable due to
sensitivity to
temperature changes &
pollution → coral
bleaching
Marine Biome: Open
Ocean
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❧ Based on sunlight, divided
into 3 layers:
❧ Euphotic zone: upper zone of ocean where photosynthesis
occurs
❧ High O2, low nutrients (except where brought up from bottom)
❧ Have large, fast fish like tuna & sharks
❧ Bathyal Zone: middle zone of ocean
❧ Abyssal Zone: bottom zone of ocean
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Dark & cold
Low O2, high nutrients
Includes hydrothermal vents
Organisms adapted to low light, high pressure
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Ecological Succession
❧= gradual process of change of species
in a community over time
❧Organisms occupy a site & change the
environmental so that other organisms
can come in
❧Two types of succession:
❧ Primary
❧ Secondary
❧ Primary succession - occurs on lifeless, rocky
ground (such as after volcano); steps:
1. Pioneer species arrive (lichens): don’t need soil
to survive
2. Lichens die & decompose → organic matter
mixes with rock to start making soil
3. Mosses & ferns can grow in new soil → die &
add more nutrients to soil
4. Grasses & wildflowers can move in → die & add
more nutrients to soil
5. Shrubs & trees can survive
6. End in Climax community
Climax Community lots of
hardwood, shade-loving trees
❧Secondary Succession - occurs after a
disturbance (flood, fire, etc.)
❧Disturbance can be by nature, animals, or
humans (forestry, agriculture, construction)
❧ Soil & seeds still present, so takes shorter amount
of time
❧ Start with grasses → herbs, shrubs, small trees →
hardwood trees (climax community)
Is Disturbance Good?
❧ Mild disturbance helps set
back super competitors &
allows other species to live
❧ Some ecosystems are
adapted to disturbances
(long-leaf pine!)
❧ Need fire to germinate
seeds or to open cones
❧ Management now includes
disturbances – controlled
burns