Unit 4 Biomes& Communities

1. Unit 4 Biomes& Communities Climate, Biomes, and Community Interactions

2. What is the biggest influence on the distribution of organisms? • Climate! • How do we define climate? • What factors determine the overall climate?

3. Sunlight and temperature relationship to currents and wind Imagine Earth rotating – the land closer to the equator moves faster than that at the poles (deflecting the winds from a vertical pattern).

4. Sunlight - Seasonal Variation

5. Large Bodies of Water

6. Mountains Windward vs Leeward Side

7. climate’s impact on populations Earth has warmed an average of 0.8°C since 1900 (campbell– bio) Predicted to warm 1 – 6 ° C by 2100 Can seeds disperse quickly enough to sustain the range shift of each species as climate changes?

8. Checkpoint (campbell –bio) • Explain how the sun’s unequal heating of Earth’s surface leads to the development of deserts around the 30° north and south of the equator. • Given the following two microclimates in the same region, describe some differences. • unplanted agricultural field vs. nearby stream with lots of trees

9. Biomes Ocean biome • The biosphere encompasses all living things on Earth. • It comprises a number of aquatic(freshwater biomes vs. marine) and terrestrialbiomes(tropical, dessert, temperate, grassland.) • Biomes within the same category have specific, characteristic features, but can range in biodiversity. Desert biome

10. Aquatic Biomes • Cover 75% of Earth’s surface!! Less than1% of that is freshwater. • FRESHWATER BIOMES ( lakes, ponds, rivers, wetlands) • Wetlands: transitional biome b/w aquatic and terrestial – such as marshes, bogs, swamps • MARINE BIOMES ( ocean, coral reefs, estuaries) • Estuary - another transition area b/w a river and the ocean

11. Terrestrial Biomes • Terrestrial biomes are recognized for all the major climatic regions of the world and are classified on the basis of their predominant vegetation type. • The same biome may occur in widely separated regions.

12. Your task … • You will be assigned two biomes. • Complete a climograph (a plot of the annual mean temp and rainfall) for each on the SAME graph.

13. Tropical Rainforests Distribution: • The climate is warm and rainy all year round. Precipitation Plants: Animals

14. Physical Factors in Tropical Rainforests Example: Iquitos, Peru 3°S • Temperature range: 2.2°C • Annual total rainfall: 262 cm

15. Desert Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

16. Hot Deserts • Deserts are arid regions (annual rainfall generally less than 25 cm). The hot desert biome is found in two belts, centered at 30° latitude north and south of the Equator. • Hot deserts receive most of their rainfall in summer. The driest regions are in central Australia and the middle of the Sahara Desert. • The temperature range is approximately 30°C, and the winter and summer are both very warm. Rainbow Valley, central Australia Sahara Desert

17. Hot Desert Communities

18. Physical Factors in Hot Deserts Example: Khartoum, Sudan 15.5°N • Temperature range: 9°CThe winter and summer are both very warm. • Annual total rainfall: 15 cm

19. Cold Desert Communities Sagebrush steppe, California, USA

20. Cold Deserts • The cold desert biome is found in dry regions in the mid to high latitudes, especially in the interiors of large continents. Cold deserts also occur at high altitudes in the rain shadows of mountain ranges. • Cold deserts receive most of their small amount of rainfall in winter. Sagebrush steppe, California, USA Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

21. Savanna Distribution: • The climate is usually Precipitation Plants: Animals

22. Savanna & Thorn Forests • Tropical savannas are found in central and eastern Africa, and in tropical and subtropical regions of South America and Australia. Thorn forests are found on the equatorial sides of hot deserts. • Both have mild, dry winters and mild, wet summers. • Unlike savanna, thorn forests generally lack grasses. This reflects the increased aridity of the climate.

23. Savanna Communities

24. Physical Factors in Savannas Example: Kayes, Mali 14°N • Temperature range: 10.7°C • Annual total rainfall: 74 cm

25. Physical Factors in Cold Deserts Example: Cheyenne, Wyoming 41°N • Temperature range: 23°CThe winters are cold; summers are much warmer. • Annual total rainfall:38 cm

26. Physical Factors in Chaparral Regions Example: Monterey, California 36°N • Temperature range: 7°C • Annual total rainfall: 42 cm

27. Chaparral Communities California, USA Marmot

28. Mediterranean/Chaparral • The chaparral biome is found on the western sides of continents at moderate latitudes, where cool ocean waters flow offshore. Such climates are found in: • the Mediterranean (maquis) • coastal California • central Chile (matorral) • South Africa (cape scrub) • south-west Australia (mallee) • Winters are cool and wet whilesummers are long, hot, and dry. Mediterranean coast

29. Chaparral Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

30. Temperate Forests • Temperate forests occur throughout mid latitudes where there is a high annual rainfall. • Temperate forests are usually deciduous, but where seasonal fluctuations are moderated by proximity to the coast, the forests are evergreen and are termed temperate rainforests. • Temperate rainforests occur in south-eastern Australia,New Zealand, along the Pacific North-West coast of the United States. Temperate deciduous forest Temperate rainforest

31. Temperate Deciduous Forests • Temperate deciduous forests occur throughout mid latitudes where there is sufficient moisture to support large trees.They occur in eastern North America, eastern Asia, and in parts of western Europe. • Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, with cold, snowy winters and warm, moist summers.

32. Temperate Forest Communities

33. Temperate (broadleaf) Forest Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

34. Physical Factors in Temperate Forests Example: Madison, Wisconsin 43°N • Temperature range: 31°C The temperature fluctuates dramatically between summer and winter. • Total annual rainfall: 81 cmAmple falls throughout the year.

35. Temperate Grasslands • Temperate grasslands or prairies occur in mid latitudes, in regions that are relatively dry for much of the year. They occur in many parts of the world, and include: • The Pampas of Argentina • The South African veldt • The Great Plains of the USA • Grasslands are highly productive and large regions have been converted to agriculture.

36. Grassland Communities North American bison Pronghorn antelope

37. Example: Pueblo, Colorado 38°N Physical Factors in Temperate Grasslands • Temperature rangeof 24°CThe temperature fluctuates widely, with hot summers, cold winters. • In some grasslands, most precipitation occurs in the winter. In others, the majority falls in summer. • Total annual rainfall: 31 cm

38. Grasslands Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

39. Coniferous Forests (Taiga) • The boreal forest biome extends in a broad band across both North America and Eurasia. It is the world’s largest biome. • It is found at high latitudes, south of the tundra and is dominated by coniferous trees. • The winters are long and severe, while the summers are short, and mild and humid.

40. Taiga Communities

41. Example: Fort Vermillion, Alberta 58°N Physical Factorsin Boreal Forests • Temperature range: 41°C • Total annual rainfall: 31 cm

42. Taiga / Northern Coniferous or Boreal Forest Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

43. Tundra • The tundra biome is found in the Arctic and high in the mountains at all latitudes. It is dominated by low-growing perennial plants. • The Arctic tundra is very wet even though rainfall is low and this is because the water cannot drain down through the permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Tundra: northern Canada Arctic tundra

44. Tundra Communities Arctic tundra, summer Migrating caribou, the Arctic

45. Physical Factorsin Tundra Example: Greenland 73°N • Temperature range: 28°C • Total annual rainfall: 23 cm

46. Tundra Distribution: • The climate is Precipitation Plants: Animals

47. Mountains and Ice • Mountainous regions are associated with their own altitude adapted vegetation. • The icy regions of the polar ice caps (the Arctic and Antarctic) form sheets of ice that extend into and over the sea.

48. What do you notice? • What abiotic features do ecosystems with high biodiversity share? Low biodiversity? • What abiotic features are most important in determining a biome?

49. Polar Arctic region Subarctic region Latitudinal regions Temperate region Tropical region Equatorial Annual precipitation (mm) Predicting Biome Distribution 1 • Temperature and precipitation are excellent predictors of biomedistribution. Temperature decreases from the equator to the poles.

50. Predicting Biome Distribution 2 • Temperature and precipitation act together as limiting factors to determine the type of desert, grassland, or forest biome in a region.