MacroEcology: Large Scale Relationships

1. MacroEcology: Large Scale Relationships Essential Questions: How are all relationships organized globally? What are the limiting factors of ecology? How does the environment change over time?

2. The Big Idea… On your notes, inquire to why we have different climates in various spots in the world. Also, are there places that don’t have variation in climate? Why or why not? What kinds of abiotic effects have an impact on organisms (plants and animals) that live there?

3. What is Ecology? • The scientific study among organisms and between organisms and their environment or surroundings. • There are 3 basic approaches to conducting ecological research: • Observing • Experimenting • Modeling

4. The 6 Levels of Ecology The biosphere is the zone of life on Earth. The 6 Levels of Ecology are organized into smaller subunits down to an individual organism.

5. Biomes - Overview • Ecosystems that have similar kinds of climax communities are called Biomes. • Biomes are limited by temperature and precipitation due to climatic differences based on Latitude and/or Altitude. • There are two major types of biomes: • Aquatic (sea, water) • Terrestrial (those on land) New Way to map Biomes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTUOHMkGa0Q

6. Marine Biomes - Saltwater • Largest Biome that covers 71% of the Earth. • Scientists separate marine (saltwater) biomes into two parts: • Photic Zone : portion of the biome shallow enough to allow light through • Intertidal, Coral Reef, Estuary. • Plankton, juvenile marine organisms • Aphotic zone : deeper water where light cannot penetrate • Benthic, Abyssal • Angler fish, Thermal vents • Adapted to life in the dark. Weird Fish Eye Adaptation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoygy-8PTtU

7. Marine Biomes - Freshwater Freshwater is defined as having a low salt concentration — usually less than 1%. Types of Freshwater Marine Biomes: • Ponds and Lakes • Rivers and Streams • Wetlands

8. Biomes: Tundra • Geography – Circles the poles (90°N and 90°S), treeless with long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight. • Alpine Tundra - Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. • Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: -34°C in winter, 3-12°C in summer • Precipitation: 15 to 25 cm • Soils are nutrient poor and cannot hold larger plants & trees. • Under the topsoil is a permanently frozen part called permafrost. • Plant root systems very short. • Species: Small mammals live there like owls and lemmings. Animals with adaptations to resist the cold climate. Arctic Tundra Alpine Tundra

9. Biomes: Taiga / Boreal Forest • Geography – just south of the tundra, between 50°- 60° N, broad belt of Eurasia & North America. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: -54°C to 21° C • Precipitation: 30 to 84 cm • Seasons are divided into short, moist, and moderately warm summers and long, cold, and dry winters. • Species: Contains larger animals like Caribou, snowshoe hare, land of fir & spruce trees.

10. Biomes: Temperate Forest • Geography: above and below the equator. Eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and western and central Europe • Further subdivided based upon seasonal distribution of rainfall. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: 4 to 6 months frost free • Precipitation: 70 to 150 cm • Nutrient rich soil with Hardwood trees. • Species: Home to many forest animals (bears, squirrels, salamanders)

11. Biomes: Tropical Savanna (Grassland) • Geography – grassland with scattered individual trees. • Savannas of one sort or another cover almost half the surface of Africa (about five million square miles, generally central Africa) and large areas of Australia, South America, and India. • Savanna has both a dry and a rainy season. • Seasonal fires play a vital role in the savanna's biodiversity. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: 20°C to 30°C • Precipitation: 51 to 127 cm • Species: • Dominated by grazing animals (elephants, zebra, lions)

12. Biomes: Prairie and Steppe (Temperate Grasslands) • Geography – covered by grasses and similarly small plants. Prevalent in US and Central Asia. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: 38°C to -40°C • Precipitation: 51 to 89 cm • Divided by height of grasses (prairie – tall; steppe – short) • Species: • Dominated by grazing animals (bison) • Good for growing crops • Dependent on Fire for growth

13. Biomes: Desert • Geography – driest biome with sparse plant life and extreme temperature ranges. • Around 30° Latitude. • Cover 1/5 of the Earth’s Surface. • Four Main Types: • Hot & Dry, Semi-Arid, Coastal and Cold. • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: 21° C to 49° C • Precipitation: Less than 50 cm per year • Species: Organisms have adapted to conserve water (mice, scorpions, snakes, owls, etc)

14. Biomes: Tropical Rain Forest • Geography – located at the equator, between 23.5°N and 23.5°S. • Warm and wet with lush plant growth • Abiotic Limiting Factors • Temperature: Average 25° C • Precipitation: 200-600 cm • Species: • Home to the most amount of species (biodiversity) on the planet • Has many niches due to the layers of the rainforest (forest floor, trees, canopy, etc)