Climates

1. Climates

2. Tropicalvegetation • Tropical rain forest – 4 layers • Emergent – tallest trees, withstand heat, sunlight and wind. Seeds dispersed by wind. • Canopy – forms solid cover of tree crowns blocking most sunlight and wind. Broad waxy leaves facilitate water runoff. • Understory – widely spaced plants, large leaves for light absorption. • Forest floor – little soil, ferns & rosettes

3. Tropical animals • Trees – Primates, lemurs, birds, bats, small and large lizards, slothes • Forest floor – snakes, armadillo’s, frogs, termites, caimens

4. Subtropical vegetation • Cloud forests – slopes on mountains, constantly dripping; bamboo, ferns • Monsoon forests – seasonal tropical forests/deeper roots, loose leaves for fruits & flowers.

5. Subtropical animals • Hummingbirds have high metabolism so needs a lot of nectar. • Animal pollinators & seed dispersal – bats, birds, butterflies. • Anteaters, lizards, cats, monkeys

6. Mountain vegetation • Montane – conifers, heavy snowfall • Subalpine – scattered misshapen confiers, flagged trees • Alpine – extreme conditions, no trees, small perennials with spreading roots • Norway spruce – snow slides off leaves, special fungii lives on roots for nutrient absorption.

7. Mountain Animals • Montane – deer migrate • Subalpine – marmots, chipmunks • Alpine – voles, marmots, mtn. goat, birds (pheasants, swifts) • Wasp – produces glyceral which is a natural antifreeze • Pika – small limbs & ears to prevent heat loss; whistles to warn each other.

8. Temperate vegetation • Deciduous trees – maple (moist); oak (dry) • Broad leaves which loose water so needs moisture • Loose leaves in fall, rich soils from leaf litter

9. Temperate animals • Varies diet based on season; insects, seeds, berries • Migrate if large or hibernate (amphibians or reptiles) • Tree squirrel active year round, stores food • Turtles – omnivores, hibernates in mud, decreases metabolic rates so needs less oxygen.

10. N. Temperate vegetation • Conifers have needles (spruce, pine, firs) • Ferns, moss (Sphagnum moss can dry out, can survive in water and withstand freezing) • Evergreen plants – blueberry, rosemary , azalea with waxy, hairy leaves which keep from drying out.

11. N. Temperate animals • Decrease animals due to harsh conditions of no food and too cold. • Birds migrate • Large mammals such as moose (resourceful eat water plants), deer, elk, caribou, wolverines • Snowshoe hares, weasels, squirrels • mosquitoes

12. Mediterranean vegetation • Nutrient poor soils • Shrubs & dwarf trees (small shape, compact reduces evap., extensive roots to gather moisture & nutrients. • Plants release seeds after fires.

13. Mediterranean animals • Fires – leave or go underground (rodents, rabbits, deer) • Grazers (cow, sheep, goats) have replaced above & eat grasses. • Migratory birds with short wings, long tails which enable them to get around shrubs. • Opportunistic feeders

14. Arid vegetation • Succulents – store water in fleshy stems or exterior root system. • Minimum water loss with waxy thick layer, spines, accoridian • Plants that grow rapidly after rain

15. Arid animals • Adaptation to or evasion • Sweat or pant/ migrate to cooler areas or active at night • Cold blooded – eat less, varies metabolism rate; beetles scorpions • Warm blooded concentrated urine, birds - fly • Camel has reservoir of fat and water in stomach

16. Semi Arid vegetation • Grasslands (prairies) • Seasonal fires • Grazers help eat grasses, but deep roots hold them in place.

17. Semi Arid animals • Hooved grazers (zebras, gazelles, camels, bison, antelopes, deer • Gazelle – coat reflects sun & heat, nasal panting with hairs recover mositure • Feed at night • Ostrich – most powerful legs to outrun predators • Underground rodents – hamsters, rodents

18. Polar vegetation • Short growing season – hardy perennials such as grasses and sedges (moss, lichens) • Some plants are in dwarf form

19. Polar animals • Most migrate – birds, caribou • Voles, lemmings go underground to feed on buried plants • Ptarmigan flies into snow bank, white coats and no trace. • White arctic fox, snowshoe hares, snowy owls • (brown coats in summer)