Chapter 7 Climate and Biodiversity

1. Chapter 7 Climate and Biodiversity

2. Core Case Study: Different Climates Support Different Life Forms • Climate -- long-term temperature and precipitation patterns – determines which plants and animals can live where • 3 Major Climate Zones: • Tropical: equator, intense sunlight • Polar: poles, little sunlight • Temperate: in-between tropical and polar

3. Three Major Climate Zones Fig. 7-1, p. 147

4. 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate? • Concept 7-1 Key factors that determine an area’s climate are incoming solar energy, the earth’s rotation, global patterns of air and water movement, gases in the atmosphere, and the earth’s surface features.

5. The Earth Has Many Different Climates (1) • Weather • Temperature, precipitation, wind speed, cloud cover • Hours to days • Climate • Area’s general pattern of atmospheric conditions over decades and longer

6. Arctic Circle Labrador current Oyashio current North Atlantic drift Alaska current California current Canaries current North Pacific drift Kuroshio current Gulf stream Tropic of Cancer North equatorial current Monsoon Caribbean current drift Guinea current Equatorial counter current South equatorial North equatorial current South equatorial current current South equatorial current Brazil current Tropic of Capricorn West Australian current East Australian current Peru current Benguela current West wind drift West wind drift West wind drift Antarctic Circle Polar (ice) Subarctic (snow) Cool temperate Highland Warm ocean current River Warm temperate Dry Tropical Major upwelling zones Cold ocean current Fig. 7-2, p. 149

7. The Earth Has Many Different Climates (2) • Air circulation in lower atmosphere due to • Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by sun • Rotation of the earth on its axis • Properties of air, water, and land • Ocean currents – 4 main factors • Prevailing winds • Earth’s rotation • Redistribution of heat from the sun • Surface currents and deep currents

8. Moist air rises, cools, and releases moisture as rain Polar cap Cold deserts 60°N Air cools and descends at lower latitudes. Evergreen coniferous forest The highest solar energy input is at the equator. Westerlies Temperate deciduous forest and grassland 30°N Northeast trades Hot desert Tropical deciduous forest Warm air rises and moves toward the poles. Solar energy Equator 0° Tropical rain forest Tropical deciduous forest Hot desert Southeast trades Air cools and descends at lower latitudes. 30°S Temperate deciduous forest and grassland Westerlies Cold deserts 60°S Polar cap Fig. 7-3, p. 149

9. LOW PRESSURE HIGH PRESSURE Heat released radiates to space Condensation and precipitation Cool, dry air Falls, is compressed, warms Rises, expands, cools Warm, dry air Hot, wet air Flows toward low pressure, picks up moisture and heat LOW PRESSURE HIGH PRESSURE Moist surface warmed by sun Fig. 7-4, p. 150

10. Warm, less salty, shallow current Cold, salty, deep current Fig. 7-5, p. 150

11. The Earth Has Many Different Climates (3) • El Niño-Southern Oscillation • Every few years • Prevailing winds in tropical Pacific Ocean change direction • Affects much of earth’s weather for 1-2 years

12. Normal and El Niño Conditions Figure 4, Supplement 7

13. Impact of El Nino-Southern Oscillation Figure 5, Supplement 7

14. Greenhouse Gases Warm the Lower Atmosphere • Greenhouse gases • Absorb and release heat that warm the planet • Examples • H2O • CO2 • CH4 • N2O • Natural greenhouse effect • Some gases radiate out of the atmosphere, some are trapped by greenhouse gases. • These gases keep earth habitable

15. Flow of Energy to and from the Earth Fig. 3-4, p. 57

16. Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates • Heat is absorbed and released more slowly by water than by land. • This creates land and sea breezes • Rain shadow effect – created by many decades of arid or semi-arid conditions on the leeward side of high mountains. • Most precipitation falls on the windward side of mountain ranges • Deserts leeward • Cities create microclimates

17. Prevailing winds pick up moisture from an ocean. On the windward side of a mountain range, air rises, cools, and releases moisture. On the leeward side of the mountain range, air descends, warms, and releases little moisture, causing rain shadow effect. Fig. 7-6, p. 152

18. 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes? • Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual precipitation and temperature lead to the formation of tropical, temperate, and cold deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely determine their locations.

19. Climate Helps Determine Where Organisms Can Live • Biomes: large land regions with certain types of climate and dominant plant life. • Not uniform • Mosaic of patches • Influenced by: • Latitude and elevation • Annual precipitation • Temperature

20. The Earth’s Major Biomes Fig. 7-7, p. 153

21. North America Biomes Figure 3, Supplement 8

22. Elevation Mountain ice and snow Tundra (herbs, lichens, mosses) Coniferous Forest Latitude (south to north) Deciduous Forest Tropical Forest Tropical Forest Deciduous Forest Coniferous Forest Tundra (herbs, lichens, mosses) Polar ice and snow Fig. 7-8, p. 153

23. Cold Arctic tundra Cold desert Evergreen coniferous forest Temperate desert Temperate deciduous forest Temperate grassland Chaparral Tropical desert Hot Wet Tropical rain forest Dry Tropical grassland (savanna) Fig. 7-9, p. 154

24. Global Plant Biodiversity Figure 6, Supplement 8

25. Tropic of Cancer Equator High mountains Polar ice Arctic tundra (cold grassland) Temperate grassland Tropic of Capricorn Tropical grassland (savanna) Chaparral Coniferous forest Temperate deciduous forest Temperate rain forest Tropical rain forest Tropical dry forest Desert Fig. 7-7, p. 153

26. There Are Three Major Types of Deserts • Tropical deserts • Temperate deserts • Cold deserts • Common Characteristics: • Fragile ecosystem • Slow plant growth • Low species diversity • Slow nutrient recycling • Lack of water

27. Stepped Art Fig. 7-10, p. 155

28. Temperate Desert Ecosystem in North America Figure 1, Supplement 6

29. Science Focus: Staying Alive in the Desert • Beat the heat/every drop of water counts • Plant adaptations • Succulents - cactus • Deep tap roots • Animal strategies and adaptations • Physiology and anatomy • Behavior

30. Wildflowers Bloom after Rain in Arizona Fig. 7-A, p. 156

31. There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands • Tropical • Savanna • Grazing animals • Browsing animals • Temperate • Cold winters and hot and dry summers • Tall-grass prairies • Short-grass prairies • Often converted to farmland

32. There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands • Arctic tundra: fragile biome • Plants close to ground to conserve heat • Most growth in short summer • Animals have thick fur • Permafrost • Underground soil that stays frozen • Alpine tundra: above tree line in mountains

33. Stepped Art Fig. 7-11, p. 157

34. Temperate Tall-Grass Prairie Ecosystem in North America Figure 2, Supplement 6

35. Monoculture Crop Replacing Biologically Diverse Temperate Grassland Fig. 7-12, p. 158

36. Temperate Shrubland: Nice Climate, Risky Place to Live • Chaparral is another name for temperate shrubland • Near the sea: nice climate • People enjoy living here • Prone to fires in the dry season

37. There Are Three Major Types of Forests • Tropical rain forests • Temperature and moisture • Stratification of specialized plant and animal niches • Little wind: significance • Rapid recycling of scarce soil nutrients • Impact of human activities

38. Ocelot Blue and gold macaw Harpy eagle Squirrel monkeys Climbing monstera palm Slaty-tailed trogon Katydid Green tree snake Tree frog Snail Ants Bromeliad Bacteria Fungi Primary to secondary consumer Producer to primary consumer Secondary to higher-level consumer All producers and consumers to decomposers Fig. 7-14, p. 161

39. 45 Emergent layer Harpy eagle 40 35 Toco toucan Canopy 30 25 Height (meters) 20 Understory Wooly opossum 15 10 Shrub layer Brazilian tapir 5 Ground layer Black-crowned antpitta 0 Fig. 7-15, p. 162

40. Stepped Art Fig. 7-13, p. 160

41. There Are Three Major Types of Forests • Temperate deciduous forests • Temperature and moisture • Broad-leaf trees • Slow rate of decomposition: significance • Impact of human activities

42. Temperate Deciduous Forest Ecosystem in North America Figure 4, Supplement 6

43. There Are Three Major Types of Forests (4) • Evergreen coniferous forests: boreal and taigas • Temperature and moisture • Few species of cone: bearing trees • Slow decomposition: significance • Coastal coniferous forest • Also called temperate rain forests

44. Evergreen Coniferous Forest Ecosystem in North America Figure 5, Supplement 6

45. Temperate Rain Forest in Washington State Fig. 7-16, p. 163

46. Mountains Play Important Ecological Roles • Mountain ecosystems contain: • Majority of the world’s forests • Islands of biodiversity • Habitats for endemic species • Help regulate the earth’s climate • Major storehouses of water • Role in hydrologic cycle

47. Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State Fig. 7-17, p. 163

48. 7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s Terrestrial Ecosystems? • Concept 7-3 In many areas, human activities are impairing ecological and economic services provided by the earth’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains.

49. Humans Have Disturbed Most of the Earth’s Lands • 62% of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems are being degraded or used unsustainably • Concerns: • Loss of biodiversity • Changing biomes • Reduction of vegetation needed to remove CO2 • Solutions: • Protect biodiversity • Restore biomes

50. Natural Capital Degradation Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems Deserts Grasslands Forests Mountains Large desert cities Conversion to cropland Clearing for agriculture, livestock grazing, timber, and urban development Agriculture Timber and mineral extraction Destruction of soil and underground habitat by off-road vehicles Release of CO2 to atmosphere from burning grassland Hydroelectric dams and reservoirs Conversion of diverse forests to tree plantations Soil salinization from irrigation Increasing tourism Overgrazing by livestock Air pollution blowing in from urban areas and power plants Depletion of groundwater Damage from off-road vehicles Oil production and off-road vehicles in arctic tundra Soil damage from off-road vehicles Land disturbance and pollution from mineral extraction Pollution of forest streams Water supplies threatened by glacial melting Fig. 7-18, p. 165