1 / 97

The Biosphere

The Biosphere. The Order of Things…. Subatomic Particles  Atoms molecules  macromolecules  Organelles  Cells  tissues  Organs  Organisms  (Ecological Order…) Populations  Communities  Ecosystems  Biomes  Biosphere. Biogeography.

virginia-gallagher
Download Presentation

The Biosphere

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Biosphere

  2. The Order of Things…. • Subatomic Particles  Atoms molecules  macromolecules  Organelles  Cells  tissues  Organs  Organisms  • (Ecological Order…) Populations  Communities  Ecosystems  Biomes  Biosphere

  3. Biogeography The study of the distribution of organisms and the processes that underlie distribution patterns (a central question – evolutionary and ecological answer -

  4. Biogeographic Realms

  5. Factors that Affect Distribution • Geologic history • Topography • Climate • Species interactions

  6. Biosphere • Sum total of the places in which organisms live • Includes portions of the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere

  7. Climate • Average weather condition in a region • Affected by: • amount of incoming solar radiation • prevailing winds • elevation • precipitation

  8. Climagraph, San Diego, CA

  9. More Climagraphs

  10. Fig. 5.4

  11. The Atmosphere • Three layers • Outer mesosphere • Middle stratosphere (includes ozone layer) • Inner troposphere (where air is warmed by the greenhouse effect)

  12. Earth’s Atmosphere

  13. Ozone Layer • Region 17 to 27 kilometers above sea level in the stratosphere • Molecules of ozone absorb most layers of ultraviolet light • Protects living organisms from excess exposure to UV light 3O2- 2O3 (ozone)

  14. Warming the Atmosphere • Solar energy warms the atmosphere and sets global air circulation patterns in motion Figure 49.4 Page 890

  15. Rotation and Wind Direction • Earth rotates faster under the air at the equator than it does at the poles • Deflection east and west Figure 49.4 Page 890

  16. Global Wind Patterns Trade winds, doldrums, and horse latitudes Red Arrows Indicate Very Strong Winds

  17. Seasonal Variation • Northern end of Earth’s axis tilts toward sun in June and away in December • Difference in tilt causes differences in sunlight intensity and day length • The greater the distance from the equator, the more pronounced the seasonal changes

  18. Earth’s Axis Tilts

  19. Ocean Currents • Upper waters move in currents that distribute nutrients and affect regional climates Figure 49.6 Page 892

  20. Rain Shadow • Air rises on the windward side, loses moisture before passing over the mountain Figure 49.7 Page 893

  21. Monsoons • A monsoon is defined as a seasonal shift in wind direction, being derived from the Arabic word "mausim", meaning season. Affect continents north and south of warm-water oceans • Can cause seasonal variation in rains

  22. Air Moves from Cool to Warm Regions

  23. Coastal Breezes • Breeze blows in direction of warmer region • Direction varies with time of day Night Afternoon Figure 49.8 Page 893

  24. Biogeographic Realms • Eight areas in which plants and animals are somewhat similar • Maintain their identity because of climate and physical barriers that tend to maintain isolation between species

  25. Biogeographic Realms

  26. Biomes • Regions of land characterized by habitat conditions and community structure • Distinctive biomes prevail at certain latitudes and elevations • A biogeographic realm generally composed of many biomes

  27. Fig. 5.2

  28. Olympic NP • The most famous temperate rainforest is in the Olympic National Park of Washington state. • It is locates on the western slope of an Olympic mountain where it gets about 200 inches of rain per year.

  29. Temperate Rainforest Great Smoky Mountains NP • Each 1,000 feet of elevation gained is the equivalent of moving 250 miles north. This creates a temperature gradient combined with • additional precipitation (GT 100 inches per year) classifies small sections of the Park as a temperaterainforest. http://www.great.smoky.mountains.national-park.com/info.htm

  30. Forests in the Great Smoky Mountains • Five forest types dominate the Great Smoky Mountains. • The spruce-fir forest caps the Park's highest elevations. (4500 – 5500 ft) • A northern hardwood forest dominates the middle to upper elevations from 3,500- 5,000 feet. • Drier ridges in and around the Park hold a pine-oak forest. • A hemlock forest often grows along stream banks. • The cove hardwood forest lines the valleys throughout the Park.

  31. Fig. 5.3

  32. Hot Spots • Portions of biomes that show the greatest biodiversity • Conservationists are working to inventory and protect these regions • 24 hot spots hold more than half of all terrestrial species

  33. Conservation International’s Definition • Conservation International defines hotspots as "regions that harbor a great diversity of endemic species and, at the same time, have been significantly impacted and altered by human activities."

  34. Hotspots Map http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/sectors/env/biodiversity_eastasia.html

  35. Ecoregions • Large areas of globally important biomes or water provinces • Currently vulnerable to extinction • Targeted by World Wildlife Fund for special study and conservation efforts

  36. WWF global 2000 Project • “WWF has ranked the terrestrial Global 200 ecoregions by their conservation status - classifying those ecoregions that are considered critical, endangered, or vulnerable as a result of direct human impacts, and those that are relatively stable or intact. Nearly half (47%) of the terrestrial ecoregions are considered critical or endangered; another quarter (29%) are vulnerable; and only a quarter (24%) are relatively stable of intact.” http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/ecoregions/global200/pages/mapdownload.htm#map3

  37. Map of WWF’s Ecoregions

  38. Soil Characteristics • Amount of humus • pH • Degree of aeration • Ability to hold or drain water • Mineral content

  39. Soil Profiles • Layer structure of soil • Soil characteristics determine what plants will grow and how well Rainforest Desert Grassland Figure 49.12 Page 896

  40. Deserts • Less than 10 centimeters annual rainfall, high level of evaporation • Tend to occur at 30 degrees north and south and in rain shadows • One-third of land surface is arid or semiarid

  41. Sonoran Desert

  42. Temperate Grasslands Precipitation less than 60 centimeters per year and greater than 10 cm per year Temperature range -5 to 20 C0 (usually)

  43. Grasslands

  44. Dry Shrublands and Woodlands • Semiarid regions with cooler, wet winters and hot, dry summers • Tend to occur in western or southern coastal regions between latitudes of 30 and 40 degrees

  45. Dry Scrubland

  46. Savannas • “A savanna is a rolling grassland, dotted with trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biomes.” • “There are actually two very different seasons in a savanna; a very dry season (winter), and a very wet season (summer).” http://www.rain.org/global-garden/biomes/BIOME_SA.HTM

  47. Map of Savannas

  48. African Savanna

  49. Forest Biomes Tall trees form a continuous canopy • Evergreen broadleaves in tropical latitudes • Deciduous broadleaves in most temperate latitudes • Evergreen conifers at high temperate elevations and at high latitudes

More Related