Download Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems Notes

biome
large region characterized by climate and types of
plants and animal
named by their vegetation
plants that grow in an area determine the
organism that live there
Climate versus Weather
Climate - average weather conditions in an area over a
long period of time
2 most important factors that determine region’s
climate:
Temperature and precipitation
Weather – day-to-day conditions
sunny, snowy,
Climatographs – describe conditions of a biome
Biome Map
• Latitude (distance from equator) and altitude
(height above sea level) determine the temperature
and precipitation of a biome
• same biomes are in the same latitude
• Some variations among organisms in same biome
based on soil, elevation, wind exposure, and sun
exposure
Net Primary Production
• Gross primary production – rate the producers
carry out conversion of energy
• Net primary production – biomass that
remains after cellular respiration
• Net primary productivity – rate that producers
convert energy to biomass
• Warmer, wetter biomes have higher net
primary productivity (plants need sunlight,
water, and warm temps to grow)
Tropical Rain Forest
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Near the equator
Year-round warm temps
12 hour days
More rain than any other biome – almost 7 feet per year
Nutrient- poor soil
20% of the earth was once covered with tropical rain forest
Now, only 7%
most nutrients are within plants, not within the
soil
leaves and other plant material fall to the
ground, decomposers break down dead
organism
nutrients returned to soil, but plants quickly
absorb the nutrients
Layers of the Rain Forest
Emergent Layer
top layer, tallest trees
grow in direct sun
Canopy
tall dense covering
keep forest dark and damp
Understory
shorter trees and plants
and shrubs
compete for available sunlight
Plant Adaptations
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Tall trees to gather sunlight
Large, flat leaves to maximize light absorption
Pitcher plants to trap animals
Predatory plant life
Epiphytes – grow on other plants to gain height
advantage for sunlight
• Buttresses – aboveground roots to provide stability for
thin soil
• Bright colors – lure pollinators because not much wind
• Fast growing seeds – compete for sunlight
buttresses
• One hectare in the deciduous forest:
only a few species
• One hectare in the Tropical Rain Forest:
more than a 100 species
• One hectare =10,000m or 2.471 acres
Animal Adaptations
• Live in canopy because more fruits and
flowers
• special adaptations for capturing prey
• Camouflage
• anteater uses long tongue to reach
insects in small cracks
• shaped like leaves or twigs
• Long prehensile tails and limbs
Tropical Dry Forest
• Warm year-round
• Wet and dry seasons
• Plant adaptations
– Deciduous  lose leaves to reduce water loss during dry
seasons
– Some trees have bark that contains
chlorophyll (ceibo tree) to still
maintain photosynthesis
– Extra coating of wax on leaves to
prevent water loss
– Deeper roots to seek water
– Store water
– Thick bark to protect against fires
Animal Adaptations
• Adapted to seasonal fluctuations in
precipitation and temperature
• Estivation
• migrate
estivation
animals buries itself in the ground and
sleeps through the dry season
Savanna (tropical grassland)
grasslands cover some parts of Africa, Western India, Northern
Australia, and parts of South America (between tropical dry
and deserts)
• Less rain than tropical dry forests but more rain than deserts
• Grasses interspersed with trees
• Frequent fires and strong winds
• Vertical leaves to prevent water loss
• dry and wet seasons
• Soil is porous so water drains quickly
Plant Adaptations
Deciduous and extra waxy coatings to prevent
water loss
Grow quickly to recover from fires
Deep roots to access water
Thick bark to protect from fires
Store water for dry season (baobab trees)
Bitter tastes, rough texture, thorns
Animal Adaptations
Dig for water during dry season (tusks)
Grazing
Migrate
Burrow for protection
Estivation
Give birth during rainy season when food and
water is abundant
Temperate rain forest
• Characterized by cool
to moderate, humid
weather
• Abundant rainfall
• Plant Adaptations
• Lots of water and not much light under
trees so most plants are low-laying mosses,
lichens and ferns
• Coniferous trees – seed-bearing cones
• Thick, waxy needles to prevent water loss
• Compete for sunlight so being tall is an
advantage
Animal Adaptations
• Moisture-loving animals
• Varied diets to eat whatever food is available
Where is North America’s only temperate rain forest?
located in the Pacific Northwest, the Olympic
National Park in Washington State
Deserts
• less than 25 cm of rain
• little to no vegetation
• extreme temperatures – hot
during day, cold at night
• Soil contains little organic matter
Plant Adaptations
• Thick, leathery leaves to reduce water loss
• Succulents – store water in tissues
• Sharp, tough spines – protection and prevents
water loss
• Green stems and trunks for photosynthesis
• Shallow roots to gather water quickly
• Taproots – deep roots to search for water
Animal Adaptations
Get water from the food they eat
Release concentrated urine – conserve water
Nocturnal – active at night when cooler
Burrow to avoid hot daytime temperatures
Exaggerated appendages to release body heat
quickly
Sidewinders move so that only small areas of their
bodies contact the hot sand at a given time
Temperate Forest
• Broad-leafed deciduous trees
– Seasonal loss of leaves to avoid damage in winter
and remains dormant until spring
– Dropped leaves enrich the soil
• Precipitation is relatively even
• Range of temperatures
• Most of Europe, eastern Asia, and eastern
U.S.
Adaptations
Snowshoe hares shed brown summer fur and grow
white fur that camouflages it in the winter snow
Migration
Hibernation – deep, sleeplike state for winter
live off stored fat
Build up fat reserves and hide food
temperate grassland
• Mainly grass with very few trees
• hot summers and cold winters
• Rainfall – moderate (50- 88 cm of precipitation
per/yr)
• Most fertile soil of any biome
– Much of U.S. grasslands have become farmland
• prairies and steppes
• Susceptible to fires and droughts
adaptations
• Large, flat back teeth for chewing coarse
prairie grasses
• Underground burrows- protect from fires,
weather, and predators
• Grasses grow from base so they can grow
back after grazed upon or fires
• Roots form thick mats to capture moisture
and nutrients
Chaparral Biome
Primarily in coastal areas that have Mediterranean
climates
California, southern Australia, southern Africa,
Europe
Chaparral biomes get lots of sun, are near the oceans,
and have a mild climate year-round
ideal for commercial and residential use
• dominated by more broadleaf evergreen shrubs
• located in areas with hot, dry summers and
mild, wet winters
• plants have small, waxy leaves that retain
water
• contain oils that promote burning
• Hairs on leaves to retain moisture
• Thick bark, deep roots
Why is burning of a chaparral an advantage?
• fires destroy trees that might compete for
light and space, helps seeds germinate,
recycles nutrients
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Adaptations
Nocturnal
Burrowing
Long legs and ears to regulate heat
Boreal forest/taiga
•A region of coniferous forests located in
a broad band across the Northern
Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle
Long cold winters
Short cool summers
Nutrient poor, acidic soil
winters are 6-10 months long
Adaptations
conical shape of trees sheds snow easily
waxy needles
symbiotic relationship with fungi to take in
nutrients
animals feed, breed, and have young in few
warm, winter months
small extremities and thick insulation
change colors
tundra
Treeless plains located in the Arctic or Antarctic
characterized by:
•Very low winter temperatures
•Very dry
•Short cold summers
•Harsh wind, nutrient poor soil
•Vegetation close to ground
Permafrost - permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil
Adaptations
Ideal conditions for mosquitoes and other
biting insects when ice in soil melts
Animals migrate to feed on insects or
lichen
Polar bears and musk oxen survive year
round, most others migrate
Thick coats with insulating air spaces and
wide hooves
Polar Ice
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Between tundra and the poles
Most life found in the water
Algae grow on ice and snow
Some fish developed an “antifreeze” protein
to keep blood from freezing
• Thick fur or blubber
Mountains
• Climbing in elevation causes rapid climate
change
• Plants communities change along the slopes
• Can pass through several biomes by going up
a mountain
What factors determines which organisms live in which
areas of water?
• Temperature, sunlight, oxygen, salinity (amt. of salt)
and nutrients determine which organisms live
where
3 Zones
• Photic zone
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Uppermost layer
Enough sun for photosynthesis
Most life in this region
More dissolved oxygen
Warmest layer
• Aphotic zone
– No sunlight penetrates so no photosynthesis
• Benthic zone
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Can be sunlit or pitch dark
Bottom of body of water
Coldest layer
Decomposers, insect larvae, and clams
Littoral zone - shallow zone where light reaches
the bottom and nurtures plants
Limnetic - Further from shore
plants, algae, and bacteria use photosynthesis
to gain energy
Amphibians bury themselves in the littoral
mud to avoid freezing temperatures.
Whiskers allow catfish to find food on dark bottom of lake
Freshwater wetlands
• areas of land that are covered with
fresh water for at least part of the year
12 types of
freshwater
wetlands.
• Marshescontains
nonwoody
plants, such
as cattails.
• Swampsdominated by
woody plants
such as trees
and shrubs.
important environmental functions
that wetlands perform
• Filters or sponges- absorb and
remove pollutants; improves water
quality
• Control flooding- absorb extra water
when rivers overflow
• Feeding and spawning areas for game
fish
• Habitat for native and migratory birds
• Carbon dioxide trap
– help to reduce atmospheric CO2
• Produce many commercially
important products
– Example- cranberries.
• Recreation
– fishing, bird watching, hiking,
canoeing, photography, and
painting
• Provide buffer zone against erosion
– protect shorelines
estuary
• an area in which fresh water from a river
mixes with salt water from the ocean.
What is the difference
between a Mangrove swamp
and a freshwater swamp?
Fresh water – water is
non salty, and are ideal
habitat for amphibians,
such as frogs and
salamanders
-A Mangrove swamp
occurs in warm climate,
near the ocean and the
water is salty.
-Prevent erosion
-Protect against damage
from storms
What are the different
kinds of marshes
characterized by?
Their salinity;
Brackish marshes
have slightly salty
water.
• Salt marshes contain
saltier water.
• Organisms are adapted
to live within the
ecosystem’s range of
salinity.
What makes a swamp different than a
freshwater marsh?
• They occur on flat poorly drained land often
near streams, but woody shrubs or water
loving trees dominates them.
estuary
salt marshes
Where do salt marshes develop?
They develop in estuaries where rivers deposit
their load of mineral- rich mud.
Why are estuaries such a productive ecosystem?
• constantly receive fresh nutrients from both the
river and ocean ecosystems
• Provide access to ocean and rivers
• Because estuaries receive plenty of light for
photosynthesis and plenty of nutrients for plants
and animals
• Producers feed consumers etc.
What special adaptation must organisms have to be
able to live in an estuary?
• salt content of the water varies as fresh water and
salt water mix when tides go in and out.
• Must be able to tolerate changes in salinity
Organic pollution from humans
Why are estuaries vulnerable to the effects of pollution?
• ocean, lake, and river pollutants enter estuaries
• dense human settlements surround most estuaries
• Marine ecosystems are located mainly in
coastal areas and in the open ocean
• Neritic ecosystem – entirely sunlight, great
productivity
– Kelp forests and coral reefs
• Open ocean
– Begins at continental shelf
– 90% of ocean water
– Most is aphotic
• bioluminescence
Formation of Coral Reefs
coral reef
•
limestone ridge found in tropical climates and composed of coral
fragments that are deposited around organics remains
How are coral reefs formed?
• Coral polyps secrete skeletons of limestone,
(calcium carbonate), which slowly accumulate and forms coral reefs.
• Rebuild very slowly
Water that is too hot or cold can damage reefs
by killing corals
Muddy water can kill the algae that live within
corals