Download Earth has three major climate zones

Unit 6: Terrestrial & Aquatic Diversity Chapter 6 & 7
Earth has three major climate zones: Tropical, Temperate, Polar
• Chapters 6 & 7
Factors affecting climate:
Uneven heating of the earth’s surface: Rays hit equator directly &
hit poles indirectly High solar radiation  increased evaporation & precipitation
Tilt in Earth’s axis Leads to seasonal changes in temp & precipitation
Rotation of the earth on its axis: winds are deflected east/west,
creates global patterns of prevailing winds that distribute heat &
moisture
Properties of air, water, & land: Hot air tends to rise, cool, & release
moisture as precipitation; Cool air tends to sink, get warmer, &
lose its moisture by evaporation, These two properties cause
convection cells to circulate air, heat & moisture
Ocean currents redistribute heat & influence air
circulation; created by:
– Wind blowing over oceans
– Differences in water density
– Also mix waters & distribute nutrients
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUU7IyfR34o
Winds blowing along western coasts push surface
water away from land  causes upwelling: deep,
cold, nutrient-rich water rises
– Nutrients support large pops of phytoplankton 
zooplankton  fish, birds, mammals
Coriolis Effect:
– In physics, the Coriolis effect is a
deflection of moving objects when
the motion is described relative to
a rotating reference frame
– The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl
clockwise in the Southern
hemisphere and counterclockwise in
the Northern Hemisphere
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2mec3vgeaI
Important Climatic Events:
– El Niňo Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
• When prevailing tropical winds blowing westward weaken or
reverse
• Warms surface water along South & North American coasts 
suppresses normal upwellings of cold, nutrient-rich water
– Causes decline in fish species
• Can cause extreme weather in Pacific & Indian Oceans
– La Niňa
• Reverse of El Niňo
• Results in more Atlantic hurricanes, colder winters in Canada &
NE U.S., and warmer/drier winters in southern U.S.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/el-nino
Greenhouse effect- Greenhouse gases warm lower
atmosphere: H2O, CO2, CH4 (methane), N2O (nitrous
oxide), Gases reflect infrared radiation back to
earth’s lower atmosphere
Topography (earth’s surface features) can affect climate
– Ex: Rain Shadow Effect
– Ex: Cities create microclimates: have more pollution, higher
temps, & lower wind speeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoKTTHd-XEQ
Terrestrial Diversity
• Biomes vary with
– Latitude: north & south of equator
– Altitude: distance from sea level
Desert Biomes
Area where evaporation > precipitation
Found mostly in tropical & subtropical
regions
3 types
– Tropical desert:
• hot & dry most of year
• Few plants
• Ex: Africa’s Sahara
– Temperate desert:
• Daytime temps high in
summer, low in winter
• Shrubs, cacti; reptiles, birds
• Ex:
North America’s Mojave
– Cold desert:
• Winters are quite cold,
summers are warm/hot
• Ex: China’s Gobi
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/lizard_thornydevil
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0037p9f
bactrian camel
Terrestrial Diversity
• Desert Climate Graphs:
• Desert Adaptations:
– Succulent plants save water
by having no leaves, store
water in their flesh, & open
stomata at night
– Evergreen plants have waxcoated leaves to save water
– Many animals are nocturnal
– Insects & reptiles have thick
scales to minimize
evaporation
– TED Talks:
• Ecology from the Air:
http://www.ted.com/talks/greg_asner_ecology_from_the_air
• http://www.ted.com/talks/frans_lanting_s_lyrical_nature_photos
• http://www.ted.com/talks/e_o_wilson_on_saving_life_on_earth
• Grasslands Biomes
– Enough precip. for
grasses, not enough for
shrubs or trees
– Occur in interiors of
continents
– Persist b/c of:
1. Seasonal drought
2. Grazing by herbivores
3. Occasional fires
Grasslands 3 types:
Tropical grassland: Savanna
• Warm most of year; alternating dry & wet seasons
• Found in Africa, South America, Australia; Acacia trees; many
herbivores like elephants, zebra, giraffes, gazelles; Animals have
mass migrations to find water; plants adapted to drought,
Threatened by grazing of cattle (fecal pavement)
Temperate grassland: Prairie
• Daytime temps warm in summer, low in winter
• Found in North America, South America, Asia
• Has deep, fertile, alkaline topsoil
• Grasses have thick root network
• Animals include prairie dogs, bison, coyote, eagles
Cold grassland: Tundra
• Most of year is cold
• Has Permafrost = frozen underground soil
• Hares, voles, lynx, weasel, snowy owl, fox, bears (thick fur)
• Canada, Russia
• There’s also the Alpine tundra – high mountains
• Threatened by oil drilling & mining
Terrestrial Diversity
• Grassland Climate Graphs
Forest Biomes:
• Tropical Rain forest
• Near equator
• Year-round warm temps & high precip. (80F, 75-100 in per year)
• Dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants  create canopy
• High NPP & biodiversity: Parrots, frogs, monkeys, snakes, jaguar, etc.
• Nutrient-poor, acidic soil
– Temperate Rain forest
• NW America
• Moderate temps & high precip.
• Dominated by coniferous evergreen trees (spruce, fir, redwoods)
• Lots of moss
• Relatively lower biodiversity due to limited light
• Major source for timber
• Animals: elk, weasels, owls, bear, cougar, salmon, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9MV5CgPgIQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWzDlRvv1M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btM0A3jOEoc
– Temperate deciduous forest
• US, Europe
• Warm summers, cool winters
• Dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees (oak, maple, hickory) 
dormant in winter, grow leaves back each spring
• Lots of birds, rodents, insect, some larger mammals (deer, skunks,
foxes, bears)
– Taiga/ Boreal forest/Coniferous
• South of arctic tundra in N. America, Europe, Asia
• Warm summers, cool winters
• Dominated by coniferous evergreen trees (spruce, pine, fir, cedar)
– Needles prevent water loss
• Needles make soil acidic
– Slow decomp
• Animals: bears, wolves, lynx, caribou, chipmunks, weasels, etc.
– Hibernate
Terrestrial Diversity
• Forest Climate Graphs
Types of Aquatic Organisms:
Plankton: drifting organisms
 Phytoplankton
 Producers/Autotrophs
produce 50% of the O2 you breath everyday
 Ex: Diatoms, cyanobacteria
 Zooplankton
 consumers
 Ex: rotifers, fish & crab larvae
 Nekton
 Strong swimmers
 Ex. fish, turtles, whales, adult jellyfish
Limiting
Factors:
Temperature,
light,
oxygen,
nutrients,
Turbidity
(cloudiness)
 Benthos
 Bottom dwellers
 Ex. sea stars, clams, crabs, anemones
*Watch short videos on plankton
http://www.planktonchronicles.org/en/episode/embryos-and-larvae
https://www.ted.com/talks/the_secret_life_of_plankton
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/plankton-revealed/?ar_a=1
Aquatic Life Zones
Key factors in distribution of organisms:
1. Temperature: Decreases w/ depth
2. Availability of light for photosynthesis
•
•
Confined to Euphotic (photic) zones
Decreases w/ depth
3. Dissolved oxygen content
•
Decreases with depth
4. Availability of nutrients (CO2, NO3-, PO43-)
•
CO2 increases with depth
5. Turbidity: degree of cloudiness in water
• Inhibits photosynthesis
Marine Life Zones:
Coastal Zone: Intertidal
Estuaries: where fresh mixes w/saltwater
Estuaries form between Atlantic Ocean and 5 major Georgia
rivers -the Altamaha, Ogeechee, Satilla, Savannah, & St.
Mary’s
Wetlands: land covered with water all or part of year
Hydric soil -saturated by water, resulting in anaerobic conditions
Services: absorbs pollutants, controls flooding, storm buffer, &
provides habitat/nurseries
Watch & Answer Questions: Bill Nye wetlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7wO3W1mWnA
• The Savannah River broadens
into an estuary about 28 miles
upstream from the Atlantic
• Sewage & industrial waste
Threats:
pollution
• Mercury contamination from
coal fired power plants & the
manufacture of chlorine
• Savannah Harbor Expansion
Project (SHEP) is predicted to
affect the fresh/salt water
composition impacting flora &
fauna
Organisms
Adaptations
Marsh grass (spartina)
& cattails
flexible stems to withstand tides,
vacuoles to store salt, air spaces
for oxygen transport (hydric soil
not aerated), barriers to block salt
Fiddler Crab
gills & a primitive lung, to breath
in water & on land, burrows for
escape from high tide, decrease
activity level
Cypress Trees
Cypress knees (provide stability)
*In general organisms will have excretory organs which remove excess salt & water
3. Coral Reefs
Coastal Zone: Neritic (shallow area)
• Tiny animals or “polyps” secrete calcium
carbonate shells
• Polyps and zooxanthellae algae = mutualism
get O2 & chemical energy
get a home & CO2 for
photosynthesis
FOCUS: Gray's Reef
- Sandstone formation (not coral)
provides habitat for invertebrates: corals, moss
animals (bryozoans), tunicates (sea squirts),
sponges, & barnacles.
Coastal Zone: Neritic-Coral Reef
Services:
Biodiversity (Marine equivalent of tropical rain forests)
Provides habitat for one-fourth of all marine species
Food
Recreation
Threats:
Warmer ocean temperatures = coral bleaching: kills algae
Increasing ocean acidity
Coastal development
Pollution, runoff
Overfishing/ trawling
Dredging
Careless boat operation
Ozone depletion- UV rays harm coral
*Watch short videos on ocean threats
http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Life-in-the-Sea/SciMedia/Animations-and-Interactives/Marine-ecosystem
Open Ocean/Pelagic: Three vertical zones:
1. Euphotic zone: lit upper zone
– Phytoplankton perform photosynthesis
– Nutrient levels low & d-Oxygen levels high
– Have fast swimming, predatory fish (swordfish, sharks, tuna)
2. Bathyal zone
– Dimly lit, few producers, Have zooplankton and smaller fishes
3. Abyssal zone
Dark & cold, high pressure, No photosynthesis, little doxygen, nutrient levels vary
Deep, hot ocean vents (black smokers)
w/chemosynthetic bacteria using hydrogen
sulfide to create chemical energy
*Watch short video on abyssal creatures
http://youtu.be/FswYwyke7cc
http://www.untamedscience.com/biology/biomes/pelagic-biome/
A lot of the marine fish we eat come from
pelagic fisheries (mackerel, sardine & tuna.)
Stocks have been over-exploited and some
species even face extinction due to
overfishing.
Clear, well-lit open water, large predators
Decreased light & oxygen concentrations,
Squids & swordfish
Goes down and past the continental
slope, pressure is great; food is
limited
to the debris of dead material that
sinks like snow from the above zones.
where the continental slope levels
off
Deep ocean vents (black smokers)
w/chemosynthetic bacteria using
hydrogen sulfide to create chemical energy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufxGw8EqY5Q
• Marine Life Zones: 3 major zones
• 3. Benthic Zone:
– = The Ocean Floor
• Underlies all the other zones
– Communities consist of
•
•
•
•
Bacteria
Fungi
Seaweed (algae)
Invertebrates
(sponges,
echinoderms,
mollusks)
• Fish
Ocean Threats :
*Watch short videos on ocean threats
 Coastal development
 Habitat destruction
 Overfishing, trawling
 Pollution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc605ajWIBE
 Invasive species
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52403911#52403911
 Climate change &coral bleaching
http://i2i.stanford.edu/AcidOcean/AcidOcean3.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-bHt1bOsw
 Ocean acidification
 Eutrophication(dead zones)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOmeTOIrRg
http://www.smm.org/deadzone/what/top.html
Ocean pH is currently around 8.1, models by end of century it may be around 7.7
III. Freshwater Zones
Lentic (standing):
 Lakes
 Ponds
Lotic (flowing):
 Streams
 Rivers
Organisms & Adaptations:
*interactive websites
http://tdcms.ket.org/knh/loticcommunities.html
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/knh.entcomm/lenticcommunities/
4 Lake Zones (lentic):
Littoral [lit-er-uh l] zone
1. Rooted plants
2. Shallow, near shore
Limnetic zone
1. Open, away from
shore
2. Photosynthetic
(photic) zone
Profundal zone
1. Deep, dark
2. No photosynthesis
Benthic zone
1. Decomposers &
detritivores
Great Lakes -largest
supply of surface
freshwater in the world
Low nutrients
Good light penetration
High DO
Deep waters
Low algal growth
Small mouth bass, lake trout
Oligotrophic Lake
High nutrients
Poor light penetration
Low DO
Shallow waters
High algal growth
Carp, catfish, bullhead
Eutrophic Lake
Cultural (artifical) eutrophication: input of excess nutrients
(fertilizers) causing excess algal growth
Aquatic Life Zones
• Lake Types Based on Nutrient Levels:
– Oligotrophic lakes
• Low nutrients and low NPP
• Very clear water
– Eutrophic lakes
• High nutrients and high NPP
• Murky water with high turbidity
– Cultural (artifical) eutrophication: input of excess
nutrients (fertilizers) causing excess algal growth
• Oligotrophic lake
• Eutrophic lake
• Freshwater Degradation:
– Dams destroy habitat
– Flood control levees and dikes along rivers alter
flow & destroy habitat
– Pollutants from cities and farms on streams,
rivers, and lakes
– Draining wetlands for agriculture & development