Download Human Impacts - Wappingers Central School District

Major Ecosystems of the World
Terrestrial Biomes
 Biome = a particular physical
environment that contains a
characteristic assemblage of plants &
animals, soils, and climate
The Major Terrestrial Biomes
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Tundra (Arctic - Permafrost)
Taiga (Cold - Boreal Forest)
Temperate Rainforest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Grassland
Chaparral (Temperate Woodland & Shrubland)
Desert
Tropical Savanna
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest
Tundra
Tropical dry forest
Desert
Northwestern
coniferous forest
Mountains and
ice caps
Tropical savanna
Temperate woodland
and shrubland
Tropical rain forest
Boreal forest
(Taiga)
Terrestrial Biomes…
• Biomes are large, and encompass many
interacting ecosystems and climatic zones
• Type of biome is controlled by temperature
and precipitation:
– In polar biomes, cold temps. dominate
– In tropical biomes, precipitation dominates
Vertical Zonation: (Elevation Effect)
• Vegetation and
organisms vary
with elevation up
a mountain as
temps get colder,
wind gets
stronger, shade
diminishes, etc.
Tundra…synopsis
• Very short growing
season
• Little precipitation
(10-25 cm / yr)
• Permafrost
• Low species
diversity
TUNDRA
• Key locations: most
land areas above 60°
North latitude; coastlines
of Greenland, Northern
Iceland, Northern
Canada, N. Russia
– Alpine tundra is similar in
temps but at tops of
mountain ranges, so other
differences occur.
Tundra…
• Climate: long, harsh
winters, very short
summers with only 50 –
160 “growing days”; very
little precipitation (cold
air suppresses precip.)
with most of it during
summer;
• snow predominates
landscape, along with
broad, shallow lakes and
ponds, marshes, bogs,
sluggish streams
Tundra…
• Soils: tundra soils are
geologically young
(glacier laid deposits),
and are nutrient poor,
very little organic
matter (dead leaves,
animal droppings); soil
contains permafrost
and only melts at upper
layers in summer;
topography generally
flat;
Tundra…
• Vegetation: low species
richness; low primary
productivity, very few
plants occur.
• Permafrost limits depth
of roots, thereby
preventing woody plants
from developing;
• Tundra dominated by
mosses, lichens,
grasses, and sedges
(grass-like plants), some
dwarf trees;
Tundra
• Important Animals: lemmings,
voles, weasels, arctic foxes,
snowshoe hares, snowy owls,
ptarmigan, musk oxen are yearround inhabitants; caribou return
in summer, along with migratory
birds; mosquitoes, black flies,
deerflies all survive winter as
eggs or pupae;
• all animals live “on the edge” and
have acclimated to extremely
harsh conditions; almost no
reptiles or amphibians exist in
the tundra.
Tundra…
• Human impacts: Make a list please. Think of
what human activities occur directly in the
tundra. Also, what activities do we engage in
outside the tundra that also influence the
tundra?????? Research, ask questions.
TAIGA (Boreal Forest)...synopsis
• Short growing
season
• Low precipitation
(~50 cm / yr)
• Dominated by
conifers (spruce, fir),
but also has aspen,
birch
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
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Taiga – located just south
of the tundra, where
evergreen trees begin to
dominate the landscape;
Key locations/Other: occur
mainly in Russia and
Canada;
covers 11% of earth’s
land; stretches across
most of North America and
Eurasia; no southern
hemisphere counterpart
Taiga…
• Climate: severe, very
cold winters; little
precipitation, though
more than tundra (about
50 cm per year)
Taiga…
• Soils: very acidic, mineral poor soils; does contain
deep layer of decomposed pine needles, spruce
needles; soil contains patchy permafrost, especially at
northernmost extreme of biome; many kettle lakes and
ponds filling in pits left by glacial ice chunks
Taiga
• Vegetation: Conifer trees
(cone-bearing evergreens)
such as black and white
spruce; balsam fir, eastern
larch dominate; some
deciduous trees (shed leaves
in autumn) exist; Conifers
excel due to drought
resistance properties
(needles have minimal
surface area, limit water
loss); northern winter months
can be very dry, as snow
seldom melts to provide
usable water;
Taiga…
Important Animals:
• some large mammals like
caribou, wolves, bear, moose
during winter (south from
tundra);
• many small mammals like
rodents, rabbits, lynx, mink,
sable;
• birds are abundant in summer,
migrate south in winter;
• insects of many types
abundant;
• few amphibians or reptiles.
Taiga…
• Threatened and Endangered
Animals Within the Boreal
Forest
• Woodland Caribou
Wolverine
Whooping Crane
Eskimo Curlew
Harlequin Duck
Peregrine Falcon
Wood Bison
Ross's Gull
Eastern Ribbonsnake
Newfoundland Pine Marten
Northern Goshawk (laingi)
Taiga (Northern Boreal Forest)
• Human impacts: One of the human impacts
should be incredibly obvious to you….there’s
lots of trees in the Taiga!
Temperate Rain Forest
• Key Locations/Other: northwest coast of North
America (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, & British
Columbia (Canadian province)
Temperate Rain Forest
• Climate: high annual
precipitation (200 – 380
cm); proximity to coast
moderates seasons
(small seasonal
temperature
fluctuations); winters
mild, summers cool, very
short drier season
Temperate Rain Forest
• Soils: relatively
nutrient poor
soils, but more
organic content
than taiga or
tundra; forest
litter of needles
and branches
takes years to
decompose
due to cool
temperatures;
Temperate Rain Forest
• Vegetation: Large
evergreen trees such as
western hemlock, Douglas
fir, western red cedar, Sitka
spruce, western arborvitae;
rich in epiphytic vegetation
– smaller plants that grow
on the trunks of trees and
carpet the ground,
including mosses, lichens,
ferns. Some deciduous
shrubs such as vine maple.
Temperate Rain Forest
• Important Animals: species richness is very
high (one of worlds most diverse biomes);
squirrels, wood rats, mule deer, elk, birds, many
reptiles and amphibians, plus many large
mammals of other biomes present here
Temperate Rain Forest
• Human Impacts:
Temperate Deciduous
Forest…synopsis
• Hot summers, cold
winters
• Moderate precipitation
(75-150 cm / yr)
• Dominated by oaks,
hickory, maple
• Commonly converted
to agriculture
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
 Key Locations/Other:
NE USA, Europe, Asia
(Mid-latitudes)
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
• Climate: moderate
precipitation (75-126 cm
annually); hot summers
& cold winters
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
• Soils: thick layer of humus (organic material) in
topsoil; deep, clay-rich lower layer (subsoil);
• minerals leached by infiltrating water to clay layer if
not absorbed into plant roots
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
• Vegetation: dominated
by broad-leaved
hardwood trees (oak,
hickory, beech) in the
northern areas (NE &
mid-eastern USA);
broad-leaved evergreens
(magnolia) take over in
the southern portions of
this biome; dense
canopies can form in
undeveloped areas of
this biome
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
• Important Animals: In
Europe & N. America,
logging and landclearing for development
and agriculture have
removed native
mammals such as puma,
wolves, bison; some
remain in varying
numbers such as deer,
bear; small mammals
like rodents and many
birds now dominate.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
 Human Impacts:
 Think of what
percentage of the world
lives within this biome!
Grasslands:
Grasslands…synopsis
• Hot summers, cold winters
• Low to moderate precipitation
(25-75 cm / yr)
• Dominated tallgrass or shortgrass prairies
• Heavily converted to agriculture
Grasslands:
 Key Locations: Tallgrass prairies occur in parts
of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas,
other Midwestern states; Shortgrass prairies
occur in eastern Montana, S. Dakota, etc.;
Ukraine, parts of China, etc.
Grasslands:
 Climate: Summers are
hot, winters are cold,
rainfall is variable and
can change dramatically
from year to year, with
average precipitation of
25 – 75cm. Tallgrass
prairies are moist,
shortgrass prairies are
dry with grasses that are
more drought resistant
Grasslands
• Soils: considerable
organic material due to
grasses dying off each
winter and adding
humus; roots and
rhizomes of grasses can
eventually form a thick
mat under the surface,
forming sod; nutrients
remain near surface in
low precipitation areas,
but are leached in wetter
zones
Grasslands…
• Vegetation: moister
areas are known as
“tallgrass prairies”,
with few trees but
grasses of various
types growing in
abundance to
heights above 6
feet; drier areas are
called “shortgrass
prairies”, with
smaller grasses.
Grasslands
• Important Animals:
Originally, many grazing
mammals existed here,
including bison,
pronghorn elk, with
predators such as
wolves, coyotes; smaller
animals like prairie dogs
and their predators like
foxes, birds of prey, etc.
also existed, many
grouse, birds, snakes,
lizards, insects abound;
Grasslands…
• Human Impacts: Think of the dust bowl….what
happened? Why did it happen?
Chaparral…synopsis
• Dry summers, mild
winters
• Frequent fires
• Dominated by short
pines, evergreen
shrubs, scrub oak (but
varies worldwide)
Chaparral:
Key Locations/Other: Occur in N. American
southwest (including California), Mediterranean,
Australia, New Zealand
Chaparral…
• Climate: called
“Mediterranean” climate,
with very mild winters
with abundant
precipitation, but very
dry summers. Usually
occur in hilly areas
adjacent to coast;
chaparral is type of
vegetation that
dominates California
Chaparral…
• Soils: thin, usually
infertile, rocky
landscape, fires common
in late autumn
Chaparral…
• Vegetation: drought-resistant evergreen
shrubs, pine or scrub oak shrubs (3 m tall
max.); takes on a lush, green appearance in
winter (rainy), with a barren, dry look in
summer; fire-adapted plants which grow in
nutrients left by burning;
Chaparral…
• Important Animals: mule deer, chipmunks,
wood rats, lizards, many bird species
• Human Impacts:
Deserts
Deserts…synopsis
• Wide daily variations in
temperature
• Very dry (<25 cm
precipitation / yr)
• Sparse plant coverage
Deserts…
• Key Locations/Other:
U.S. Southwest including
Arizona, New Mexico,
California’s Mohave
Desert; Sahara in Africa,
etc.
– Usually centered near 30
degrees N or S latitiude
due to sinking air, high air
pressure, and dry
conditions
Deserts:
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•
•
Climate: Extremely
dry; found in both
temperate (cold
deserts) and tropical
(warm deserts)
environments;
Lack of water vapor
results in temperature
extremes (really hot
during daytime, very
cold at night);
precipitation less than
25 cm annually;
Deserts…
• Soils: low in organic
material due to lack of
plants, high in mineral
content (NaCl, CaCO3,
CaSO4) due to lack of
leaching; mineral
concentrations can be so
high that they are toxic
to plants; soil is
generally exposed to
wind
Deserts:
• Vegetation: some
deserts have virtually no
plants at all; others
contain cacti, giant
saguaro (type of cactus),
yuccas, Joshua trees,
sagebrush; desert plants
have spines or thorns to
discourage foraging by
animals, also built to
store water for long
periods of time
Desert:
• Important Animals:
small animals mostly,
including insects, frogs &
toads, desert reptiles
include desert tortoise,
iguana, Gila monster,
Mohave rattlesnake;
mammals such as gerbils,
kangaroo rats, mule deer,
jackrabbits, kangaroos in
Australian deserts;
carnivores include birds
of prey, fox, etc.;
Deserts…
• Human Impacts:
Savanna:
Savanna…synopsis
• Precipitation 76-150 cm / yr, but very
seasonal with extended dry periods
• Dominated by grasses, with occasional trees
• African most famous for herds of wildebeest,
antelope, zebra
Savanna:
•
Key Locations/Other: African savanna most
notable; others include S. America, W. India, and N.
Australia
Earth’s Major Biomes
Climate: Basically like a
tropical grassland area;
low rainfall (perhaps a
short rainy season) with
long dry periods;
seasons regulated by
precipitation since temps
stay consistent all year;
annual precipitation is
85-150 cm;
Savanna:
• Soils: low in essential nutrients; strongly
leached during short rainy seasons; rich in
aluminum – to the point of toxicity to plants in
many areas;
Savanna…
• Vegetation: mostly grasses with occasional
acacia trees (thorny), trees and grasses have
fire and/or drought protective features like huge
underground root systems enabling them to
survive drought
Savanna:
• Important Animals:
herds of hoofed
animals such as
wildebeest, giraffe,
zebras, elephants;
plus predators such
as lions, hyenas.
Savanna…
• Human Impacts:
Tropical Rain Forests
Tropical Rain Forests…synopsis
• Very high
precipitation 200450 cm / yr
• Very nutrientpoor soil
• Extremely high
primary
productivity
• Extremely high
species richness
Tropical Rain Forests:
• Key
Locations/
Other:
Central
and South
America,
Africa,
southeast
Asia
Tropical Rain Forests:
• Climate:
temperatures are
warm throughout the
year, with
precipitation almost
every day; very
warm, very moist
conditions; annual
precipitation of 200450 cm;
transpiration from
lush tree growth
provides much of
the moisture.
Tropical Rain Forests:
• Soils: soil is very mineral poor due to massive
leaching from extensive rainfall; plenty of
bacteria, fungi, detritus-eating insects quickly
decompose organic litter leaving very little
organic material in the soil; roots of plants
quickly absorb whatever remains for the health
of the plants themselves
Tropical Rain Forests…
• Vegetation: very productive biome, plants thrive
despite somewhat poor soil because of warm temps
and plenty of moisture;
• species richness is most of any biome, with
thousands and thousands of different species of
plants;
• trees include evergreen flowering plants, along with
extensive epiphytes including mosses, ferns, orchids,
etc. other epiphytes grow in the bark or leaves of their
hosts; three distinct levels (stories) in a fully developed
tropical rain forest including crown (tops of trees),
middle story (canopy of leaves, little sunlight), and
the ground level (no sunlight);
• Ground plants adapted to climbing to reach available
light.
Tropical Rain Forests…
• Important Animals:
Most abundant biome
for insects, reptiles,
amphibians, birds
very brilliantly
colored, mammals
include monkeys,
sloths, some
elephants
Tropical Rain Forests…
• Human Impacts: These were
discussed first week of
school…this was one of our “9
big issues” that we explored.
Interaction of Terrestrial and Aquatic
Biomes
• Most land biomes are bordered by or contain
aquatic biomes
• Interactions between land and water are
significant (runoff, erosion, biotic factors, etc.)
• Protection of aquatic ecosystems helps
terrestrial biomes; vice-versa…