Download Biome - Terrestrial

Ecosystems
Key terms
Autotrophs/Producers
• Heterotrophs/Consumers
• Decomposers
• Ecological Community
• Community-level interactions
• Keystone species
• Trophic level
• Limiting Factors
• Know the difference and be able to compare:
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Biotic factors vs. Abiotic factors
Food chains vs. Food webs
Niche vs. habitat
Structure
Learning Objectives/questions:
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What defines an ecosystem?
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How to classify and explain the interactions w/in an
ecosystem.
Structure
electron
neutron
proton
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Levels of Ecological Organization:
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Atom
Molecule
Cell
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
Life on Earth
Life on earth depends on 3 interconnecting factors:
1. The one-way flow of energy (high-quality)
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2.
Cycling of matter or nutrients (round – trip)
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Sun to earth and living things
Photosynthesis (low – energy)
Can not be recycled
Only certain amount of matter and nutrients on earth.
Required for life sustainability
Depending on the cycle, takes seconds to centuries.
Gravity
o
Allows us to hold onto the atmosphere surround the
earth, which allows life to be sustained.
Abiotic Factors
Non-living components:
• Water, air, nutrients
• Rocks
• heat, solar energy
• Salinity
• Temperature
• pH
• Wind
Biotic Factors
All components that consists of living and once lived.
• Plants
• Animals
• Microbes
• Dead organisms and parts of organisms
• Waste products from organisms
Ecology
Ecology – study of relationships in the natural world.
• Ecologist – the person or scientist that study these
interactions
• Applied ecology – Uses information from ecologists
to better understand issues like developing effective
vaccination strategies, managing fisheries or large
ranches without over harvesting, depleting genetic
diversity, designing land/marine conservation
reserves for threatened and endangered species
(spp) and modeling how ecosystems may respond to
global climate change, natural and human disasters.
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Biomes
A collection of ecosystems that share similar climatic
conditions, vegetation and animals.
In relation to ecosystems
• Most changes in ecosystems are caused by climate
change, species movement in and out of the ecosystem
and ecological succession.
• Species basic physical conditions for survival also play a
role in an ecosystem.
• Geography has an important impact on ecosystem
changes because of climate circulation patterns
(atmospheric and oceanic) and climate zones.
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Factors include:
• Temperature ranges, moisture availability, light and nutrient
availability, and altitude (height above or below sea level).
Biomes
Climate Zones:
• Divided into 4 distinct areas •
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Tropics – warmest, wettest regions
Equator - where the sun’s heat and energy are the strongest.
Subtropics – high-pressure creates dry zones @ 30° latitude North
and South.
Poles – Driest and coldest zones @ 60° latitude.
Reason for climate zones –
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The angle of impact of the sun’s rays on the earth
• Equator = 90° Angle
Latitude and altitude change the ambient heat energy the further
you move away from the equator or away from the surface.
The Earth is tilted at a 23.5° angle creating seasons as it orbits
around the sun.
Biomes
broad geographical areas that stretch the globe which
contain many ecosystems with a wide range of diverse
groups of organisms that are adapted for those specific
temperatures and precipitations.
Division of biomes (with subdivisions)
Aquatic
Freshwater
– swamp forests, lakes, ponds, streams, rivers
and bogs
Marine – rocky shore, mud flats, coral reefs, mangrove
swamps, continental shelf, deep ocean
Terrestrial
Deserts – hot and cold
Forests – Tropical, temperate, and boreal(taiga)
Grasslands – Tropical or savanna and temperate
Tundra – arctic and alpine
Biomes
Aquatic Biomes (Freshwater and Marine)
• Covers ¾ of the earth’s surface.
• Include – open ocean, coral reefs, estuaries, lakes,
rivers
• Large bodies (oceans & lakes) are layered
• Surface – warmest with most amount of light
filtration.
• Depends on the movement and mixture from deep
to surface for nutrients.
Biomes - Aquatic
Wetlands – Freshwater and saltwater swamps,
marshes, bogs
• All
have standing water, water table is at the surface, ground
is saturated
• Little oxygen creates special soils and decay takes place
slowly.
• Creates the coal we use today over a geological time period.
• Bogs
– no surface water but have a layer of vegetation
that lays on top of the water.
• Bacteria found here carry out chemical processes that
produce methane and hydrogen sulfide.
Biome - Aquatic
Freshwater – lakes, rivers, ponds, streams,
groundwater.
• Very
small portion of the Earth’s water supply.
• Used to supply water to homes, industry, recreation,
and agriculture.
• Rivers and streams are used to transport materials
from land to ocean.
• Abundant in biotic factors.
• Estuaries – mouths of rivers where ocean water and
freshwater mix. – rich in nutrients, impt. in breeding
sites for fish (salmon).
Biome - Aquatic
Intertidal zones:
• Areas
exposed to the alternation of air during low tide
and ocean waters during high tide.
• Constant movement of water transports nutrients in
and out of the zone.
• Major economic resources found here, i.e. seafood
• Susceptible to pollution from land and freshwater
sources.
• Extreme variations in environmental conditions occur
here.
Biome - Aquatic
Open Ocean:
• Called
pelagic region
• Tend to be low in nitrogen and phosphorus
• Benthos – bottom portion
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Primary food source is dead organic material that falls from above.
• Upwellings
– Deep ocean waters
Cold and dark, life is scarce
• Rich in nutrients – dead organic material (organisms) fall from surface
• Upward flows of waters brings those nutrients to the surface allowing
abundant growth of algae and animals at the surface.
• Commercial fishing occurs in these areas because of the abundant and
diverse fertile organisms found here.
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• Hydrothermal
vents – occur in deep ocean where plate tectonic
processes create vents of hot water with a high concentration of
sulfur compounds.
Chemosynthetic organisms live here
• Water pressure is high, and temps range from boiling to frigid.
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Differences
Oceans
Freshwater
Large continuous areas
Varies in size, mostly isolated from other
water sources.
Organisms have a more free range of
movement through areas, Less need to
adapt to changes in conditions
More adept to a wider range of changing
conditions and able to change habitats.
Biomes - Terrestrial
Tundra – treeless plains that occur in the harsh
climates of low rainfall and low average temps.
• Dominant
vegetation – grasses, mosses, lichens,
flowering dwarf shrubs
• Two types
• Arctic
– High latitudes, Antarctica and N. Canada/Greenland
• Alpine – High elevation, Himalayas, Rocky Mountain Ranges,
Swiss Alps
• They differ by the types of animals found
• Permafrost
fragile
– permanently frozen ground, extremely
Biomes - Terrestrial
Boreal (Taiga) Forests:
• Forests
of cold climates
• High latitude and High
• Dominated by conifers (trees), form dense small trees.
• Spruce,
• Biological
firs, pines, aspens and birch to name a few.
diversity is low
• Commercially valuable resources
• Include large mammals, small rodents, many insects,
birds, raptors
• Contain some of the Earth’s largest remaining
wilderness
• Conservation is important (Yellowstone)
Biomes - Terrestrial
Temperate Deciduous Forests:
• Climates
are somewhat warmer than Boreal.
• N. America, Eurasia, Japan
• Dominant vegetation
Maples, beech, oaks, hickory, chestnuts
• Taller trees than Boreal
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• Dominant
animals
Smaller mammals that tend to live in trees (squirrels), birds,
rodents, insects
• Larger mammals tend to live in the younger forests where tree
population is smaller
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• Long
dominated by humans
Important nature preserves (Yellowstone, Yosemite)
• Very few remaining uncut, old growth forests left
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• Fire
is natural and recurring, but not as dominant as in
Boreal
Biome - Terrestrial
Temperate Rain Forests:
• Temps
are moderate and precipitation exceeds
250cm/year
• Rare but spectacular
• Dominant vegetation –
Coniferous and evergreen trees
• Redwood, Sequoia, Douglas Fir, Western Cedars
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• Northern
Hemisphere –
California, Oregon (Redwood, Sequoia)
• Canada
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• Southern
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Hemisphere –
New Zealand
• Major
source of Timber crops, esp. in N. America
• Low diversity of plant and animal species because of the
low sunlight available on the forest floor.
Biome - Terrestrial
Temperate Woodlands:
• Temp
patterns are like deciduous forests, but climate
is slightly drier.
• N. Hemisphere –
• New
England, Georgia, Caribbean islands.
• Dominant
veg –
• Samll
trees – pinion pine, evergreen oaks, ponderosa pine
• Stands are open and wide allowing plenty of sunlight to
reach forest floors
• Fast
growing and used for timber crops
• Animal species –
• Deer,
small/med mammals, birds, rodents
Biome - Terrestrial
Temperate Shrublands:
• Mediterranean
climates, low rain fall and cool
seasons, Drier climates called Chaparral
• Coastal
California (mid to lower), Chile, S. Africa, Med region
of Europe (Ancient Greece and Rome).
• Miniature
woodlands with dominant shrubs
• Highly modified by humans because of the climate
and is conducive for ranching and farming.
• Young tree/shrub lands – conducive to fires
• Used to decorate many streets and gardens
Biome - Terrestrial
Temperate Grasslands:
• Too
dry for forests, too moist for deserts.
• Dominant plants –
• Grasses
• Soils
and flowers
have a deep organic layer, perfect for farming
• i.e.
– Midwest, Kansas, Wyoming
• Covers
areas from Canada down to Northern
Oklahoma.
• Abundant animal species
• Large
mammals – horses, American Bison, Kangaroos
(Australia), antelope and other large herbivores (Africa)
• Small mammals – rodents (prairie dogs), foxes
Biome - Terrestrial
Tropical Rain Forests:
• Avg
temp is high and relatively constant the whole
year, rainfall avg is high and frequent.
• Northern South America, Central America, Western
Africa, N. Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Borneo,
Hawaii and parts of Malaysia.
• Diverse plant and animal species –
• Approx
2/3 of all flowering plants live here.
• Mammals tend to live in trees – Monkeys, sloths, etc.
• High diversity of bird species and insect species
Biome – Terrestrial
Tropical Seasonal Forests and Savannas:
• Low
latitudes, avg temp is high and constant
• Rainfall is abundant but seasonal
• Location –
• India,
• Savannas
SE Asia, Africa and N & S Americas.
– grasslands with scattered trees
• Large mammals – Lions, Tigers, Herds like Zebras,
Giraffes, Pandas, Elephants, etc.
• Abundance of plant species.
Biome – Terrestrial
Deserts:
• Driest
regions where vegetation can survive.
• Rainfall is typically less than 50cm a year.
• Sahara (Africa), Mojave (Ca/Az), Whitesands (N.M), Mexico
and Australia occur at low latitudes.
• Cold deserts – Utah, Nevada and W Asia
• Specialized vegetation
Joshua tree in Ca/Az.
• Cacti
• yuccas,
• turpentine bush
• prickly pears,
• false mesquite,
• agaves and brittlebush.
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• Specialized
animal species
Vertebrate – lizards, snakes, jackrabbits, foxes, rodents,
burrowing animals, birds, kangaroo mice
• Invertebrates – insects, beetles, arachnids
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Food Webs and Food Chains
• Food
webs:
• shows
the complexity of relationships and
energy flow between organisms within an
ecosystem.
• Food
Chains:
• Shows
a simple one-way relationship and
energy flow between a set group of
organisms.
Arrows represent the way the energy flows
through a system. (eaten to eater)
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Examples:
Food chain –
Grass  grasshopper  sparrow  Fox  Cougar
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Food Web
Cougar
Fox
Deer
tree
grasshopper
sparrow
worm
flower
butterfly
vole
grass
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Tertiary consumer
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Secondary consumer 2
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Secondary consumer 1
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Primary consumer
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Producer
Pyramids of Ecosystems
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Trophic level pyramid: