Download Environment Chapter 3: The Earth`s Ecosystems Section 1: Land

Environment Chapter 3:
The Earth’s Ecosystems
Section 1: Land Ecosystems
Section 1: Land Ecosystems
 Abiotic – (means non-living) all of the physical
factors that affect organisms in a particular area
 Ex. Water, soil, light and temperature
 Biome – a geographic area characterized by certain
types of plant and animal communities.
 Not a specific place. A desert biome refers to any and
all desert ecosystems on Earth
10 Major Biomes of Earth
Biomes
 What are the main factors that
determine which biome is found in a
region?
Rainfall
Temperature
Forest Biomes
 Where do forest biomes develop?
 where there is enough rain and
 where there are temperatures that are not
too hot in the summer and not too cold in
the winter.
Ex. – Temperate Deciduous Forest
Coniferous Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate
Deciduous Forests
Temperate Deciduous Forests
 Deciduous – (meaning “to fall off”)
Deciduous trees have leaves that
change colors and fall from trees.
 What major biome would you find
deciduous trees?
 Temperate Deciduous Forest – this forest
contains several different species of trees.
Coniferous Forests
 A Conifer is a tree that produces seeds in
cones.
 Ex. Pine Trees
Evergreens
Coniferous Forest
- not much change from summer to winter
- long, cold winters
Tropical Rain Forests
Tropical Rain Forests have more biological diversity
than any other biome on the planet. Diversity is a
measure of the number of species an area contains.
As many as 100 species of trees may
live in an area about ¼ the size of a
football field.
Up to 1,400 birds
can be found in the
canopy (treetops)
Grasslands
 Temperate Grasslands – mainly grasses
mixed with a variety of flowering plants.
Grasslands
 Savanna – a tropical grassland with
scattered clumps of trees.
Deserts
What is a desert?
Deserts
 What is a desert?
 A hot, dry region that supports a variety of
plants and animals.
 Name some species and their adaptation
to the desert biome.
Deserts
Desert Species and their adaptations
Tundra
 Tundra – a far northern biome on the top of high
mountains where the climate is so cold that no
trees can grow.
Arctic Tundra
 with average summer temperatures of 53.6F and
winter temperatures of -14F
 The major feature of the arctic tundra is permafrost.
 Permafrost is the soil below the surface that stays
frozen all the time.
Alpine Tundra
 Found above the tree line of very high mountains
 Receive a lot of sunlight and precipitation, mostly in the
form of snow.
Marine Ecosystems
 A marine ecosystem is based on salty water.
 4 Abiotic Factors that marine ecosystems
are shaped by




Temperature
Amount of sunlight penetrating the water
Distance from land
Depth of the water
Marine Ecosystems
 Phytoplankton – the most abundant
microscopic photosynthetic organisms that float
near the surface of the water.
Phytoplankton
 Zooplankton
– the consumers that feed
on the phytoplankton.
Marine Ecosystems
 A. The Intertidal Zone – the area where the
ocean meets the land.
 B. The Neritic Zone – moving seaward, the
water becomes gradually deeper toward the
edge of the continental shelf.
A
B
C
D
Marine Ecosystems
 C. The Oceanic Zone – past the continental
shelf, the sea floor drops sharply. This is the
deep water of the open ocean.
 D. The Benthic Zone – the sea floor
A
B
C
 Chemosynthetic – to use
chemicals in the water near
thermal vents to make food.
D
Freshwater Ecosystems
 Moving water – ex. Brooks, strems and rivers
 Tributary – each trickle or stream of water that joins a
larger trickle or stream.
 As more tributaries join a stream and the stream
becomes larger and wider, a river is formed.
 Meander – to move back and forth
 Delta – organic material and sediment that is
deposited on the bottom of a slow moving river.
Freshwater Ecosystems
 Littoral Zone – the zone closest to the edge of
the land.
 Open-water Zone – extends
from the littoral zone across the
top of the water.
 Deep-water Zone – below the
open-water zone where no light
reaches.
Freshwater Ecosystems
 A Wetland is an area of land where the water
level is near or above the surface of the ground
for most of the year.
 Wetlands
 soak up large
amounts of water
 replenish the
underground water
supply
Freshwater Ecosystems
 A Marsh is a treeless
wetland ecosystem where
plants such as cattails and
rushes grow.
 A Swamp is a wetland
ecosystem where trees and
vines grow.