Download Ecosystem and Communities

ECOLOGY--Ecosystems and
Communities
What is Climate?
• Climate is the average yearly condition of
temperature and precipitation in a region.
• It’s caused by the latitude, wind, ocean
currents, and the shape and elevation of
land masses.
• Climate affects ecosystems, because all
organisms have certain needs for
temperature.
Biomes and Climate
• A biome is a group of communities on land
that covers a large area and is
characterized by certain soil and climate.
• A microclimate is a climate in a small area
that differs from the climate around it
(ex: fog on certain streets in a city and
sunny in the rest of the city).
The Major Biomes
• There are ten major biomes:
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Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical Dry Forest
Tropical Savanna
Desert
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Woodland and Shrubland
Temperate Forest
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
Boreal Forest (Taiga)
Tundra
What is Weather?
• Weather is the day-to-day condition of
earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and
place.
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Rusty Garrett-News 10
The Greenhouse Effect
• The greenhouse effect keeps the
temperature on Earth within a good
range for life.
• The gases in the Earth’s atmosphere
trap heat.
Greenhouse Effect
The Effect of Latitude on a Climate
• Differences in latitude determine the
amount of sunlight that hits and then
heats the Earth’s surface.
• Differences in heating cause three
main climate zones:
– polar zones - very cold areas
– temperate zones - ranges from hot to
cold depending on the season
– tropical zones - always warm
How The Sun Hits the Earth
POLAR ZONE
TEMPERATE
TROPICAL
ZONE
TEMPERATE
POLAR ZONE
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
• Organisms are influenced by biological
(biotic) and physical (abiotic) factors.
• Biotic factors include all living things.
• Abiotic factors include temperature,
soil type and other non-living factors.
• Where an organism lives is called its
habitat.
Abiotic
Factors
Biotic
Factors
The Niche
• A niche is the full range of physical
and biological conditions in which an
organism lives and how that organism
uses those conditions.
3 Species of Warblers and
Their NICHES
Community Interactions
• communities interact in one of three
ways:
1) competition - organisms try to use the
same resources they need to live.
Competition often results in one
organism dying out.
2) predation - this occurs when one
organism (predator) captures and eats
another (prey).
Community Interactions (cont.)
3) symbiosis - occurs when two species live
together in one of three ways:
– mutualism - both species benefit from
the relationship
– commensalism - one species benefits and
the other is neither helped nor harmed.
– parasitism - one species benefits by
living in or on the other and the other is
harmed
Ecological Succession
• Ecosystems are constantly changing in
response to natural and human
disturbances.
• As an ecosystem ages, older
inhabitants die out and new organisms
move in.
Why Conserve Our Biosphere?
• Most people want to preserve our biosphere for
future generations.
• Conservation, in ecology, includes wise management
of natural resources, protecting our habitats and
wildlife, and enforcing environmental laws.
• Today, our efforts are focused on protecting entire
ecosystems. This will ensure that the natural
habitats and the interactions of many different
species are preserved at the same time.