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Deserts (Arid, Semi-Arid,
Coastal and Cold)
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Found around a belt of 30 degrees north and
south latitude.
North Africa (Sahara), Southwest United
States (Mojave), Middle East (Syrian),
Australia (Great Sandy)
Abiotic Factors
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Temperatures exhibit daily extremes because the
atmosphere contains little humidity to block the
Sun's rays. Desert surfaces receive a little more
than twice the solar radiation received by humid
regions and lose almost twice as much heat at night.
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Wind patterns carry down dry air from the upper atmosphere.
Plant and Animal Species
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Conditions force plant and animal species to adapt
in ways that allow for their survival (water storage,
spines, camouflage, nocturnal, estivate)
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Autotrophs: Barrel Cactus, Brittle
Heterotrophs: Coyote, Thorny Devil, Armadillo Lizard, Desert Tortoise,
South American gray fox, Kangaroo rats, burrowing owls
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Environmental Issues Cont…
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Desertification
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The process of land once suitable for agriculture into
desert. This process often expands preexisting desert
land and it is currently happening, most significantly in
the Sahel region of north Africa. The extreme drought
that started in the 1950s has caused a significant portion
of the Sahel to become desert land, fusing with the
Sahara Desert. More desert = more desolate land = less
biodiversity.
Once again there are no true solutions because it is a
natural occurring event.
Environmental Concerns;
Oil Extraction
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The desert is often destroyed for the purpose of extracting fossil
fuels from below the earth’s surface. Switching more of our
energy sources to renewable resources and thus decreasing the
demand for oil would help to preserve the surviving desert.
Furthermore, if oil is going to be taken, regulations should be
imposed on the amount and method as to do so with the least
amount of harm.
Tundra
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Latitude and longitude
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Arctic Circle
Most northern parts of Northern Hemisphere
From about 60° N and above
Countries and regions
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Arctic Circle
Russia
Canada
Siberia
Abiotic Factors
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Wind patterns
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30-60 mph (48-97 km/hr)
Forces plants to grow close to ground to survive
Geographic features
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Ground is permanently frozen
Permafrost underneath the ground surface
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Melts just enough during summer to allow plant
growth/reproductions
Solar radiation
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during summer 24 hrs/day of sunlight
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Allows for additional plant growth
Periods during the winter where no sunlight for weeks
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Major reason for how cold the arctic tundra can become
Major Autotrophs & Heterotrophs
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Autotrophs adaptations: low to ground, insulating silky
hairs
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Arctic moss, Pasque flower, bearberry
Heterotroph adaptations: camouflage, thick fur, fat for
insulation
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Arctic fox, caribou, polar bear, snowy owl
Environmental Issues
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Global warming
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Melting the permafrost which holds thousands of
plant remains
Carbon is released into atmosphere from plants,
greenhouse gas effect
Decreases the carbon sink
Solutions
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Increase number of fuel-efficient cars
Increase number of forestlands
Environmental Issues continued
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Pollution from Oil Drilling
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Kills surrounding plants, disrupts herding routes of animals
like caribou
Tracks from oil trucks cause permafrost to melt when hit by
sun, erode and become bigger
Disrupts natural habitats
Solutions
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Use different fuel options (cooking oil)
Only buy oil from Middle East
Alpine Tundra
Not restricted to latitude/longitude boundaries
Location Examples: Himalayan Mountains, Andes
Mountains, Rocky Mountains
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Abiotic Factors
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Geographic features: alpine tundra begins above timberline,
either on gentle slopes where the soil has developed large
meadow areas or on windswept slopes
Solar radiation: the little amount of atmosphere at high
altitudes exposes the Alpine to UV sunlight at dangerous
levels
Poor soil conditions
otrophs & Heterotrophs
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Autotroph adaptations:
to ground, dark colors,
leaves
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low
small
Moss Campion, Alpine Phacelia, Bear Grass
Heterotroph adaptions: thick fur, camouflage,
jump and climb over rocks
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Mountain Goat, Yak, Chinchilla, Alpaca, Llama
Environmental Issues
The Alpine Tundra is very fragile and can be damaged
very easily. About 1/3 of the world's soil-bound carbon
is held in the frozen tundra. Global warming is a huge
threat because if the tundra permafrost is melted, the
carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.
This will create an imbalance of chemicals in the
atmosphere.
We can prevent global warming by using compact
fluorescent light bulbs, recycling, or using public
transportation.
Environmental Issues
Hunting is another major problem in the Alpine
Tundra. This area contains many animals that can
not be found anywhere else in the world. Overhunting has caused animals inhabiting the Alpine
Tundra to be added to the endangered species list.
To prevent over-hunting, restrictions can be placed on
the hunting of certain species in the tundra.
Taiga : Scandinavian and
Russian Taiga
Longitude and Latitude:
60°10´N 024°56´N
Countries:
•Finland
•Sweden
•Norway
•Russia
Autotrophs & Heterotrophs
Autotrophs adaptations: Plants are evergreens
so that they can survive the cold weather,
they have a waxy coating on their needlelike leaves
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Pine, spruce, fir
Heterotrophs adaptations: thick fur, hibernate
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Wolves, Caribou, Lynx, Arctic Fox
Environmental Issue #1: Logging
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There are many trees in this area and so
people are cutting them down for their own
use, which has global consequences
because they are so important to the
absorption of carbon dioxide and grow
incredibly slowly in the cold climate. A
solution to this could be for governments to
set limits on how many trees can be cut per
year, as well as how and when to replant.
Environmental Issue #2: Unsustainable
Hunting
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This is when hunters kill animals faster than
they can reproduce, and the numbers start to
decrease, with greater chances of the animal
being endangered or extinct. This can be
solved with limits on hunting and, when the
issue is that the animal preys on livestock, a
fence or other form of protection around their
farm instead of getting rid of the animals.
Deciduous Forest
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The Deciduous forest biome is general
located between the tropics and boreal
forests all the way up to 60 degrees
depending on the area.
Autotroph and Heterotroph
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Autotroph adaptations:
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American beech
Heterotroph adaptations: camouflage, migratory
 White Tailed deer, Orioles, Raccoon, Eastern grey squirrel
Issues
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Over development is one of the main issues
facing the deciduous forests everywhere.
In the US urban sprawl is turning thousands of
acres of forest into suburbs, and thousands
more into farmland.
This problem is made worse do to the fact that
the east cost is not only the home of the
deciduous forest but one of the most densely
populated area of the United States.
The only solution being more effective zoning
laws and more responsible building.
The new
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Diseases, and blights, have harassed the
deciduous and other American forests for the
last two centuries.
Invasive Funguses destroyed the chestnut
trees in the 1800
Insects and fungi being introduced via
international travel can be controlled by laws
which prevent the importation of foreign
invasive plants but not easily.
Tropical Rainforest
Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
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Autotroph adaptations: live on tree limbs, parasitic, do not need
soil to grow, thin bark
 Bromeliads, Orchids, Ferns, Strangler Fig
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Heterotroph adaptations: arboreal, strong/long tails, camouflage,
long sharp beaks, poisonous
 Toucan, spider monkeys, orangutans, poison dart frogs, sloth
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Deforestation motives= timber, palm oil, rubber, pulp, and
minerals.
Problem: Rare and specialized species are vulnerable to forest
degradation. Solution: special conservation efforts required to
prevent extinction.
Problem: illegal logging. Solution: more sufficient alternative
economic developments.
Solution to deforestation in general: more adequate laws
should be enforced with stricter consequences.
Biodiversity
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The Amazon exists in
layers, each layer(ex.
Canopy, ocean floor etc)
30 million species of insect
500+ mammals
175+ lizards
300 other reptiles
3000 fruits
Half the worlds species can
be found in amazonia
It’s the most biodiverse area
in the world
Chaparral Biome
-The chaparral biome is found
in a little bit of most of the
continents
-The west coast of the United
States, the west coast of South
America,
the Cape Town area of South
Africa, the western tip of
Australia and the coastal areas
of the Mediterranean.
All the red areas have a chaparral
biome
Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
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Autotroph adaptations: waxy, waterproof coating on
leaves, dwarf vegetation
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Coyote brush, sagebrush
Hetertroph adaptations: camouflage, large ears
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Jack rabbit, aardwolf, golden jackal
Environmental Issues
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One environmental issue that the chaparral biome is
facing is, the cutting down of trees. This is a huge
problem because it is disturbing many plants and
animals that depend on them trees for a habitat.
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Solution: One solution can be that they limit the amount
of trees allowed to be cut down. Also, they could make a
law that says if you cut down so man trees, you are
required to plants some in return.
Prairie
The North American Prairie covers parts of
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New
Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma,
Texas and Wyoming
It also cover part of several Canadian Provinces
Autotroph and Heterotrophs
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Autotroph adaptations:
 purple needle grass, buffalo grass, blue grama
grass, and galetta grass
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Heterotroph adaptations: need little water,
camouflage, sharp claws
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Prairie dogs, jack rabbits, coyotes, prairie
chickens
The Prairie -vs- The World
When European settlers first arrived in the
prairie, they overgrazed the tall grass
areas and replaces them with agricultural
plants, and now the shortgrass prairie
areas are becoming overgrazed
One potential solution to this problem
would be reintroducing the original tall
grass species back into the area
Savanna
Geographical Locations
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A few countries with this
biome include:
Chad
Somalia
Sudan
Uganda
Rwanda
Australia
Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
Autotroph
adaptations: grow quickly in the
wet
season, lie dormant in the dry season
 red Oat Grass, Acacia Trees, Baobab
Trees
Heterotroph adaptations: migration, camouflage
 Lion, gazelle, african wild dogs, cheetah,
elephants
Increase Human Usage
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Overuse of land for agriculture
degradation of vegetation and soil resources
Overuse of water resources
nutrient losses and shifts in water balance
and availability
Preserve the savannas, control overgrazing,
and manage resources effectively
Step
pe
Located in the
USA, China,
Mongolia, Tibet,
and Siberia
Approximate Latitude: 45N
Autotrophs and Heterotrophs
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Autotroph adaptations: low to ground,
perennials. Tap roots
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Goldenrod, tumbleweeds, fringed sagebush
Heterotroph adaptations: estivate, run fast,
flat teethed herbivores, camouflage
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Prairie dogs, northern lynx, mongolian gerbils,
mongolian gazelle
Major Environmental Issues
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Overgrazing
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Suggested Solution: Restrictions on the number of
animals that can graze at a time