Environment Diversity (Outline) (Chapter 34)

1. From the biosphere to the organism 2. Compare and contrast ecology, ecosystem, community, and

biome. 3. The abiotic chemical and physical factors and the biosphere 4. Aquatic biomes and abiotic and biotic factors affecting the

organism in aquatic ecosystems 5. Terrestrial biomes and factors contributing to their climates 6. The eight major terrestrial biomes and their vegetation 7. The water cycle connecting aquatic an terrestrial biomes

Atom

Molecules

Organelle

Cell

Tissue

Organ

Organ system

Organism

Population

Community

Ecosystem

Bioshpere

The Hierarchical Structural Organization of Life

Anatomy &

Physiology

Ecology Interactions of living organisms with their

surrounding environment

• Rachel Carson a pioneer who documented her concerns about the global dangers of pesticide abuse in her 1962 book Silent Spring

www.rachelcarson.org

Environmental awareness is relatively new

– The biosphere consists of ecosystems composed of • biotic living communities and • abiotic nonliving physical and chemical factors

– Biomes are distinct communities living in a particular climate • Aquatic biomes: fresh water and marine • Terrestrial biomes: 8 eight major ones, each with

own climate and plant life

Abiotic Factors Determine the biosphere’s structure and

dynamics They include

• Solar energy • Temperature • Water • Nutrients • Other aquatic factors-

• amount of dissolved O2 , salinity • Other terrestrial factors- wind

Aquatic Ecosystems

– Oceans cover about 75% of the Earth’s surface – Major factors shaping aquatic communities

Light and the availability of nutrients are the • Salt water (Marine ) • Fresh Water

High water Low water

Oarweed (to 2 m)

Brain coral (to 1.8 m) Intertidal

zone

Continental shelf

Benthic realm

Photic zone

Apho

tic zo

ne

Pelagic realm

Sea pen (to 45 cm)

(seafloor)

Brittle star (to 60 cm)

Sponges (1 cm to 1 m)

Phytoplankton Zooplankton

Octopus (to 10 m)

Sea spider (1 to 90 cm)

Glass sponge (to 1.8 m)

Sea cucumber (to 40 cm)

Rat-tail fish (to 80 cm)

Tripod fish (to 30 cm)

Man-of-war (to 50 m)

Blue shark (to 2 m)

Turtle (60 to 180 cm)

Sperm whale (10 to 20 m)

Hatchet fish (2 to 60 cm)

Gulper eel (to 180 cm)

Anglerfish (45 cm to 2 m)

200 m

“Twilight”

1,000 to 4,000 m

No light

6,000 to 10,000 m

Marine Biomes

Marine Biomes: Key Factors • Sunlight and where they live: solid bottom or in open

water • Three ones:

I. Intertidal zone II. Photic zone (light)

Continental shelf (solid floor) Pelagic zone (open water)

III. Aphotic zone (light) Twilight No light

Benthic (sea floor) Open water

The intertidal zone: where water meets land – Salt marshes, sand, rocky beaches, and tide pools – Often flooded by high tides and then left dry during

low tides

• The pelagic zone: open ocean – Phytoplankton and zooplankton – Supports highly motile animals such as fishes,

squids, and marine mammals

• The benthic zone: bottom of the ocean – supports organisms based upon water depth and

light penetration

• The photic zone: where light penetrates and photosynthesis occurs

• The aphotic zone: dark region of the ocean – most extensive part of the biosphere – Habitat for a diverse and dense populations

.

• Coral reefs: in warm tropical waters above the continental shelf – support a huge diversity of invertebrates and fishes

• Coral reefs are easily degraded by: – Pollution – Global warming – Native and introduced predators – Human souvenir hunters

Freshwater Ecosystems • Include: lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands • Abiotic factors are: Current, sunlight, and nutrients

Wetlands

• Transitional Btwn aquatic & land

• Highly variable • Examples

– Wet mossy bogs and tropical swamps

– Seasonally wet vernal pools

Estuaries are productive areas where rivers meet the ocean

– The saltiness ranges from <1% to 3% – They provide nursery areas for oysters, crabs, and

many fishes – Rapidly dwindling due to development

Terrestrial Ecosystems • Eight major types of biomes • Distinguished by predominant vegetation • Biomes are influenced by regional climate If the climate in two geographically separate areas is

similar, the same type of biome may occur in both places

Regional Climate

• Global climate patterns are determined by 1. Solar energy 2. The planet’s movement in space

– The Earth’s tilt causes the seasons – Wind patterns

3. Ocean Currents warms & cools coastal areas - created by winds, planet rotation, unequal heating of surface

waters, and the locations and shapes of continents

4. Mountains

• Regional Climate (temperature and precipitation) influences terrestrial communities

Low angle of incoming sunlight

Sunlight strikes most directly

Low angle of incoming sunlight

Atmosphere 60°S South Pole

Tropic of Capricorn 30°S

0° (equator)

30°N Tropic of Cancer

North Pole 60°N

Solar radiation varies with latitude due to the uneven heating of Earth’s surface

Trade winds

Ascending moist air releases moisture

Trade winds

Descending dry air absorbs Moisture- (westerlies)

Temperate zone

Temperate zone

Tropics

Doldrums 0°

Uneven heating causes rain and winds

Descending dry air absorbs Moisture- (westerlies)

Prevailing wind patterns – In the tropics, Earth's rapidly moving surface deflects

vertically circulating air, blowing winds from east to west (Trade Winds)

– In temperate zones, the slower-moving surface blows winds from west to east (The westerlies)

Greenland

North America

Europe

Africa

Gulf Stream

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

South America

Atlantic Ocean currents

East Wind direction

Pacific Ocean

Coast Range

Sierra Nevada

Rain shadow Desert

Rainfall is affected by location of mountains, prevailing winds, and ocean current patterns

30°N

Tropic of Cancer

60°N

Arctic circle

Equator

Tropic of Capricorn 30°S

Tropical forest Savanna Desert Chaparral

Temperate grassland Temperate broadleaf forest Coniferous forest Tundra

High mountains Polar ice

Major Terrestrial Biomes

www.aresearchguide.com/biomes.html

Biome Types in relation to temperature and rainfall

http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=4&secNum=2

Tropical Rain Forests Several types in the warm, moist belt along the equator – Most diverse ecosystem on Earth – Large-scale human destruction of tropical rain forests

endangers many species and may alter world climate

Savannas Drier grasslands with scattered trees in tropical

areas and some non-tropical • Fire-adapted vegetation

Deserts Driest of all terrestrial ecosystems – characterized by low and unpredictable rainfall – Desertification is a significant environmental problem

The Chaparral Biome • Dominated by Spiny shrubs (Southern California) • Characterized by cool, rainy winters and dry, hot

summers • Poor soil low to moderate diversity

– Chaparral vegetation is adapted to periodic fires

Temperate Grasslands Found in the interiors of the continents, where

winters are cold (croplands of the world) – Excellent soil with moderate to high diversity – Drought, fires, and grazing animals prevent trees from growing – Farms have replaced most of North America’s temperate

grasslands

Temperate Broadleaf Forests Sufficient moisture to support growth of large trees • trees drop leaves in winter • soil excellent with moderate diversity – Almost all the original broadleaf forests in North America

have been drastically altered by agriculture and urban development

Coniferous Forests or Taiga • The largest terrestrial biome on Earth • Evergreen with poor soil and low to moderate

diversity (dominated by a few species of trees) • Characterized by long, cold winters and short,

wet summers

The Arctic Tundra Lies between the taiga and the permanently frozen

polar regions – A treeless biome characterized by long, bitter-cold winters

cold, wind, and permafrost (continuously frozen subsoil) – plants very low to ground minimal root system

Solar heat Net movement

of water vapor by wind Water vapor

over the sea

Precipitation over the land

Water vapor over the land

Precipitation over the sea

Evaporation from the sea

Evaporation and transpiration

Flow of water from land to sea

Surface water and groundwater

Oceans

The global water cycle connects aquatic and terrestrial biomes