THE BIOSPHERE IS THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM

ECOLOGY

• STUDY OF THE INTERACTIONS AMONG ORGANISMS AND BETWEEN ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

BIOTIC FACTORS• (LIVING) • EXAMPLES:

PROKARYOTES, PROTISTS, ANIMALS,

FUNGI AND PLANTS

ABIOTIC FACTORS

• NONLIVING• PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONDITIONS

ABIOTIC FACTORS

A. SUNLIGHTB. WATERC. TEMPERATURED. SOILE. WINDF. SEVERE DISTURBANCES

FIVE INCREASING BROAD LEVELS

A. INDIVIDUAL ORGANISMSB. POPULATIONSC. COMMUNITIESD. ECOSYSTEMSF. BIOSPHERE

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Levels of Organization

PATCHINESS OF BIOSPHERE

• NOT UNIFORM ACROSS THE EARTH• DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN ABIOTIC

FACTORS-UNEVEN HEATING FROM SUN

VARYING CLIMATES

UNEVEN HEATING OF EARTH’S SURFACE

RESULTS IN THREE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE ZONES:

TROPICS

• REGION BETWEEN 23.5°N LATITUDE AND 23.5°S LATITUDE• WARMEST AREA

POLAR ZONES

• REGION NORTH OF ARCTIC CIRCLE- 66.5 °N LATITUDE AND REGION SOUTH OF ANTARCTIC CIRCLE-66.5 °S LATITUDE• COLDEST AREAS

TEMPERATE ZONES• REGIONS BETWEEN THE POLAR

ZONES AND TROPICS• SEASONAL CHANGES• LESS SEVERE COLD AND LESS

SEVERE HEAT

BIOMES• TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS THAT COVER

LARGE AREAS OF EARTHA. CHARACTERIZED BY COMMUNITIES OF

PLANTS AND OTHER ORGANISMS ADAPTEDTO ITS CLIMATE AND OTHER ABIOTICFACTORS

B. LANDSCAPES APPEAR SIMILAR BUT SPECIFIC ORGANISMS VARY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD