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The Biosphere

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What is the Biosphere? The biosphere is the portion of Earth that supports life.

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Climate Average weather conditions Cloud cover, temperature, humidity, & wind Determined by: Solar radiation, Earths path around sun, distribution of land masses and seas, and land elevation Humans are altering the climate

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Airborne Pollutants Ozone thinning- -the use of CFCs is depleting ozone layer Cloud cover, temperature, humidity, & wind -more UV radiation is reaching Earths surface -this leads to cancer and increased temperatures

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Smog-an atmospheric condition in which winds cannot disperse airborne pollutants that have become trapped under a thermal conversion Caused by the burning of fossil fuels

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Acid Rain- precipitation with high levels of sulfur and nitrogen oxides Caused by the burning of fossil fuels Effect-alters habitats and kills organisms

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What is a Biome?What is a Biome? A large, relatively distinct terrestrial region with characteristic Climate Soil Plants Animals Interacting landscapes

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Terrestrial Biomes

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Using Precipitation And Temperature To Identify Biomes

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Arctic Tundra Tundra Northernmost biome Frozen layer of subsoil (permafrost) Low-growing vegetation adapted to extreme cold/short growing season Plants include sedges, mosses, lichens, grasses and 400 varieties of flowers Animals include caribou, musk ox, arctic hare, voles and lemmings are the principal herbivores, which enable a few carnivores like the arctic fox, snow owl, polar bear, and wolf to survive.

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Arctic Tundra

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Taiga Taiga Coniferous trees dominate the taiga, or boreal forest Cold winters, short growing season, and acidic, mineral-poor soil Belted Across North America and Eurasia Plants include evergreen spruce, fir, pine, and the deciduous larch or tamarack Animals include fur-bearing predators like the lynx and members of the weasel family (e.g., wolverine, fisher, pine martin, mink, ermine, and sable). Herbivores include the snowshoe hare, red squirrel, lemmings, and voles.

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Taiga

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Temperate Forests Temperate Rain Forest Large conifers High precipitation 200 350 cm as rain and snow Average temperatures 0 o C to 20 o C Main stretch of this habitat is along the northwestern coast of North America from northern California though southern Alaska Plants include Douglas fir and Western red cedar, Mountain hemlock, Western hemlock, Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine Animals include deer, bears, coyotes, slugs, grouse, etc.

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Temperate Rain Forest

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Temperate Forests Temperate deciduous forest Precipitation relatively high (30 to 60 inches a year) Soils rich in organic matter Broad-leaf trees that lose their leaves seasonally dominate Average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50 F. Four distinct seasons - spring, summer, autumn, and winter Oaks, maples, hickory, elms Eagles, black bear, deer, squirrels, coyotes

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

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Grasslands Temperate grassland Deep, mineral-rich soil Moderate but uncertain precipitation Well suited to growing grain cr ops Chaparral Thickets of small-leaf evergreens Climate of wet, mild winters and dry summers

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Temperate Grassland

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Chaparral

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Significance Of Precipitation In Temperate Biomes

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Dry Biomes - Deserts Desert Cold deserts in temperate climates Warm deserts in subtropical or tropical regions Low levels of precipitation Organisms with specialized water- conserving adaptations Cactus, roadrunners, peccary, yuccas, Gila monster, kangaroo rat, bobcat, etc.

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Desert

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Tropical Biomes Savanna Tropical grassland Widely scattered trees interspersed with grassy areas Occurs in topical areas with low or seasonal rainfall Giraffes, elephants, lions, hyenas, springbok Acacia trees, elephant grass, baobab trees, Bermuda grass

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Savanna

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Tropical Biomes Tropical rain forest Mineral-poor soil High rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year (50 to 260 inches ) High species richness and high productivity Average temperature between 20 o C to 34 o C

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Tropical Rain Forest

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The Worlds Major Biomes

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Human Effect On Biomes Tundra Oil exploration and military exercises result in long-lasting damage Taiga And Temperate Rain Forests Clear-cut logging destructive (deforestation) Temperate and Deciduous Forests and Tropical Rain Forests Removed by logging and development

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Other impacts of humans Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fieldsforestswoodlands Urbanization Monocropping is the high-yield agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land, in the absence rotation through other crops.agriculturalrotation Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlifeland degradationdry

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Aquatic Biomes

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Aquatic Ecosystems Important environmental factors Salinity Amount of dissolved oxygen Availability of light for photosynthesis

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Aquatic Life Aquatic life divided into Plankton Free-floating organisms Nekton Strongly swimming organisms Benthos Bottom-dwelling organisms

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Freshwater Ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems include: Flowing-water ecosystems Streams and rivers Standing-water ecosystems Ponds and lakes Freshwater wetlands Estuaries

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Features Of A Typical River

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Estuary Estuaries Coastal body of water with access to both the ocean and fresh water from rivers Transition from land to sea; freshwater to salt water Called bays, lagoons, inlets, or sounds Shore birds, fish, crabs and lobsters, marine mammals, clams and other shellfish, marine worms, and sea birds

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Zonation In A Large Lake

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Thermal Stratification In A Temperate Lake

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Freshwater Swamp

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Marine Ecosystem Marine environments Intertidal zone Shoreline between low and high tides Benthic environment The ocean floor Neritic province Open ocean from shoreline to depth of 200 meters Oceanic province Ocean deeper than 200 meters

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Zonation In The Ocean

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Seaweeds In A Rocky Intertidal Zone

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Sea Grass Bed

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Coral Reef Organisms

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Biogeography Study of the geographic distribution of plants and animals Each species originated from its center of origin Alfred Wallace divided the Earths land areas into six major biogeographic realms

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Wallaces Biogeographic Realms

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The Effects of El Nino and La Nina El Nino-massive eastward flow of warm surface waters of the western Pacific that displaces cool water off South America It disrupts global climates when it recurs Lasts 6 to 18 months then La Nina occurs

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La Nina- cooler climatic events b/t ENSOs the 1997-1998 pattern had a record breaking impact on primary productivity Led to increase in algal blooms and a huge Cholera outbreak

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