AP Biology

Chapter
40.1: Global
Climate and
Biomes
Isabel Padalecki
Laraib Awan
Lindsay Vaughn
Gabi Sherman
 Key Concepts: Earth’s climate influences the
distribution of terrestrial biomes.
1. Global climate patterns are largely determined by the input of
solar energy and Earth’s revolution around the sun.
2. The changing angle of the sun over the year, bodies of water and
mountains exert seasonal, regional, and local effects on climate.
3. Climographs show that temperature and precipitation are
correlated with biomes. Other factors affect biome location as
well.
4. Terrestrial biomes are often named for major physical or climatic
factors and for their predominant vegetation. Vertical layering is
an important feature of terrestrial biomes.
Global Climate Patterns
● Vocabulary
○ Abiotic: Nonliving factors like temperature, wind, precipitation, and sunlight; can influence
distribution and abundance of organisms.
○ Biotic: Living factors that can influence other organisms.
○ Climate: Long term, prevailing weather conditions in an area.

GLOBAL AIR
LATITUDINAL VARIATION
CIRCULATION AND
IN SUNLIGHT INTENSITY
PRECIPITATION
PATTERNS
Regional Effects on Climate
● Seasonality
○ The tilt of Earth’s axis and its revolution around the sun cause
seasons; due to variation in the intensity of solar radiation on a
certain area at a certain point in the year.
○ Wind changes lead to upwellings.
● Bodies of water
○ Influence coastal climates by heating/cooling overlying air masses.
○ Coastal regions generally wetter than inland.
○ Water’s high specific heat leads to moderate climate in coastal
regions.
● Mountains
○ As warm/moist air approaches a mountain (perhaps from a water
mass), air expands and cools and drops moisture on the windward
side.
○ Leeward shadow: cool dry air on the leeward side of the mountain
leads to desert conditions.
○ Differing species on each side.
Climate and Terrestrial Biomes ● Disturbance: an event such as a
storm or human activity that
● Biome: major life zones characterized by
changes a community, removing
vegetation type or by the physical
organisms and limiting resources.
environment
● Ecotone: Areas between types of
● Latitudinal pattern: Earth’s curves cause
ecosystems; home to unique
latitudinal variation in sun light intensity;
species and biodiversity.
biomes follow latitudinal patterns on earth.
● Climograph: plot of annual mean
temperatures & precipitation in specific
regions
● Patterns vs averages: Some areas can
receive the same amount of precipitation
but during different times of the yea; some
areas have wet and dry seasons instead of
consistent precipitation.
 Tropical Forest
● Equatorial/Subequatorial
● Climate
○ High temperatures, little seasonal variation.
○ Tropical Rain Forests: relatively constant
rainfall, 200-400 cm yearly. Tropical Dry
Forests: 6-7 month dry seasons, 150-200 cm
yearly.
● Organisms
○ Vertically layered; plants compete for light
○ Broadleaf evergreen trees (Açai Palm (Euterpe
precatoria)) leaves dropped in drier forests
during dry season.
○ High biodiversity
● Negative impact from increased human agriculture.
Savanna
● Equatorial and Subequatorial
● Climate
○ 30-50 cm rain yearly; up to 9 month dry season
○ Higher temperatures with moderate seasonal variance
● Organisms
○ Scattered, thorny trees with small leaves (adapted to dry
conditions)
○ Many plants are adapted to frequent fire; many termites Acinonyx jubatus
○ Grasses and small nonwoody forbs eaten by large
mammals
● Humans
○ Earliest humans lived here
○ Overly frequent fires set reduce tree generation
○ Cattle ranching and overhunting = declines in large
mammals
Desert
● Occur in bands near 30 degrees North and South
or on the interior of continents.
● Low, highly variable precipitation (>30 cm/year)
● Extreme temperatures, depending on if the desert
is cold or hot, that vary seasonally and daily.
● Low, widely scattered vegetation (succulents).
○ Plants adapted to tolerate heat and desiccation.
○ Common animals: snakes, scorpions, ants, beetle,
seed-eating rodents. Many are active at night, when it is
cooler.
○ Water conservation is a common adaptation.
● Urbanization and conversion to irrigated
Carnegiea gigantea
agriculture have reduced the biodiversity of some
deserts.
Chaparral
● Mid-latitude coastal regions; highly seasonal.
● Rainy winters and dry summers (20-50 cm
rain/year)
● Dominated by shrubs and small trees adapted
to frequent fire.
○ Some shrub seeds ONLY germinate after fire exposure.
○ Tough, evergreen leaves as drought adaptation.
● Animals: deer and goats (feed on twigs and
buds of woody vegetation), insects, amphibians,
etc. (Pictured: Capra aegagrus hircus)

● Have been heavily settled by humans; we’ve

contributed to excess fire in some areas.
Temperate Grassland
● Midlatitudes, often in the interior of continents
● Relatively dry winters and wet summers
○ 30-100 cm rain/year on average
● High seasonal temperature variation
● Tall grasses and forbs are common
○ Many plants adapted to prolonged droughts and fire
○ Grazing by large mammals (Bison bison; this is
actually the scientific name for bison ) helps prevent
establishment of woody shrubs and trees
● Burrowing mammals are common (prairie
dogs)
● Frequently converted to farmland due to fertile
soils
○ Overgrazing has lead to desertification
 Northern Coniferous Forest
● Also known as taiga; found in a broad
band across northern North America
and Eurasia
● Largest terrestrial biome
● Very cold winters, large seasonal
variation
○ 30-70 cm rain/year

● Cone-bearing trees are common; some depend on fire to regenerate

○ Conical shape prevents snow from accumulating and breaking the
branches of trees; needle-like branches reduce water
loss(coniferipsodas)
● Relatively low plant diversity; many migratory birds nest here
● Mammals include moose, brown bears, and Siberian tigers
● They are being logged at a fast rate; especially old-growth stands.
 Temperate Broadleaf
Forest
● Located in Midlatitudes in the Northern
Hemisphere
● Precipitation: 70-200cm annually and rains
during all seasons.
● Winters average around 0° Celsius. (32° Fahrenheit)
● Summers are humid, with max about being 35° Celsius. (95°Fahrenheit.)
● Deciduous trees which are the dominant plants drop leaves before winter
(Cornus florida). Animals hibernate and birds migrate.
● Have been heavily settled, virtually all deciduous trees have been destroyed
in North America.
Tundra
● Covers many areas of Arctic
● High winds and low temps. Produce alpine tundra at
mountaintops
● Precipitation
○ 20-60 cm in arctic
○ May exceed 100 cm in alpine

● Winters are on average below -30° Celsius(-22° F) and summers are

generally less than 10°C(50°F).
● Musk Oxen (Ovibos moschatus) live here, reindeer typically migrate along
with birds.
● Sparsely settled, the new focus of oil extraction.
1. Textbook
a. Urry, Lisa A., et al. Biology in Focus. 2nd ed., Pearson, 2016.
2. Online Research and Photos
a. http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/
b. http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199567669.013.1150
c. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/tundra.html
d. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm
e. http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/global_winds/
f. http://www.bioexpedition.com/taiga-biome/
g. https://www.nps.gov/orpi/learn/nature/saguaro-cactus.htm
h. https://giphy.com/gifs/my-edit-12u8JFo6XRrMI0
i. https://giphy.com/search/rainforest
j. https://giphy.com/gifs/penguin-SOFQElhCSqv3W