7/4/2011

ECOSYSTEMS and BIOMES

Evie Laurito

Ecosystem Biomes

BIOMES - group of ecosystems of similar

vegetation due to similar climates

Factors that affect Biomes

1. Temperature
2. Moisture

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EASTERLIES

WESTERLIES

TRADEWINDS

Hadley Cells

Effect of Wind Flow

Evie Laurito

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Evie Laurito

Biomes
biome: the major types of terrestrial ecosystems
• determined primarily by climate
• major biomes:
o Tropical rain forest
o Desert
o Grassland
o Deciduous Forests
o Coniferous Forests (Boreal or Taiga)
o Tundra
• similar traits of plants and animals for biomes of
different parts of world; because of similar climate
due to moisture (rainfall) and temperature (sunlight)
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

Earth’s Major Biomes

Type of biome
controlled by
temperature and
precipitation

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Tropical Rainforest

• Equatorial Climate
- plenty of sunshine
- High rainfall & humidity
• Highest Biodiversity
• Before, rainforests covered
14 per cent of the land,
now only 6 per cent.
• Affects climate:
- water cycle
- CO2 absorption
- Solar albedo

Evie Laurito

Tropical Rain Forests

Tropical Rain Forests

Characterized by:
• Very high precipitation 200-450 cm / yr
• Very nutrient-poor soil
• Extremely high primary productivity
• Extremely high species richness

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 Amazon rainforests produce about 40% of the world's oxygen

 One in four pharmaceuticals comes from a plant in the tropical rainforests
 1400 rainforest plants are believed to offer cures for cancer
 40% of tropical rainforests have already been lost in Latin America and
Southeast Asia
 Over 750 species of trees
 1500 different kinds of flowering plants
 125 species of mammals
 400 species of birds
 100 reptiles
 60 amphibians
 countless insects
 150 species of butterflies
 **Only 1% of these species has ever been studied**
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• Lies between 15° and 30°

of the Equator
• Extremes in temperature,
40oC at day and below 0oC
at night
• Extremely dry, minimal
rainfall
• Vegetation is sparse: cactus
with spikes to reduce
transpiration
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Deserts
Deserts

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Fig. 7–15
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

Characteristics:
• typically < 25 cm (10 in) annual precipitation;
• sparse, widely spaced, mostly low vegetation
• cover 30% of land surface, especially at 30° N and 30°
S latitude;
• largest deserts on interiors of continents;
• plants either are typically deep rooted shrubs with small
leaves, succulents, or short–lived species that flourish
after rain;
• animals are typically nocturnal and have physical
adaptations for conserving water and dealing with heat.

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

Grasslands or Savannah

• Lies between 30° and 40°

north or south of the Equator
• Climate:
- hot, dry summers and
cold, wet winters
• Grasses provide grazing for
huge numbers of herbivores
and support many carnivorous
predators.

Evie Laurito

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Grasslands

Characteristics:
• sufficient rainfall to support grass, but often too dry for
forests;
• mostly found on interiors of continents;
• maintained by seasonal drought, grazing and periodic
fires that prevent invasion by shrubs and trees;
• plants include high diversity of grasses and herbaceous
plants that typically have broad distributions and that
have resistance to drought, grazing and fire;
• animals include large and small herbivores, along with
predators adapted to feed on these herbivores.

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

Types of Grasslands
 Prairies
 generally humid and are densely covered in tall grass.
 Few trees, most of them usually found on hill slopes or more humid near springs and rivulets.
 Grazing animals such as oxen and bison

 The Chaparral
 coastal biome consisting mainly of evergreen shrubbery and other resilient plants.
 Occur in regions which feature cold oceans, and warm land areas.

 Steppe,
 Found in areas of the world which are less prone to moisture.
 Grass is generally shorter than that which is found on prairie grasslands.
 Grazing mammals such as the antelope, and a wide variety of burrowing mammals such as ground squirrels
and ferrets.
 Steppes are virtually semi-arid deserts in the making, and are highly threatened by overgrazing.

 Savanna
 Savanna biomes are distinguished by their warmer drier climates, and their seasonal droughts.
 Trees that can store water for days, or special built-in mechanisms allowing the plant to lie dormant during
periods of drought.
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Figs. 7–19 & 7–20

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

Forest Biomes
Characteristics:
• sufficient rainfall to support growth of trees;
• types:
- Deciduous, Temperate areas, broadleaf tree with
moderate diversity;
- Boreal or Taiga, Typical conifers (needle leaves) with
low diversity; sub polar areas (long winters)

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

Characterized by:
• Hot summers, cold winters
• Moderate precipitation (75-150 cm / yr)
• Dominated by oaks, hickory, maple
• Commonly converted to agriculture

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Coniferous Forests

• Areas between 45 and 60 degrees

north and south of the equator
experience a cool temperate climate.
• These forests are mostly evergreen,
and are dominated by conifers, trees
which bear cones and have leaves that
resemble needles
• Seasonal
• Relatively few animals in conifer
forests

Evie Laurito

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Boreal Forest (Taiga)

Boreal Forest (Taiga)

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Forest Biomes

Fig. 7–23
© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP

Evie Laurito

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Tundra

• The polar regions are the

coldest places on earth and
are covered all year round
by snow
• Tundra is a treeless biome
• Little precipitation (10-25
cm / yr)
• Permafrost
• Low species diversity
• Animals: Polar bears ,
seals and arctic birds

Evie Laurito

Tundra
Tundra

Aquatic Ecosystems
Fundamental division:
Freshwater vs. Saltwater
But, both contain 3 ecological category of
organisms:
Free floating plankton

Strongly
swimming
nekton

Bottom-dwelling
benthos

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Aquatic Ecosystems
Freshwater Ecosystems
Lakes and Ponds

Highly productive, high species Photosynthetically productive;

richness large fish

Aquatic Ecosystems
Freshwater Ecosystems
Lakes and Ponds

Not always present; anaerobic,

dominated by decomposers

Aquatic Ecosystems
Freshwater Ecosystems
Wetlands: Marshes and Swamps

•Highly productive
•Nutrient rich due to slow
decomposition
•Remove many pollutants

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Aquatic Ecosystems
Estuaries: Where freshwater and
saltwater meet.
• Highly variable environment
(salinity, temperature, light penetration
rapidly changes).
• Many fishes and shellfish spend larval
stages here.

Aquatic Ecosystems
Estuaries
Two general types:
1) Salt marshes
2) Mangrove forests

Aquatic Ecosystems
Marine Ecosystems
Benthic Environment
Photic benthic environments include:
1) Sea grasses

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Aquatic Ecosystems
Marine Ecosystems
Benthic Environment
Photic benthic environments include:
1) Sea grasses
2) Kelp forests

Aquatic Ecosystems
Marine Ecosystems
Benthic Environment
Photic benthic environments include:
1) Sea grasses
2) Kelp forests
3) Coral Reefs

Aquatic Ecosystems
Marine Ecosystems
Oceanic Environment: Marine Food Chain

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BIOSPHERE 2

Evie Laurito

Biosphere 2: What went WRONG??

Biosphere II was a miserable (and expensive) failure.
 Puzzling decline in the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere
 Designers of Biosphere II included a carefully chosen variety of
plant, animal, and insect species.
 Of the 25 small vertebrates, only 6 did not die
 Almost all of the insect species went extinct
 Crazy ants, cockroaches ran rampant
 Biosphere II's water systems became polluted with too many
nutrients.
 N2O became dangerously high, there was a risk of brain damage
due to a reduction in the synthesis of vitamin B12.
 Disputes among the crew

Evie Laurito

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