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UW-Milwaukee CES 210 - Vertical Zonation

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CES 210 1st Edition Lecture 7Environmental Terrestrial BiomesBiomes: areas sharing similar climate, topographic and soil conditions, thus the same basic types of biological communities- Temperature and precipitation are among the most important determinants in biome distribution- Temperature and precipitation also change with altitude. As you go up the mountain, it gets cooler and wetter. Vertical zonation: is a term applied to vegetation zones defined by altitudeTropical RainforestsHumid regions in the tropics that support one of the most complex and biologically rich biomesCloud Forest: high mountains where fog and mist keep vegetation continually wet Tropical Rainforest: occur where rainfall exceeds 80 inches per year and temperatures are warm to hot year roundSoil in the rain forest: tends to be thin, acidic, and nutrient poor- 90% of nutrients tied up in living organisms- Rapid decomposition and nutrient cycling occur- The soil cannot support continued cropping cannot resist erosion from frequent rains- Rapid deforestation occurring as people move into the forests- One half of two thirds of all the species of terrestrial plants and animals live in tropical forestsTropical Seasonal ForestsTropical seasonal forests: characterized by wet anddry seasonswith hot temperatures year round. - Brown and dormant much of the year but become green during the rainy season- Many of the plants are drought deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves when its dry- Only few of them remain in their natural state as humans use fire to clear the land in the dry season and settle there- Soil is richer than rainforest, therefore more productive land for agricultureTropical Savannas and Grasslands- Grasslands with sparse tree cover are called savannas- Rainfall amounts do not support forests- Dry season prone to fire- Plants with deep, long-lived roots and other adaptations to survive drought, heat, and fire - Many migratory grazers such as antelope, wildebeest, or bison Deserts- Characterized by low moisture levels and precipitation that is infrequent and unpredictable from year to year- Have wide daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations - Plants exhibit water conservation characteristics such as water-storing stems, thick epidermis to reduce water loss, and salt tolerance- Many plants bloom and set seed only after spring rains- Animals also have adaptations. Many are nocturnal and able to conserve waterDeserts are vulnerable- Slow growing vegetation is damaged by off road vehicles. It takes decades for desert soils to recover- Overgrazing: livestock are destroying the plants of the southern Sahara. Without plants the land cannot retain what little rainfall there is and it becomes more barrenTemperate Grasslands- Communities do grasses and seasonal herbaceous flowering plants- Few trees due to inadequate rainfall- Large daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations - Thick organic soils- Much converted to farmland. Tallgrass prairies in the U.S. are now mostly farms- Overgrazing is a threat because it kills the plants and permits erosion to occurTemperate Shrubland(Mediterranean)- Characterized by warm, dry summers and cool moist winters- Evergreen shrubs, scrub oaks, pines- Fires are a major factor in plant successionTemperate Deciduous forestTemperate regions support lush summer plant growth when water is plentiful- Deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter as an adaptation to freezing temperaturesEastern half of U.S. was covered with broad leaf deciduous forest when European settlers arrived. Much of that was harvested for timber- Areas in U.S. have re-grown, although the dominant species are different- Areas is Siberia severely threatened now, may be region with the greatest rate of deforestation in the world todayTemperate RainforestTemperate Rainforest: a cool, rainy forest often enshrouded in fog- Condensation in the canopy is a major form a precipitation in the understory- Mild temperatures year round and abundant rainfall- Coniferous forest of the pacific coast of the united states-giant California redwoodsBoreal ForestBoreal Forest: northern coniferous forest- Broad band of mixed coniferous and deciduous trees between 50 and 60 degrees north latitude- Dominated by pines, hemlock, spruce, cedar, and fir with some deciduous trees mixed inTaiga: northern most edge of boreal forest- Extreme cold and short summers limit the growth rate of trees. A tree that is 4 inches in diameter may be over 200 years oldTundraTundra: a treeless landscape that occurs at high latitudes or on mountaintops- Growing season of two or three months- Frost any month of the year- No trees- Water is frozen and unavailable most of the yearMarine Ecosystems- Oceans over ¾ of earths surface- Photosynthesis is carried out by algae or free-floating plants. Greatest amount of photosynthesis near the coast where nutrients wash in- Organisms die and fall to sea floor where the nutrients are used in deep ocean ecosystems- Upwelling currents circulate nutrients from the ocean floor back to the surface- Light and temperature decrease with depth and deep ocean species often grow slowly- Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water so productivity is often high in cold oceans such as the north AtlanticOcean systems classified by depth and location to shore- Benthic: bottom- Pelagic: water column above the bottom- Littoral Zone: area near shore Surface to Hadal Zone Communities- open ocean is a biological desert except for areas where nutrients are distributed by currents- the deepest layer of the ocean (hadal zone) contains communities of tube worms, mussels, that are supported by microbes that capture chemical energy from thermal vents on the ocean floor. These organisms are adapted to extreme temperatures and intense pressure. Coastal ZonesCommunities vary with depth, light, temperature, and nutrient concentrationCoral Reefs: aggregations of coral polyps that live symbiotically with algae. Their calcium-rich skeletons build up the reef- found in shallow water as light must penetrate for algal photosynthesis- threatened by trash, sewage, urban runoff, industrial waste, introduced pathogens and global warming. Global warming causes Coral Bleaching in which corals expel their algal partners, which can lead to mortality- one third of coral reefs have already been destroyed and 60 percent of the remaining reefs will probably be dead by 2030MangrovesMangroves are trees that grow in saltwater


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