UNIT FOUR OFFICIAL TEXTBOOK STUDY GUIDE UNIT FOUR includes chapters 52 53 54 and 55 CHAPTER 52 Intro to ecology and Biosphere 52 1 Earth s Climate Varies by Latitude and Season and is Changing Rapidly Ecology the study of interactions between organisms and their environment o Aka it s the study of factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms Different levels of ecology o Global ecology influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials Biosphere the sum of all the planet s ecosystems and landscapes o Landscape ecology energy materials organisms across multiple ecosystems focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of Landscape a mosaic of connected ecosystems o Ecosystem ecology and environment emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms Ecosystem the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact o Community ecology and competition affect community structure and organization examines how interactions between species such as predation Community a group of populations of different species in an area analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it o Population ecology changes through time Population a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area o Organismal ecology includes the sub disciplines of physiological evolutionary behavioral ecology looks at how an organism interacts with its environment how its physical structures and behaviors meet the challenges created by its environment Most significant influence on organismal distribution land and sea climate o Climate the long term weather conditions in any given area Important climate components 1 temperature 2 precipitation 3 sunlight 4 wind but other factors than just climate can influence abundance and distribution The amount of solar energy solar radiation that varies seasonally surface heating and water rain shadows EXPLAINED MORE IN DEPTH BELOW Climate patterns divided up into 2 scales 1 Macroclimate patterns on the global regional and landscape level and 2 Microclimate localized patterns amongst a community of organisms MACROCLIMATE PATTERNS UNIT FOUR OFFICIAL TEXTBOOK STUDY GUIDE GLOBAL CLIMATE PATTERNS movement in space determined largely by the input of solar energy and earth s o The sun warms the atmosphere land water and this warming then establishes the temperature variations cycles of air and water movement or evaporation of water that would cause dramatic latitudinal variations in climate sun warmth cycle and temperature variations dramatic latitudinal climatic variations REGIONAL AND LOCAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE factors such as seasonal variation in climate large bodies of water and mountain ranges climate patterns can be modified by many o Seasonality cause strong seasonal cycles in high altitudes earth s tilted axis of rotation and its annual passage around the sun Also the changing angle of the sun over the course of the year affects local environments Seasons occur because of the tilt of the earth relative to the sun Spring autumn if earth is parallel to the sun then it is spring autumn Summer if earth s northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun then it is summer Winter autumn if earth s northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun then it is winter ocean currents influence climate along the coasts of continents by o Bodies of water heating or cooling overlying air masses that pass across the land Coastal regions are generally wetter than the inland areas i e California coast has a cool and misty climate due to the cold current coming off of the ocean this therefore supports a rainforest ecosystem there Due to the high specific heat of water oceans and lakes tend to moderate the climate of nearby land i e when land is warmer than water the warm air on the land heats and rises drawing in the colder air from the ocean similarly when the water is warmer than the land the warm air on the water heats and rises drawing colder air from the land But this kind of moderation between the water and the land is only true for the coastal areas o Mountains they influence air flow over land Approaching a mountain windward side warm moist air would rise and cool and release moisture Leeward side on mountain cooler dry air descends drawing up moisture and producing a rain shadow Rain shadows determines where many deserts are found Mountains also affect the amount of sunlight reaching an area and therefore the local temperature and rainfall South facing slopes receive more sunlight so are warmer and drier UNIT FOUR OFFICIAL TEXTBOOK STUDY GUIDE North facing slopes receive less sunlight so are colder and wetter o These differences influence species distributions locally One reason that high elevation communities at one latitude can be similar to those at lower elevations much farther from the equator is increases in elevation yield a temperature drop MICROCLIMATE PATTERNS Many features in the environment influence microclimate by casting shade altering evaporation from soil or changing wind patterns o I e forest trees often moderate the microclimates below them o I e cleared areas typically experience greater temperature extremes due to greater solar radiation and wind currents caused by the rapid heating and cooling of open land Every environment on earth is influenced by small differences o 1 abiotic factors nonliving factors that influence the distribution and abundance of organisms i e light water nutrients o 2 biotic factors living factors that influence the distribution and abundance of organisms i e other organisms that are part of an individual s environment GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE o Since climatic variables affect the geographic ranges of most plants and animals any large scale change in Earth s climate profoundly affects the biosphere i e the increase in carbon dioxide other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere o One way to predict the possible effects of future climate change in geographic ranges is to look back at the changes that have occurred in temperate regions since the last ice age ended However a fundamental question when applying this approach to plants is whether seeds can disperse quickly enough to sustain the range shift of each species as climate changes THE OBSERVATION THAT MANY SPECIES ARE ON THE MOVE IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ILLUSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE IN DETERMINING SPECIES
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