What are the two major factors determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes?TemperaturerainfallUNIT FOUR OFFICIAL TEXTBOOK STUDY GUIDEUNIT FOUR: includes chapters 52, 53, 54, and 55CHAPTER 52: Intro to ecology and Biosphere52.1: Earth`s Climate Varies by Latitude and Season and is Changing Rapidly- Ecology – the study of interactions between organisms and their environmento Aka – it`s the study of factors influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms- Different levels of ecology: o Global ecology – examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere Biosphere – the sum of all the planet`s ecosystems and landscapeso Landscape ecology – focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy/materials/organisms across multiple ecosystems Landscape- a mosaic of connected ecosystemso Ecosystem ecology- emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and environment Ecosystem- the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors withwhich those organisms interacto Community ecology- examines how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization Community- a group of populations of different species in an areao Population ecology- analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time Population- a group of individuals of the same species living in the same areao 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)=climateo 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 : determined largely by the input of solar energy and earth`s movement in spaceo 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 : climate patterns can be modified by many factors (such as seasonal variation in climate, large bodies of water, and mountain ranges)o Seasonality : earth`s tilted axis of rotation and its annual passage around the sun cause strong seasonal cycles in high altitudes 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 wintero Bodies of water : ocean currents influence climate along the coasts of continents by 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 warmair 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 areaso 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 drierUNIT FOUR OFFICIAL TEXTBOOK STUDY GUIDE- North-facing slopes: receive less sunlight, so are colder and wettero 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 dropMICROCLIMATE PATTERNS:- Many features in the environment influence microclimate by casting shade, altering evaporationfrom soil, or changing wind patternso I.e. – forest trees often moderate the microclimates below themo 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 increasein 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
View Full Document
Unlocking...