BIOSPHERE CHAPTER 34

34.1 THE BIOSPHERE IS THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM The scientific study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment is called ______________. Ecology. Organisms environment consists of two types of factors. Nonliving/abiotic Living/biotic

Biotic factors: Living organisms Prokaryotes Protists Animals Abiotic factors: Nonliving or physical condition Wind Water Soil Rocks

LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION Biosphere (broad) Ecosystem Community Population Organism (specific)

BIOSPHERE The biosphere is not spread out uniformly around the planet. The biosphere is “patchy” like a quilt with different environments. These environmental variations are due mainly to differences in abiotic factors such as temperature, soil type, water and light.

The patchiness creates a number of different _______. Habitats. Habitats: Are specific environments in which organisms live.

KEY ABIOTIC FACTORS Sunlight Provides light and warmth and is the energy source for almost all ecosystems. Water Essential for life on Earth. All organisms contain water How much of our body is water? 70%!

KEY ABIOTIC FACTORS Temperature: Most life exists within a range of 32 F to 122 F. Some organisms have adaptations to live in colder/hotter temperatures. Soil: Affects the types of plants that grow there. Nutrient poor soil= small grass Nutrient rich soil= taller plants

ABIOTIC FACTORS Wind: Moves clouds and rain over Earth’s surface. Create currents in water sources. Disperse pollen and seeds for plants.

34.2 CLIMATE The Earth’s surface can be divided into different temperate zones based on lines of latitude. We have 3 different zones….

Tropics: Warmest temperature zone Polar zones: Coldest temperature zone Temperate zone: Seasonal changes.

WHAT ZONE DO WE LIVE IN? Temperate zone

LOCAL CLIMATE Who has even been to a beach? Do you ever walk out of your shore house and feel like it’s 100 F? When you walk to the beach you feel much cooler. Why?

Local climate changes due to large bodies of water. Water absorbs and release heat more gradually than other substances (soil and rock).

Why does a kangaroo rat (lives in the desert) burrow underground? Keep cool by living in a dark, moist environment. What is this called? Microclimate: Climate in a specific area that varies from the surrounding climate region.

34.3 BIOMES Biome: Major types of terrestrial ecosystems that cover large regions of Earth. Tropical Rainforest Savanna Desert Temperate Grassland Temperate Deciduous Forest Coniferous Forest Tundra

TROPICAL RAINFOREST Occurs near the Equator. Temperatures are warm all year around. Receives the most amount of rainfall a year. Most amount of biodiversity!

SAVANNA Grasslands with scattered trees. Grasses grow rapidly. Warm climate but alternating wet and dry seasons.

DESERT Receives less than 30 cm of rain per year! Plants are able to store water better. Animals burrow underneath the sand. Is hot during the day but cold during the night!

TEMPERATE GRASSLAND Deep rich nutrient soil. Seasonal drought, occasional fires. Large grazing animals. Contain a large diversity of microorganisms.

TEMPERATE RAINFOREST Deciduous: Trees that drop their leaves each year. Large amounts of rain to support bigger trees. Provide many different habitats.

CONIFEROUS FOREST Towering cone-bearing trees such as pine and spruce. Long cold winters and heavy snowfall.

TUNDRA Bitterly cold and high winds. Permafrost: Permanently frozen subsoil. Mosses, lichens, and short grasses thrive.

34.4 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS Ponds and Lakes Freshwater ecosystems (little salt) Light areas (photic zone)= light penetrates the water Dark areas (aphotic zone) = limited light

STREAMS AND RIVERS A body of flowing fresh water. Streams are smaller bodies of water. Top of the river/stream is cold, low in nutrients, and clear. Bottom of the river/stream. Water is murky, warmer with more phytoplankton.

ESTUARIES Estuaries: Streams and rivers merge with an ocean. Chesapeake bay!

OCEAN ZONES Intertidal zone: Area of shore between the high-tide and low-tide lines. Exposed to sun. (closest to land) Neritic zone: Low-tide out the edge of continental shelf. Some sunlight. (in between ocean and land) Oceanic zone: Edge of continental shelf to ocean. Filled with zooplankton. (farthest away from land)

CORAL REEFS Extremely diverse ecosystem. More than one of every four marine species inhabits a coral reef.

DEEP-SEA VENTS Depths of 2,500 meters deep. Organisms live around hydrothermal vents. No sunlight, very dark. Hydrothermal vents: hot gases and minerals escape from the Earth.

TUBE WORMS