Climates April 25, 2013 Mr. Alvarez

What is Climate?  Weather- The day-to-day conditions of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place  Climate- the average, year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region

The Greenhouse Effect Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range – Function like glass windows of a greenhouse

Greenhouse Effect  Greenhouse Effect- The natural situation in which heat is retained by the layer of greenhouse gases

How this works 1.Solar energy penetrates the atmosphere in the form of sunlight 2.Most of the sunlight is converted into heat energy 3.Gases do not allow heat energy to pass back out of atmosphere o Heat is trapped inside earth’s atmosphere 4.If gases were not present, earth would be 30° Celsius cooler

Effect of Latitude on Climate The angle at which the sunlight hits the earth affects climate Earth has 3 main climate zones – Polar Zone- cold areas where the sun’s rays strike earth at a very low angle Between 66.5° and 90° North and South Latitude – Temperate Zone- more affected by the changing angle of the sun over the year, climate in these zones range from hot to cold

Effect continued Earth has 3 main climate zones – Polar Zone- cold areas where the sun’s rays strike earth at a very low angle Between 66.5° and 90° North and South Latitude – Temperate Zone- more affected by the changing angle of the sun over the year, climate in these zones range from hot to cold Between Polar and Tropic Zones – Tropical Zone- Receive direct sunlight year round, making the climate always warm Between 23.5° N and 23.5° S Latitude

Biotic and Abiotic Factors Together, biotic and abiotic factors determine the survival and growth of an organism and the productivity of an ecosystem in which the organism lives  Biotic- all living things, plants, animals and microorganisms, that affect an ecosystem

Abiotic Factors  Abiotic- all nonliving things in an ecosystem  Temperature  Precipitation  Humidity  Wind  Soil Type  Amount of Sunlight

Habitat vs. Nature  Habitat- area where an organism lives  Niche- the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives, and the way in which the organism uses those conditions If a habitat is an organisms address, then its niche is its occupation

Parts of a Niche Organism’s place in the food web – What it eats, what eats it Range of temperatures it can survive in When and how an organism reproduces

Community Interactions  Resource- Any necessity of life  Water  Nutrients  Light  Food  Space

Competitive Exclusion Principal  Competitive Exclusion Principal- states that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time

Interactions  Predation- An interaction in which one organism captures and feeds another organism  Predator- does the killing and eating  Prey- food for predator

Symbiosis  Symbiosis- Any relationship in which two species live closely together There are 3 types of symbiotic relationships – Mutualism – Commensalism – Parasitism

Mutualism  Mutualism- Both species benefit  Insects help pollinate flowers, flowers provide food for insects in form of nectar and pollen

Commensalism  Commensalism- One member benefits, while the other is neither helped nor harmed o Barnacles living on a whale

Parasitism  Parasitism- One organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it  The parasite obtains all or part of nutritional needs from the host organism  Ex: Fleas, Ticks, and Lice

Ecological Succession  Ecological Succession- series of predicatble changes that occur in a community over time  Can occur due to slow changes in physical environment or sudden natural disturbance from human activities, such as clearing a forest

Primary Succession  Primary Succession- Succession occurs of surfaces where no soil exists 1.Volcanic eruption builds a new island o Start with no soil, just ash and rock 2.Pioneer Species- first species to populate the area o Often Lichen- Fungus and Alga

Succession continued 3.Lichens grow and break rocks 4.Lichens die and add organic material to help form soil in which plants can grow

Secondary Succession  Secondary Succession- Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil  Disturbances include:  Natural Events such as fires  Human activities, such as over-farming