1. Ch. 4 – Ecosystems and Communities

2. Climate
Is the average, year after year, (after year) conditions of temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, atmospheric pressure, and other meteorolgical elements in a region.
Climate is affected by altitude, latitude, terrain, nearby bodies of water, solar radiation, and other factors.

3. World Climate

4. New Mexico Climate New Mexico 1 Northwestern Plateau
2 Northern Mountains 
3 Northeastern Plains 
4 Southwestern
Mountains 
5 Central Valley 
6 Central Highlands 
7 Southeastern Plains 
8 Southern Desert

5. Albuquerque Climate a. West Mesa and Heights Zone
The thermal belts above both sides of the Rio Grande valley and east of I-25; This is a semi-desert or in marginal areas, true desert.
b. Foothills Zone
The foothills on the west side of the Sandia / Manzano Mountains,below about 7000 feet elevation; This area, receiving more moisture is a mix of semi-desert, interior chaparral, and woodland.
c. Valleys and Major Arroyos Zone
The Rio Grande valley floodplain and the larger arroyos that drain into the valley.  
d. East Mountain Zone
The eastern side of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains, which are far more exposed to cold fronts. Typically cold winter, lower Rocky Mountains, High Plains or Great Basin.
e. Eastern Highlands and Basins Zone
The plains and undrained basins at the eastern base of East Mountain areas, which are also exposed to plains fronts, heavier soils, less moisture, higher daytime temperatures, and colder nights.

6. Artificial Climate
How/why is the very local climate of a large city quite different from natural surroundings?

7. Albuquerque Temperature

8. Albuquerque Record High 107 – June 1994 Record Low -17 – January 1971
( - 7 Feb. 2011)

9. Weather
Short term
Day to day condition of the Earth’s atmosphere – particular time and place

10. Greenhouse Effect Vote Greenhouse Good - Greenhouse Bad –
Some atmospheric gases trap solar heat and energy
Blanket, windows of a greenhouse

12. Greenhouse gases water vapor carbon dioxide nitrous oxide methane
Others
Without the greenhouse effect Earth’s average temperature would be about 30 C cooler. (Now reported to be 15C (56F)).

13. Greenhouse Effect Planet without greenhouse:
Mars
Planet with too much greenhouse:
Venus

14. Too Little Greenhouse If there are no greenhouse gases:
Extremes in heating – no shielding layer
Extremes in cooling – no blanket

15. Too much greenhouse
More heat trapped on Earth and in atmosphere

16. Ecosystem
Collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment

17. Revote
Greenhouse Effect good –
Greenhouse Effect bad –

18. Biome Complex of terrestrial communities Large area
Biome – large ecosystem or large several ecosystems
Not part of Standards, so not studying this

19. Local Ecosystems Albuquerque Basin Rio Grande Floodplain
Conifer Woodlands & Savannahs
Rocky Mountain Conifer Forest
Subalpine Forest

20. Local Ecosystems
Biotic
Plants
Animals b

21. Local Ecosystems Abiotic – non – living Rio Grande River
Sandia Mountains
Climate
Soil types
Many others

22. Niche
All physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way the organism uses those conditions.
Place in food web
Climate needed for survival
When/how it reproduces
Behaviors for survival

23. Niche No two species can share the same niche at the same time.
There can be niches that are very similar, different in small ways:
Where in the tree.
When it feeds/reproduces

24. Ecological Succession
Ecosystems are always changing in response to disturbances.
Predictable change in an ecosystem is called SUCCESSION

25. Ecological Succession
Primary
Secondary
Pioneer species

26. Succession slides SEE OTHER POWERPOINT
in Ecosystems: Ecological Succession
SEE OTHER POWERPOINT