1. Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity Chapter 7

2. 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?  Concept 7-1 An area's climate is determined mostly by solar radiation, the earth’s rotation, global patterns of air and water movement, gases in the atmosphere, and the earth’s surface features.

3.  Weather is a local area’s short-term physical conditions such as temperature and precipitation.  Climate is a region’s average weather conditions over a long period of time. “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” -- Mark Twain 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

4.  Climate varies from place to place because the air circulation in the lower atmosphere due to: 1.Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun 2.Rotation of the earth on its axis 3.Properties of air, water, and land 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

5. 1.Uneven heating of Earth’s surface by the sun: Equator vs. poles – round planet Earth’s tilt – 23.5º Albedo – how strongly it reflects light Insolation – solar radiation received by a given area in a given time (kWh/m 2 /day) 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

7. 2.Rotation of Earth on its axis Rotation is FASTER at equator than poles…causes the Coriolis Effect – the deflecting of air masses by the rotation of the Earth Also causes complex global air circulation Wind belts produce ocean surface currents 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

8. If the Earth didn’t rotate, we could expect wind to flow in the following manner… 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

9. Instead it looks like this… 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

10. 3.Properties of air, water, and land Convection cells form due to interaction between air/water/land 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

12.  Heat and moisture are distributed over the earth’s surface by vertical air currents, which form six giant convection cells at different latitudes. 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

13.  Ocean Currents are caused by: Prevailing wind belts Earth’s rotation 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?  Ocean currents influence climate by distributing heat from place to place.  The temp. of the water affects the temp. of the air

14. Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate Zones 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

15.  The Greenhouse effect keeps the entire planet warmer than it would be without it  Greenhouse gases: Water vapor – H 2 O Carbon Dioxide – CO 2 Methane – CH 4 Nitrous Oxide – N 2 O 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

16. The Rain Shadow Effect  Interactions between land and oceans and disruptions of airflows by mountains and cities affect local climates.  Microclimate – local and regional climates different than the larger regional climate 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

17. 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?  Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual precipitation and temperature lead to the formation of tropical, temperate, and cold deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely determine their locations.

18.  Climate Affects Where Organisms Can Live  Biomes – large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals Biomes vary by, and are determined by: Latitude and elevation Annual precipitation Temperature 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

20. Generalized Effects of Elevation and Latitude on Climate and Biomes 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

21. Average Precipitation and Average Temperature as Limiting Factors 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

22. BIOMES The following is a BRIEF discussion of the different biomes...the majority of information on these topics should come from the time we spent in the computer lab and the informational packet you filled out.

23.  Deserts have little precipitation and little vegetation.  Fragile ecosystem Slow plant growth Low species diversity Slow nutrient recycling  Desert plants have adaptations that help them get enough water.  Desert animals adapt to the heat and lack of water through their behavior and physiology. There Are Three Major Types of Deserts

24.  Grasslands occur in areas too moist for desert and too dry for forests.  Tropical Grassland Savanna  Temperate Grassland Prairie  Cold Grassland Tundra Arctic Alpine There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands

25.  Savannas are (tropical grasslands) with scattered trees and herds of hoofed animals  Distinct wet and dry seasons Tropical Grasslands - Savanna

26.  Temperate Grassland (Prairie) Tall-grass prairies Short-grass prairies  The cold winters and hot dry summers have deep and fertile soil that make them ideal for growing crops and grazing cattle. Temperate Grasslands - Prairie

27.  Polar grasslands (Tundra) are covered with ice and snow except during a brief summer.  Arctic tundra: fragile biome little rain short growing season long cold winters  Permafrost - areas were the ground is frozen year round Polar Grasslands - Tundra

28.  Chaparral has a moderate climate but its dense thickets of spiny shrubs  Near the sea – people like living/vacationing here  Subject to fires during the dry season (summer) Temperate Shrubland - Chaparral

29.  Forests have enough precipitation to support trees and are found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions. Tropical Rain Temperate Deciduous Coniferous Boreal forest Taiga There Are Three Major Types of Forests

30.  Tropical rain forests have heavy rainfall and year-round warm temperatures Found near the equator Rich diversity of species Poor soil Leaching by heavy rains Rapid recycling of nutrients Stratification of specialized plant and animal niches Tropical Rain Forest

31.  Filling niches enables species to avoid or minimize competition in the dense biodiversity of a tropical rain forest Tropical Rain Forest

32. Temperate Deciduous Forest  Temperate deciduous forests Broad-leaf deciduous trees Larger temperature swings from season to season Most of the trees survive winter by dropping their leaves, which decay and produce a nutrient-rich soil.

33. Coniferous Forests (Taiga, Boreal Forest)  Coniferous forests Also called boreal forests or taigas Long, cold winters, short moderate summers Cone-bearing evergreen trees keep their needles year-round to survive long and cold winters.

34. Temperate Rain Forests  Temperate rain forests Proximity to oceans keeps them cool and moist Huge cone-bearing evergreen trees such as redwoods and Douglas fir

35.  High-elevation islands of biodiversity  Often have snow- covered peaks that reflect solar radiation and gradually release water to lower- elevation streams and ecosystems. Mountains Play Important Ecological Roles

36. 7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s Terrestrial Ecosystems?  Concept 7-3 In many areas, human activities are impairing ecological and economic services provided by the earth’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains.

37.  Human activities have damaged or disturbed more than half of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems. 7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s Terrestrial Ecosystems?