Kinds of Ecosystems

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Kinds of Ecosystems
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Biomes

• Biomes are areas that have distinct climates and
  organisms.
• Each Biome contains many individual ecosystems.
• They are named for the type of plants that grow
  in each particular area.
• The types of plants that grow influence the types
  of animals that live there.

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TOUR
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Biomes

• So what influences what types of plants grow in
  certain locations?
• Climate refers to weather conditions in an area
  over a long period of time.
• These include temperature, precipitation, winds,
  and humidity.
• Temperature and precipitation are the two most
  important factors.

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Forests

• There are 3 types of forests on the Earth.
• Tropical Rain Forests
• Temperate Forests
• Temp rain forest
• Temp deciduous forest
• Taiga

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Tropical Rain Forest
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Tropical Rain Forest

• Tropical Rain forests occur in a belt around the
  earth near the equator.
• Characteristics
• They are always humid and warm.
• They get about 100 inches of rain per year.
• They get strong sun all year long and have very
  little seasonal change.
• Soil is thin and poor.

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Tropical Rain Forest

• Plants
• Rain forests nourish more plant species than any
  other Biome.
• Many of the trees form above ground roots that
  grow sideways for support.
• Trees grow in layers.
• The tallest trees grow to about 100 ft.
• The tall trees form a canopy that absorb 95
  percent of the sunlight.

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Tropical Rain Forest
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Tropical Rain Forest

• Animals
• They also have the greatest diversity of animals
  out of all the biomes.
• Many are specialists they have adapted to
  exploit a specific resource in a particular way
  to avoid competition.
• Many have evolved ways to escape predators or get
  prey, such as the use of camouflage.

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Tropical Rain Forest
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Threats to Rain Forests

• Rain forests used to cover 20 of the earth
  today its 7.
• Everyday an area the size of North and South
  Carolina is stripped down in the rain forests.
• This causes the plants and animals to become
  extinct.
• VIDEO

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Temperate Forests
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Temperate Forests

• There are two types of temperate forests
• Temperate Rain Forest
• Temperate Deciduous Forest

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Temperate Rain Forests

• Occur in North and South America, Australia, and
  New Zealand.
• The only place in N. America is in the Pacific
  North West.
• These are cool, humid forests, unlike the hot
  humid tropical rain forest.
• Lots of evergreen trees (up to 300 ft) and ferns
  along the forest floor.
• VIDEO

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Trees in the Deciduous forest drop their leaves
  in the fall.
• They generally occur between 30 and 50 degrees
  northern latitude.
• Summer temps can get as high as 95 and winter
  temps can drop well below freezing.
• They receive about 30-100 in of rain per year.
• The decomposing of leaves and other things
  contribute to the rich, deep soil.
• VIDEO

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Temperate Forests

• Plants
• The trees grow in layers like a rain forest but
  there are less species.
• Since the forest floor gets more light, there are
  more plants ferns, herbs, and mosses-that grow
  there.
• The plants have adapted to seasons
• Trees shed leaves and bulb plants hibernate until
  the spring returns.

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Temperate Plants
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Temperate Forests

• Animals
• Mainly squirrels, bears, and deer that have also
  adapted
• They store food, find shelter, and hibernate
  during the seasons when there is less food.
• Most of the birds are migratory, each fall they
  fly south to warmer temperatures and more food
  sources.
• Insects also enter a state of inactivity.
• Ever get stung in the winter?

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Temperate Animals
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Taiga
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Taiga

• The Taiga, also known as the boreal forest, is
  the northern coniferous forest that stretches
  around the northern hemisphere just below the
  arctic circle.
• The ground has few plants and the terrain is
  rough.
• Soil forms slowly due to slow decomposition due
  to extreme cold and acid from the leaves.
• Winters are long (6-10 months) and extremely cold
  (avg. -4F).
• There is constant daylight during the summer
  months.
• VIDEO

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Taiga

• Plants
• A conifer is a tree whose seeds develop in a
  cone.
• They do not shed their pointy leaves and are so
  called, evergreens.
• This helps them survive harsh winters by
  retaining water while the ground is frozen.

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Taiga

• The trees pointy shape helps it shed snow whose
  weight would otherwise crush it.
• The leaves contain acid which, after decomposing
  on the ground, keeps many other plants from
  taking over the forest floor.

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Taiga Plants
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Taiga

• Animals
• Many animals migrate south to avoid the harsh
  winters.
• Some year round inhabitants burrow under ground
  during the cold summers.
• Many of the animals have thicker hair to adapt to
  the cold.
• Some prey will change their hair color to avoid
  being spotted.

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Taiga Animals
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Tundra
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The Tundra

• The Tundra is a biome without tall trees and lies
  North of the Arctic circle.
• These are the second driest places on earth, next
  to deserts.
• Summers are short and only the top few layers of
  the soil thaw.
• Below the thin layer of thawed soil lies the
  permafrost.
• Permafrost is permanently frozen soil.
• Because its impermeable, many bogs and swaps
  develop here in the short summers.

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The Tundra

• Plants
• Mosses and lichen cover acres of rocks in the
  tundra.
• Where thin soil does exist, plants have wide,
  shallow roots to anchor them against the arctic
  winds.
• Flowering plants are small and stay low to the
  ground.
• Plants make use of the short summer, growing and
  flowering quickly.
• Woody plants have evolved dwarf forms, growing
  flat or trailing along the ground.

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Tundra Plants
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The Tundra

• Animals
• Millions of migratory birds breed in the tundra
  in the summer.
• Other migrants are the caribou in NA and the
  reindeer in Northern Europe.
• These both serve as food to Wolves.
• Other mammals include deer, moose, lemmings,
  mice, and rabbits.
• Many year round animals are very insulated and
  have white firs or feathers to hide from
  predators.
• Many rodents burrow underground but stay active.

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Tundra Animals
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Threats to the Tundra

• The tundra is one of the most fragile biomes on
  the planet.
• Food chains are very simple and thus, easily
  disrupted.
• Because the conditions are so extreme, the land
  is easily damaged and take long to recover.
• People fear that the discovery of oil in these
  regions will impact the areas greatly

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Grasslands
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Grasslands Prairies, Steppes, and Pampas

• Grasslands have the most fertile soil of any
  biome.
• Grasslands once covered 42 of the earth today
  they cover about 12.
• They are found in the interior of continents
  where there is too little rainfall for trees to
  grow.
• Mountains play an important role by blocking rain
  clouds from reaching these areas.
• For example, the Colorado Rockies block rain
  clouds from the west from reaching the short
  grass prairies.

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Grasslands Prairies, Steppes, and Pampas

• Average rainfall in our prairies is about 10
  inches a year.
• The further East you move, the taller the grasses
  get as they receive more rain.
• Heavy precipitation is rare summers are very
  hot.
• This is why fires are common in the grasslands.

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Grassland Plants

• Prairie grasses are perennials, surviving from
  year to year.
• Their roots form a dense mat that survive
  drought, fire, and hold the soil in place.
• Rainfall determines grass height
• Short grass prairie 25cm rain/yr
• Mixed middle grass prairie 50cm rain/yr
• Tall grass prairie up to 88cm rain/yr
• Very few trees survive, there isnt enough rain
  and the fire and winds make it hard to last.

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Grassland Plants
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Grassland Animals

• Grassland contain many gazing animals such as
  pronghorn antelope and American buffalo (Bison).
• They have large flat teeth for chewing grasses.
• These animals grow thick coats to survive the
  winters that they shed in the spring.
• Others such as badgers, prairie dogs, and owls
  burrow into the ground for protection from
  winters, fires, and other predators.

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Grassland Animals
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Threats to Grasslands

• Cultivation and overgrazing have changed the
  grasslands.
• Grain crops that weve replaced the grasses with
  can not hold the soil in place as well because
  their roots are shallow.
• This leads to easier soil erosion.
• Overgrazed grasses are chewed down and cannot
  regenerate quick enough, causing further erosion.

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Savanna
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Savanna

• Savannas are found in the tropics near the
  equators.
• They get too little rain each year for large
  trees to grow.
• The rain that does fall only falls (in large
  amounts) at certain times of the year.
• 15-20 cm J,J,A
• Less than 10 cm/month the rest of the year.
• Grass fires sweep across the savanna during the
  dry seasons.

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Savanna

• Plants
• The trees that grow have large underground root
  systems that help survive forest fires and so
  they regrow quickly afterwards.
• Course grasses have vertical leaves that help
  them conserve water.
• Almost all plants have thorns or razor sharp
  leaves to deter herbivores from eating them.

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Savanna Plants
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Savanna

• Animals
• Large, grazing animals live a migratory way of
  life.
• They follow the rains to where new grasses are
  sprouting.
• Many of the predators travel to keep up with
  their food source.
• Many animals only give birth during the rain
  seasons.
• Water and food are more abundant and so they are
  more likely to survive.
• Herbivores avoid competition by grazing on plants
  at different heights.
• Gazelles eat grasses
• Rhinos eat shrubs/bushes
• Giraffes eat trees.

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Savanna Animals
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Chaparral
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Chaparral
Look Familiar??
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Chaparral

• Chaparrals are like deserts but with more
  vegetation.
• They occur in mid lattitudes at about 30 degrees
  N and S of the equator.
• They mostly in coastal areas that have
  Mediterranean climates.
• They have hot, dry, summers mild, wet winters,
  and little variation in temperature.

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Chaparrals

• Plants
• Chaparral plants are mostly low lying evergreen
  shrubs and plants.
• They have small, leathery leaves that resist
  water loss.
• Many herbs grow here as well such as sage, bay,
  and olives.
• Their leaves are also rich with oils which
  promote fires which fights off competition from
  trees.
• The oils allow them to resprout from small bits
  of surviving tissue.
• It also give the plants, especially the herbs,
  their characteristic smell.

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Chaparral Plants
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Chaparral

• Animals
• A common animal adaptation is camouflage shape
  or coloring that allows the animal to blend into
  its environment.
• Many have brownish/gray coats that let them blend
  into the drab brush.
• They also have adapted to seasonal differences in
  food.
• Many bird beaks have adapted to eat seeds,
  berries, and other baby birds.

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Chaparral Animals
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Threats to Chaparrals

• The biggest threat to Chaparral areas are human
  development.
• Hollywood.duh!
• Because of the gorgeous weather in these areas,
  human build-up in these areas is on a constant
  increase.
• Other Chaparral areas
• French Riviera
• Greece
• Italy
• Southern Spain

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Deserts
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Deserts

• Deserts are the driest places on Earth.
• They receive less than 25cm (10 in) of rain per
  year.
• Not all deserts are HOT!!!
• Deserts near the equator are hot, those further
  North can be cold.
• They typically occur in the rain shadow of
  mountains.

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Rain Shadow Effect
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Desert Plants

• Most adaptations are for obtaining and conserving
  water.
• Many plants have very fleshy leaves and stem to
  hold the water, and waxy surfaces to cut down on
  water loss.
• Some plants have spikes to keeps animals from
  eating their water reserves.
• Drought-resistance Plants roots spread out wide
  to catch any water that may fall.
• Some plants drop seeds right as they die, these
  seeds lie dormant until the next rainfall. Then
  they quickly grow, flower, seed and die.

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Desert Plants
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Desert Animals

• Many animals have thick scaly skin that helps
  prevent water loss.
• Ex. Gila monsters and snakes
• Some animals Estivate they bury themselves in
  ground and sleep through the dry season.
• Most desert animals are only active at night when
  the temps are much cooler.

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Desert Animals
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Threats to Deserts

• Residential development is spreading in the
  Western US.
• Many off road and all terrain vehicles are
  killing vegetation which than effects the
  animals.
• Collectors also removed plants which endangers
  plant populations.

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Alpine
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Alpine Regions

• In Latin, the word for high mountains is
  alps.
• They occur at altitudes of 10,000 ft or more.
• Many mountain climbs involve going through
  various biomes.
• In the North American Rocky Mountains you begin
  in a desert biome. As you climb you go through a
  deciduous forest biome, grassland biome, steppe
  biome, and taiga biome before you reach the cold
  Alpine biome

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Alpine Regions

• Winter lasts from Oct.-May summer from Jun-Sept.
• Weather conditions are very similar to that of
  the Tundra except winds can be higher and UV
  light intensity is greater.
• Plants are small, low to the ground perennials.
• Animals will hibernate or migrate down the
  mountain in the colder months.

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Alpine Plants
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Alpine Animals
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Freshwater Ecosystems

• Freshwater is water that contains little to no
  salt.
• These include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams,
  and areas where water meets land called
  wetlands.
• Plant and animal life depends on water depth, how
  fast it moves, and the amounts of nutrients,
  sunlight, and oxygen they receive.

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Freshwater areas
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Lakes and Ponds

• The shallow areas close to land are rich in
  nutrients and are referred to as littoral areas.
• Aquatic life is diverse and abundant.
• Further out from shore is dominated by
  phytoplankton and zooplankton.
• These areas receive more sunlight for
  photosynthesis.
• Some areas are too deep for sunlight to reach.

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Lakes and Ponds

• The deepest layer is called the benthic zone.
• It is the bottom of a body of water.
• Its usual inhabitants are decomposers, clams,
  and insect larvae.
• Dead plants and animals from above drift down and
  are decomposed by bacteria.
• A few fish that have adapted to cooler water can
  live here too.

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Pond/Lake cross-section
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Lakes and Ponds

• Lakes with large amounts of plant nutrients are
  called eutrophic lakes.
• As the amount of plants and algae grows, so do
  the bacteria that decompose.
• As the bacteria increase, they use up the oxygen.
• As oxygen is used up, diversity of species
  declines.
• This process takes a long time naturally but can
  be sped up by pollution.

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Plants and Animals

• Plants in shallow waters root in the mud and send
  their leaves above water (cattails).
• Plants in deeper waters have evolved to float
  (water lilies).
• Many insects have hairs that let them trap water
  so they can breath on deep dives for food.
• Many fish have adapted to certain temperature
  ranges.
• E.g. Trout like cold water, Bass like warm water.

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Plants and Animals
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Wetlands

• Wetlands are areas of land that are covered with
  water for at least part of a year.
• There are two types
• Marshes wetlands with non-woody plants.
• Swamps wetlands with woody plants and shrubs.

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Functions of the Wetlands

• Fish use these areas for feeding and spawning.
• Provide a home for native and migratory wildlife.
• Traps carbon that would otherwise escape as CO2.
• Removes pollution from the water.
• Controls flooding by absorbing extra water when
  rivers run over their banks.
• Produce many commercially important products
  (cranberries, blueberries, peat moss, etc.

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Marshes

• Marshes are characterized by their salinity how
  much salt.
• Brackish marshes have very little salt.
• Tidal marshes have more salt.
• They have a rich benthic zone that contains
  numerous plants, decomposers and scavengers.
• Marshes attract many nesting birds.

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Swamps

• Swamps occur on flat, poorly drained land, often
  near streams.
• They are dominated by shrubs and water-tolerant
  trees, depending on the latitude and climate at
  which they occur.
• Mangrove swamps occur in warm climates near
  oceans, so the water is saline.
• They are ideal habitats for amphibians and they
  attract many types of ducks.

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Threats to Wetlands

• Wetlands were previously considered to be
  wastelands and so they were cleared and turned
  into farms.
• When in fact, they are needed as purifiers of
  wastewaters and absorbers of otherwise hazardous
  flood waters.
• They are homes to a variety of birds that can
  only nest there (herons, storks, etc)
• They are the only homes for many crocs and
  alligators.
• Just recently, the government has begun
  prohibiting destruction of certain wetlands.

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Wetlands
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Rivers

• Most rivers originate from snowmelt in mountains.
• At the head, they are usually very cold, highly
  oxygenated, and very rough (white waters).
• As it moves away from the mt., it may broaden,
  warm up, and become less oxygenated.
• A rivers characteristics change depending on the
  climate and land which they flow through.

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Plants and Animals

• Near the head, mosses anchor themselves to rocks
  with root like structures called Rhizoids.
• Many fish have adapted to colder temps and have
  stream line bodies for less resistance in the
  moving waters.
• Many plants root in the river sediment and their
  leaves depend on the rivers current.

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River plants
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Threats to Rivers

• Industries use river water in manufacturing as a
  waste receptacle.
• These practices have polluted rivers with toxins,
  killed organisms and made fish inedible.
• Runoff from land adds pesticides and other
  poisons into the water.
• Dams alter river flow and destroy habitats.

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Marine Ecosystems

• There are 4 main Marine Ecosystems
• Estuaries
• Coral Reefs
• Oceans
• Polar Ecosystems
• The main factor that determines what organisms
  can live where are temperature and the amount of
  sunlight and nutrients are available.

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Estuaries

• An Estuary is an ecosystem in which freshwater
  from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.
• Ex. Delaware is an Estuary
• They turn into a nutrient trap, where mineral
  rich mud drops to the bottom.

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Estuaries plants and animals

• They are one of the most productive ecosystems
  due to their abundance of light and nutrients for
  the plants and algae.
• Rivers wash the nutrients from the land in and
  they are shallow so sunlight reached everything.
• Phytoplankton and zooplankton feed the fish
  dolphins, manatees and seals eat the fish clams,
  muscles, and barnacles live anchored to the
  bottom.

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Threats to Estuaries

• Many of the worlds major ports are built on
  Estuaries.
• Ports lead to pollution, pollution builds up,
  then they fill the land in and build on it.
• Most pollutants break down over time but
  estuaries are too fragile to handle large
  amounts.

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Coral Reefs

• Coral Reefs are limestone islands in the sea that
  are built by coral animals called polyps.
• Thousands of plants and animals live in the
  cracks of coral.
• Corals can only live in warm salt water where
  there is enough light for photosynthesis.
• Only the outer layer of a reef contains corals,
  which build their rock homes with help from
  photosynthetic algae.

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Coral Reefs plants/animals

• Coral polyps are predators that use stinging
  tentacles to capture small animals that swim too
  close.
• There are also many tropical fish, snails, clams,
  and sponges.
• The parrot fish has teeth like a beak to scrap
  algae off of the reefs.

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Threats to Coral Reefs

• If the water is too hot, to cold, or not salty
  enough, the corals have trouble producing
  limestone.
• Also if the water is too muddy, polluted or high
  in nutrients, the algae will die or grow out of
  control.
• Over fish can upset the delicate balance.
• There are also the problems of shipwrecks,
  careless divers, anchor drops, and people taking
  pieces off for home decorations.

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The Ocean

• The Ocean covers ¾ of the earths surface.
• Plants can only grow where there are enough
  nutrients and light for photosynthesis.
• Water absorbs light, so it only penetrates about
  100m into the sea before it is completely
  absorbed.
• As a result, most oceanic life exists in the
  shallower areas near continents.

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The Ocean

• In the deep ocean, phytoplankton grow near the
  surface where light is and if the nutrients are
  right.
• As a result, the open ocean is the LEAST
  productive of all ecosystems.

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The Ocean

• Plants
• Flowering plants are absent except for around the
  edges.
• Food for herbivores in the open ocean is provided
  by phytoplankton.
• They all have buoyancy devices that keep them
  from sinking too deep.
• Some have hairs, tails, or even oil droplets.
• When they die, they sink to the bottom, sometimes
  in vast numbers.

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The Ocean

• Animals
• The smallest herbivores are zooplankton.
• These include jellyfish, tiny shrimp, and fish
  larvae.
• Many creatures of open water have developed
  sleek, tapered shapes for moving around in dense
  waters.
• Most are a silvery color which serves as
  camouflage in an area that has little cover.

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The Ocean (animals)

• Many also have buoyancy devices that permit them
  to stay at one level of water.
• Sharks have large, oily livers that act as a
  float.
• Many bony fish contain gas-filled swim bladders.
• Reptiles and mammals have lungs instead of swim
  bladders.

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The Ocean (animals)

• In the dark depths live decomposers, filter
  feeders, and animals that use light for
  communication.
• The light they use are bursts or blinks provided
  by luminous bacteria incorporated into their
  bodies.
• Communication via is sound is easy as it carries
  very far in the dense water.

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Threats to the Ocean

• Becoming steadily more polluted.
• Nuclear waste is a new, rising concern.
• Drums that were dumped in the 1970s are now
  starting to leak.
• Over fishing and certain methods.
• Many fish and mammals (especially Dolphins) are
  killed when large fish nest are drug along the
  ocean for miles.
• Discarding fishing equipment tangles fish and
  other animals.

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Polar Ecosystems

• There are two
• The Arctic Ocean ( with Bears)
• The Antarctic Continent (without Bears)
• Both are covered with a permanent ice cap that
  only melts around the edges during the summer.
• Difference is that the Antarctic is a land mass
  and the Arctic is an ocean

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Arctic

• The Arctic ocean is very shallow and rich in
  nutrients.
• This provides food for the many fish which live
  in the open waters and under the ice.
• Whales and ocean birds prey on fish many birds
  and seals give birth on the ice they serve food
  for the people and top feeders of the area,
  mainly polar bears.

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The Antarctic

• It is the only continent never colonized by
  humans.
• World governments share the area for research of
  the animals that live there and to monitor ice
  melting.
• Only a few plants grow at the edge of the rocky
  continent during the summer.
• Penguins can not fly because their wings have
  become adapted to swimming.
• Fish are their major food source plankton are
  the fishes.

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Threats to Polar Ecosystems

• Both poles contain oil whose extractions would
  disrupt the ecosystem.
• Conservationists are working to make both poles a
  global wildlife refuge.
• Increased tourism is the main threat in recent
  years.
• Garbage left does not decompose because of the
  cold temperatures.