Physical Controls on Organisms

1
Physical Controls on Organisms

• Climate
• Latitude
• Continentality
• Elevation
• General Circulation
• Microclimate
• Landforms
• Soils, parent material

2
Physical Geography

• Patterns and processes of Earths surface
• Landforms
• Soils
• Climate
• Water

3
Weather vs. Climate

• Weather day to day changes
• Climate average conditions

4
Exosphere
Temperature
Altitude (miles)
Altitude (km)
Increases
Thermosphere
Constant
Mesopause
Declines
Tropopause
Mesosphere
Stratopause
Increases
Stratosphere
Troposphere
Declines
Temperature
5
Troposphere

• All life exists in troposphere
• 9-17 km above surface
• 90 of total atmospheric mass
• 78 Nitrogen, 21 Oxygen, 0.93 Argon

6
Controls on Climatic Regions

• Latitude
• Continentality
• Elevation
• General Circulation

7
Controls on Temperature

• Latitude
• Angle of incidence
• Day length
• Atmospheric obstruction

Angle of Incidence
Surface Area Covered
Latitude
8
Controls on Temperature

• Continentality heating water versus land
• Specific heat
• Energy required to raise 1 gm by 1 degree C
• Transmission
• Mixing
• Evaporation

9
Controls on TemperatureContinentality
10
Controls on TemperatureElevational Gradients

• Lapse rate change in temp. with elevation
  3.6F/1000ft or 6.5C/1km

11
General Circulation of Atmosphere

• Global, large scale pattern of winds that develop
  in response to differences in radiation and heat
  at the equator versus the poles

12
General Circulation of Atmosphere

• Hadley Cells
• ITCZ and the Easterlies
• Subtropical high pressure cells
• Midlatitude westerlies
• Polar front
• Polar high pressure cells

13
WET
DRY
DRY

• WET

14
Local Causes of Precipitation

• Convective
• Frontal
• Orographic

15
Lapse Rate and Orography
Lifting condensation level rising air cools to
saturation (100 RH)
16
Landform Orographic Effects
West Side Olympic Mtns.
East Side Olympic Mtns.
17
Seasonal Influences on Climate

• Movement of ITCZ, Westerlies
• Monsoonal wind patterns
• ENSO

18
Microclimate/Landform Effects

• Aspect
• North vs. South facing
• Ground surface versus elevated
• Biotic effects
• Temp.
• Wind
• Humidity

19
Soil Effects on OrganismsEdaphic Effects

• Soil is
• Uppermost layer of mineral and organic matter on
  Earths surface
• Physical and biological weathering of rock
  material plus organic matter additions

20
What is soil made of?

• Pore spaces/air
• Low O2, high CO2
• Soil water
• Capillary action
• Percolation
• Leaching nutrients
• Soil/water balance

21
How do we identify soils?

• Color
• 175 gradations!
• Black-brown-red-yellow-gray-white
• Texture
• Triangle
• Structure
• Peds spheroidal, plate, block, prism

22
Soil Profiles

• Horizons distinct layers
• O unconsolidated organic matter (litterhumus)
• A decomposed organic matter
• E Eluvial layer (clay, iron, aluminum lost)
• B Illuvial layer (clay, iron, aluminum
  deposited)
• C Parent material

23
O horizon
A horizon
E horizon
B horizon
C horizon (rocks)
24
Physical Controls on Organisms

• Climate
• Latitude
• Continentality
• Elevation
• General Circulation
• Microclimate
• Landforms
• Soils, parent material