Introduction to Ecology

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Introduction to Ecology

• Part III Biomes

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What is a Biome?

• Are distinguished by the presence of
  characteristic plants and animals
• Commonly identified by their dominant plant life
• Biomes are distributed over the Earth based on
  climate (temperature and precipitation) and
  latitude

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8 Major categories of Biomes

• Tundra
• Tropical forest
• Temperate forest
• Taiga
• Temperate grasslands
• Savanna
• Chaparral
• Desert

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Tundra

• Description
• Cold and largely treeless biome that forms a
  continuous belt across N. America, Europe, and
  Asia
• Largest northernmost biome (covers 1/5 of the
  worlds surface)

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Tundra

• Temperature
• -26 OC to 12 OC
• Precipitation
• Less than 25 cm/year (9.9 inches)

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Tundra

• Soil
• Most, thin topsoil over permafrost low in
  nutrients slightly acidic
• Soil above permafrost remains frozen for all but
  8 weeks a year
• Vegetation
• Mosses, lichens, grasses, and dwarf woody plants

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Tundra

• Animals
• Caribou, musk oxen, snowy owls, arctic foxes,
  lemmings, and snowshoe hares

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Tropical Forest

• Near the equator (between 23.5ON and 23.5OS)
• Includes parts of Asia, Africa, S. America, and
  Central America
• Have two seasons (tropical rain and tropical dry
  forests)

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Tropical Forest

• Temperature
• 6 OC to 14 OC
• Most productive biome
• Precipitation
• 200 400 cm/year

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Tropical Forest

• Soil
• Moist, moderately thick topsoil, moderate
  nutrients

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Tropical Forest

• Vegetation
• Broad-leaved evergreen trees and shrubs
• Mostly made of trees 50 60 meters tall,
  stretching its canopy shading the forest floor
• Creating a virtual plant free floor. WHY?
• Small plants live on the branches called
  epiphytes (mosses, orchids, and bromeliads)

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Tropical Forest

• Highest species richness
• 300 different species of plants per hectare
• More than 1 million species of tree beetles
• Contains ½ of the worlds species
• Animals
• Monkeys, snakes, lizards, parrots, insects, etc..

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Temperate Forest

• Occurs in N. America, western and central Europe,
  and Northeastern Asia
• Has distinct seasons and moderate climate

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Temperate Forest

• Temperature
• 6 OC to 25 OC
• Precipitation
• 75 125 cm/year
• Soil
• Moderately thick topsoil, moderate nutrient level

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Temperate Forest

• Vegetation
• Broad-leaved deciduous trees (maple, oaks, beech,
  willow, and birch)
• Shrubs (ferns, herbs, and mosses)
• Evergreen conifer trees (evergreen, spruce, and
  other pines)

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Temperate Forest

• Animals
• Bears, wolves, white-tailed deer, foxes,
  raccoons, and squirrels

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Taiga

• Is south of the tundra and north of the temperate
  regions
• Span across N. Europe, Asia, and N. America just
  below the arctic circle

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Taiga

• Temperature
• Long winters, short summers
• -10 OC to 14 OC
• Precipitation
• 35 75 cm/year

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Taiga

• Soil
• Low nutrients, highly acidic
• Vegetation
• Coniferous evergreen trees (spruce, firs, and
  pines)
• Animals
• Moose, bears, wolves, lynx, and hares

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Temperate grasslands

• Covers a large area of N. America, Asia, Europe,
  Australia, and S. America
• Forms interior of the continents

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Temperate grasslands

• Temperature
• 0 OC to 25 OC
• Precipitation
• 25 75 cm/year
• Soil
• Deep layer of topsoil very rich in nutrients

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Temperate grasslands

• Vegetation
• Very few trees
• Dense, tall grasses, in most areas
• Short grasses in drier areas
• Mainly farming and grazing areas
• Animals
• Bison, buffalo, and horses

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Savanna

• Parts of Africa, W. India, N. Australia, and some
  S. America
• Located in tropical and subtropical areas near
  the equator and between tropical forest and
  desert biome

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Savanna

• Temperature
• 16 OC to 34 OC
• Precipitation
• 75 150 cm/year
• Soil
• Dry, thin topsoil
• Porous and low in nutrients

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Savanna

• Vegetation
• Tall grasses with horizontal roots
• Scattered Trees
• Often leaves that are sharp and thorny
• Animals
• Elephants, black/white rhinos, giraffes, and
  zebras

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Chaparral

• Primarily located on coastal areas with
  Mediterranean climates
• California (HOLLYWOOD sign)

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Chaparral

• Temperature
• 10 OC to 18 OC
• Precipitation
• Less than 25 cm/year (9.9 inches)
• Warm dry summers, and mild wet winters

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Chaparral

• Soil
• Rocky, thin topsoil
• Low in nutrients
• Vegetation
• Evergreen shrubs, and small trees
• Chamise, scrub oaks, olive trees, herbs (sage and
  bay)
• Leaves small and leathery with lots of oils

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Chaparral

• Animals
• Quail, Lizard, chipmunks, and mule deer

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Desert

• Temperature
• 7 OC to 38 OC
• Precipitation
• Less than 25 cm/year (9.9 inches)
• Soil
• Dry, often sandy, low in nutrients

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Desert

• Vegetation
• Little to no vegetation
• Succulent plants and scattered grasses
• Cactus can drop water levels below 50 75
  (fatal for other plants)

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Desert

• Animals
• Reptiles (Gila monster), rattle snakes
• Amphibians spadefoot toad burrows underground
• Elf owl (burrow into cactus), desert insects and
  spiders (nocturnal)

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Aquatic Ecosystems

• Ecosystem of Fresh and Salt water
• Major Oceans
• Average of 2.3 6.8 miles deep
• Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

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Aquatic Ecosystems

• Estuaries
• Where fresh water from a river mixes with salt
  water from the ocean
• Estuaries include Chesapeake Bay (largest estuary
  in the U.S.), mud flats, mangrove swamps, and
  salt marshes

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Aquatic Ecosystems

• Rivers and streams
• Originate from snow melt (starting as streams)
• Cold and full of oxygen that run toward a mouth
  to become wider and deeper forming a river
• Example Mississippi river

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Aquatic Ecosystems

• Freshwater wetlands
• Areas of land that are covered with freshwater
  for at least part of each year
• Swamps dominated by woody plants (trees and
  shrubs)
• Marshes non-woody plants (cattails)
• Most important wetland in the world is the
  Florida Everglades