Studied by 49 people
Biotic components:
autotrophs
heterotrophs
saprotrophs
abiotic:
air, water, wind, soil, rocks, etc.
Water cycle \n Gaseous cycle
Food chains of the ecosystem \n Environmental balance is maintained in the following ways:
Through continuous operation of various natural cycles such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle and nitrogen cycle.
It is also maintained due to the existence of various food chains in the ecosystem. For example, if the population of pests such as grasshoppers isn't controlled by frogs or lizards that prey on them, pests start to manifest rapidly and destroy all crops, breaking the balance of the environment.
biomes are bigger
biomes are characterised by dominant vegetation while ecosystem is by interaction of different species
north of the equator
low temperatures
high wind
permafrost
150 - 250 ml of rain a year
18 to -40 degrees
scarce vegetation
animals have many adaptations to climate
mainly mamals
birds are migratory
little insects
hibernation, thick pelts, large body mass
soil frozen due to permafrost
low nutrients
example - Russia
dominant vegetation trees
tall trees form canopy
despite high sun and wind
lower level forest has smaller trees and moss
around equator
example amazon
21 - 30 degrees, can get higher
750 - 1500 ml of rain a year
soils are infertile due to frequent rain leaching nutrients deeper
decomposing plants are used as nutrients
many animals due to large amounts of flora
primary adaptation is camouflage
4 seasons
30 to - 30 degrees
10 degrees average
continous canopy of broad leaved trees
such as oak, maple, chestnut
high biodiversity
750 - 1500 ml of rain a year
shallow with hard rock near the surface
small plants on the floor
grow in spring
thick bark on trees to survive winter
example: pacific temperate forests
Animals including elephants, giraffes, lions and cheetahs make their homes in the savanna
. Due to its open environment, camouflage and mimicry are essential for animal survival in the savanna.
Savannas have extreme wet seasons and dry seasons.
Due to this lack of precipitation, it is very difficult for large plants like trees to grow in savannas.
While savannas are located on six of the seven continents, the largest are found in equatorial Africa.
key vegetation is small shrubs and trees
500 to 900 millimeters
generally open and continuous, fairly flat areas of grass
The height of grass correlates with the amount of rainfall it receives
average temperatures are about -20°C to 30°C
Temperate grasslands have cold winters and warm summers with some rain
The grasses die back to their roots annually and the soil and the sod protect the roots and the new buds from the cold of winter or dry conditions.
A few trees may be found in this biome along the streams, but not many due to the lack of rainfall.
a layer of soil that can either be sandy, gravelly, or stony
at most 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall a year
organisms that live in deserts are adapted to this extremely dry climate.
Plants in deserts have adaptations to conserve water.
ecosystem that doesn’t contain trees due to its high altitude.
found in mountainous regions across the globe. Their elevation normally ranges between 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) and the area where a mountain’s snow line begins.
only about 200 plant species, as their dynamic conditions are not favorable for plant growth
characterized by cold and windy conditions, as well as harsh sunlight
extreme temperatures and low humidity.
high elevation and low precipitation
temperatures can typically drop from warm to freezing within a day.
30 cm) of precipitation annually. Nevertheless, snow may remain on the ground for an extended period, thanks to the consistently low temperatures.
The soil found in alpine biomes is usually nutrient-poor and acidic. It is mainly made up of rocks and minerals that have been broken down by bacteria. In the winter months, the soil freezes and becomes covered in a layer of frost.
characterized by small groundcover plants
displays yearly temperature and precipitation statistics for a particular location
Temperature (C) is measured using the numbers on the left hand side of the chart.
The average temperature for each month is plotted on the graph with a red dot and the dots are then connected in a smooth, red line.
precipitation is shown as a bar graph with the amount of precipitation each month
precipitation - blue
temperature - red
x axis is time over a year
y axis is number / amount
measure of distance of equator
degrees north or south of equator
latitude does not necessarily impact climate but determines it
closer to equator, warmer climate
further from equator, colder climate
this is because of the solar energy from the sun, equator is closer therefore it gets more sunlight, polar regions are colder as it receives less energy
this is caused by the different angles at which the suns rays hit the earth
affects temperature more
measure of height above sea level
the higher above, the lower the temperature
this is because of decreased air pressure, which means particles are further apart, and because of that heat energy is lost
1000 metres above sea level - falls 6.5 degrees
wind patterns over specific region
carry climate of area they came from
two patterns are
prevailing trade winds (tropical)
prevailing westerlies (subpolar)
winds from cooler places = cooler climate
winds from warm places = warmer climate
ocean has more consistent temperature than land, as it takes longer to change temperature
coastal locations have more temperate season climates
less temperature fluctuation between day and night
continuous and directed movement of ocean water through the earth
carry hot or cold water from one area of the world, which affects the climate of those regions
warm ocean currents:
increase temperature
increase rainfall
cold ocean currents:
lower temperature
lower rainfall
example: cities in america/europe along the same latitude can have varying temperatures due to different ocean currents
temperate mediterranean climate characterised by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters
receive around 700 mm of rainfall a year
temperature ranges from 7 - 32 (winter summer)
30 degrees south
located south of the tropic of capricorn, outside tropical belt
creates temperate climate between tropical and subpolar (mild temperature and rainfall)
at sea level no mountain ranges
no significant altitude based temperature range
higher rainfall levels at the foot of the darling ranges
flat apart from DR, rainfall spread evenly
prevailing winds in perth are seasonal
strong westerlies during winter bring antarctic air
dry air comes from inland
every day in summer, breeze from the ocean called Fremantle Doctor cools perth by upto 10 degrees
occurs because of the pressure difference between land and sea
receives cool ocean currents from antarctica (WA Current)
keeps climate mild in summer and wet during winter, and a dry weather climate rather than humid
breakdown organic waste
water purification
soil formation
nutrient cycling
primary production
edible goods
timber
medicine
floods, droughts
moderate water, climate, soil
reduce disease
tropical
significant rainfall
avg temp a month remains above 18 the entire year
temperate
at least one month with average temperature between 0 and 18
at least one month with average temperature over 10
continental
at least one month with average temperature below 0
one month with average temperature above 10
