Knowt
Note
Studied by 13 peopleNoteStudied by 9 peopleNoteStudied by 36 peopleNoteStudied by 28 peopleNoteStudied by 8 peopleNoteStudied by 23 people
Terrestrial Biomes
Terrestrial Biomes Name: __________________________ Pd. ___ Most Important Climatic Factors
1. Temperature
o Warmest at the equator, coldest at the poles o Due to the angle at which the sun hits the Earth.
2. Precipitation o Global rainfall depends on global wind circulation, which is in turn driven by the sun
o Solar energy falling on the equatorial belt heats the air and causes it to rise o The rising air cools and its contained moisture falls back as rain. o The drier air then continues to spread toward the north and south where it sinks back at about 30 degrees north and south latitudes
Biomes
Tropical Rainforest
| • • | Highest precipitation Warmest and most stable temperature o High humidity keeps temperature stable year-round and throughout day |
Large tropical trees o Limiting factor for many plant species is sunlight and so epiphytes common | ||
• | Highest biodiversity of terrestrial biomes | |
•
| Nutrient-poor soils o All decaying organic matter is quickly sucked up by large vegetation | |
Hot Deserts | • | Hot but with extremely low rainfall |
| • | Occur at latitudes of around 30° north & south of equator |
•
| Plants and animals must have special adaptations for low precipitation
| |
Savannah / Tropical Grassland | • • | Open grassland with scarce shrubs and trees Between rainforest and deserts, latitude wise |
| • | Warm temperatures year-round (tropical) o Periodic fires |
• | Wet and dry season o Not enough precipitation to become forests, but enough not to be a desert | |
•
| Large herbivores and predators dominate | |
Temperate Grasslands | • | Cooler temperatures than tropical grasslands, and wet and dry seasons much less dramatic (temperate) |
| • | Again, rains enough to sustain grasses (forms prairies), but not enough to grow forest |
• | Much lower biodiversity then tropical grasslands | |
• | Known for having the richest soils of all the biomes! | |
• | Ex. Great plains of America…also where the corn belt is | |
•
| Ex. Russian steppes | |
Temperate Rainforest |
• | Receive a lot of year-round rainfall, leading to large old-growth trees |
| • | Seen at higher latitudes than tropical rainforests, so temperatures are much cooler |
•
| Alaska has the most old-growth forests in the US | |
Temperate Deciduous Forest | • • • | Mid-latitude forest Dominated by deciduous trees like oak, hickory, elm, maple, ash that lose leaves in winter Moderate rainfall |
| •
| Dramatic appearance of all four seasons |
Coniferous Forest/ | • • | Largest terrestrial biome Higher latitude than deciduous forests |
Taiga/ Boreal | • • | Coniferous trees are pine trees, which don’t lose leaves in winter Growing season shorter than deciduous forests (colder, less rain) |
| •
| Ex. Redwood forest |
Chaparral
| • |
Coastal biome with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters |
• | Spiny evergreen shrubs | |
•
| Maintained by fire (dry summer) o Needed for some seeds to germinate | |
Tundra | • | A cold desert (so very little precipitation) |
| • | Bitter cold, high winds |
• | Very short growing season | |
• | Permanent ice (permafrost) underlying surface o Restricts plants having deep roots → no trees | |
• | Arctic (far north) and high mountains.
|
/
Deciduous Forest | Dessert | |||
|
|
Primary Productivity
Essentially a measure of producers in an ecosystem
Producers supply food (organic molecules) to the rest of the trophic levels
Measuring productivity in trophic level 1 helps predict how much biomass/biodiversity could be in the other trophic levels
Ranking Terrestrial Biome’s Primary Productivity
Rainforest has the highest NPP of all the biomes
Desert has the lowest NPP of all the biomes
Tundra is the second lowest
Human Impact
1. Deforestation
Tropical Rainforest o Amazon: agricultural land for crops (mostly soy) and cattle o Indonesia: agricultural land for palm oil
o Loss of biodiversity and release of CO2
US. Timber operations o Much more regulated in the
United States
▪ Ex. Government rules,
regulations, oversight; penalties for infractions, selectivecutting
2. Soil Erosion
Modern agricultural practices are degrading soil
Tilling/ploughing before planting
Compaction & overgrazing by livestock
Salination: over-irrigation leads to a built up of salts
US farmers that once had access to the most fertile grasslands, now have to add more an more fertilizer to get the same product
Solution to degraded soil: Don’t touch it!
3. Climate Change
The heating of the planet is causing weather patterns and biomes to shift, which is altering biodiversity in biomes
Plants: Extended growing seasons
Animals: Changing migration patterns
Droughts caused by climate change can increase frequency of fires o Although it is normal and healthy to have occasional fires, too many is not!
Warming is causing permafrost in tundra to melt o Tundra stores more carbon than any other ecosystem on the planet
o Classic positive feedback loop leading us ever closer to climatic “tipping” point
Solution: switch to renewables, tax breaks or rebates for the use of renewables, impose a “carbon tax” for use of fossil fuels
Terrestrial Biomes
Terrestrial Biomes Name: __________________________ Pd. ___ Most Important Climatic Factors
1. Temperature
o Warmest at the equator, coldest at the poles o Due to the angle at which the sun hits the Earth.
2. Precipitation o Global rainfall depends on global wind circulation, which is in turn driven by the sun
o Solar energy falling on the equatorial belt heats the air and causes it to rise o The rising air cools and its contained moisture falls back as rain. o The drier air then continues to spread toward the north and south where it sinks back at about 30 degrees north and south latitudes
Biomes
Tropical Rainforest
| • • | Highest precipitation Warmest and most stable temperature o High humidity keeps temperature stable year-round and throughout day |
Large tropical trees o Limiting factor for many plant species is sunlight and so epiphytes common | ||
• | Highest biodiversity of terrestrial biomes | |
•
| Nutrient-poor soils o All decaying organic matter is quickly sucked up by large vegetation | |
Hot Deserts | • | Hot but with extremely low rainfall |
| • | Occur at latitudes of around 30° north & south of equator |
•
| Plants and animals must have special adaptations for low precipitation
| |
Savannah / Tropical Grassland | • • | Open grassland with scarce shrubs and trees Between rainforest and deserts, latitude wise |
| • | Warm temperatures year-round (tropical) o Periodic fires |
• | Wet and dry season o Not enough precipitation to become forests, but enough not to be a desert | |
•
| Large herbivores and predators dominate | |
Temperate Grasslands | • | Cooler temperatures than tropical grasslands, and wet and dry seasons much less dramatic (temperate) |
| • | Again, rains enough to sustain grasses (forms prairies), but not enough to grow forest |
• | Much lower biodiversity then tropical grasslands | |
• | Known for having the richest soils of all the biomes! | |
• | Ex. Great plains of America…also where the corn belt is | |
•
| Ex. Russian steppes | |
Temperate Rainforest |
• | Receive a lot of year-round rainfall, leading to large old-growth trees |
| • | Seen at higher latitudes than tropical rainforests, so temperatures are much cooler |
•
| Alaska has the most old-growth forests in the US | |
Temperate Deciduous Forest | • • • | Mid-latitude forest Dominated by deciduous trees like oak, hickory, elm, maple, ash that lose leaves in winter Moderate rainfall |
| •
| Dramatic appearance of all four seasons |
Coniferous Forest/ | • • | Largest terrestrial biome Higher latitude than deciduous forests |
Taiga/ Boreal | • • | Coniferous trees are pine trees, which don’t lose leaves in winter Growing season shorter than deciduous forests (colder, less rain) |
| •
| Ex. Redwood forest |
Chaparral
| • |
Coastal biome with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters |
• | Spiny evergreen shrubs | |
•
| Maintained by fire (dry summer) o Needed for some seeds to germinate | |
Tundra | • | A cold desert (so very little precipitation) |
| • | Bitter cold, high winds |
• | Very short growing season | |
• | Permanent ice (permafrost) underlying surface o Restricts plants having deep roots → no trees | |
• | Arctic (far north) and high mountains.
|
/
Deciduous Forest | Dessert | |||
|
|
Primary Productivity
Essentially a measure of producers in an ecosystem
Producers supply food (organic molecules) to the rest of the trophic levels
Measuring productivity in trophic level 1 helps predict how much biomass/biodiversity could be in the other trophic levels
Ranking Terrestrial Biome’s Primary Productivity
Rainforest has the highest NPP of all the biomes
Desert has the lowest NPP of all the biomes
Tundra is the second lowest
Human Impact
1. Deforestation
Tropical Rainforest o Amazon: agricultural land for crops (mostly soy) and cattle o Indonesia: agricultural land for palm oil
o Loss of biodiversity and release of CO2
US. Timber operations o Much more regulated in the
United States
▪ Ex. Government rules,
regulations, oversight; penalties for infractions, selectivecutting
2. Soil Erosion
Modern agricultural practices are degrading soil
Tilling/ploughing before planting
Compaction & overgrazing by livestock
Salination: over-irrigation leads to a built up of salts
US farmers that once had access to the most fertile grasslands, now have to add more an more fertilizer to get the same product
Solution to degraded soil: Don’t touch it!
3. Climate Change
The heating of the planet is causing weather patterns and biomes to shift, which is altering biodiversity in biomes
Plants: Extended growing seasons
Animals: Changing migration patterns
Droughts caused by climate change can increase frequency of fires o Although it is normal and healthy to have occasional fires, too many is not!
Warming is causing permafrost in tundra to melt o Tundra stores more carbon than any other ecosystem on the planet
o Classic positive feedback loop leading us ever closer to climatic “tipping” point
Solution: switch to renewables, tax breaks or rebates for the use of renewables, impose a “carbon tax” for use of fossil fuels
NoteStudied by 13 peopleNoteStudied by 9 peopleNoteStudied by 36 peopleNoteStudied by 28 peopleNoteStudied by 8 peopleNoteStudied by 23 people