APES Biomes

Terrestrial biomes

Biome: Contains characteristic communities of plants and animals, adapted to habitat/climate

• Global distributions of non-minerals depend on some combination of climate, geography, altitude, etc.

• Worldwide distribution of biomass is dynamic and interactive, has changed (and will continue to do so)

Precipitation and temperature are the two major dictations for plant growth, which subsequently dictate the biome itself. Vegetation is an essential component for other life in the biome

Taiga

• Largest terrestrial biome, across portions of North America, Europe, and Asia

• Considered subarctic

• Short wet summer, varying temps, brutal winters, 12-33in of precip.

• Evergreens, lichens and mosses, nutrient deficient soil, birds typically migrate

• Logging, paper production, mining, nat. gas, oil

• Not great for agriculture

Temperate rainforest

• South America, South Africa, southeast Australia

• Moderate temps, mid-latitudes, climate is temperate, coastal tempuratures dictated by ocean currents

• High precip.

• Large trees, ferns, and mosses

• Slower rate of decomposition

• Logging, mining, drilling for multiple things, some agriculture products

• Produce oxygen (statistically notable)

Temperate seasonal forests

• Northeast America, Europe, East Asia, some Australia

• Four distinct seasons, precip. of over 1 meter

• Away from ocean currents

• Increased decomp., increased productivity

• Large variety of flora/fauna

• Agriculture, logging (hardwood for craftsmanship), hunting

Desert

• North Africa, Australia

• Lack of precip., not much vegetation

• Fifth of the earth, expanding

• Hot days and cold nights

• Plants with special adaptations, not much else

• Energy (oil and gas), livestock (to a degree), mining, oil

Tundra

• Desert-like, but colder temperatures

• Not many trees, low-to-ground flora

• Arctic, alpine, and antarctic tundras

• Polar regions, high elevations, above treeline

• Two seasons, permafrost, short growing seasons, melts and bogs form in summer

• Not much precip., evaporation levels reduced

• Mosses and peat, not much biodiversity

• Low human population, oil is huge industry

Savanna

• Australia, Africa, India

• Distinct seasons, wet and dry

• Grazing and burrowing animals, scavengers, many predators

• Low flora, grasses some trees

• Grazing, tourism, energy

Shrubland

• California, Mediterranean, Southwest Australia

• Shrubs, not much biodiversity esp. in flora

• Hot and dry with some fluctuation, wildfires very common (replenishing but dangerous)

• Low precip.

• Tough plants

• Agricultural, ranching, not much commercial use

Temperate grassland

• Great plains in North America, Eastern Europe, South America

• Lowest avg precip., hot dry summers, cold harsh winters

• Wildfires common

• Grasses and nonwoody plants, grazing animals common, grass

• Agriculture, wheat, grazing and ranching, tourism, energy, water distribution

Tropical rainforest

• North and South America (Amazon), Mid-Africa, Southeast Asia (near the equator)

• Warm and wet, not much temperature fluctuation

• Rapid decomp., high productivity, soil not very fertile because of this high decomp. rate

• Tons of biodiversity per unit of area

• Distinct layers (canopy, understory, etc.)

• Biodiversity, medicinal properties in plants

• Agricultural, nuts, spices and flavoring, rubber, cosmetics, medicines

• Much land has been cleared for said products

Freshwater Aquatic Biomes

Abiotic Conditions in Aquatic Biomes

• These factors affect both freshwater and saltwater biomes

• Depth

  • Pressure changes according to depth

  • Also affects light

• Light

  • Different organisms live in various degrees of light

• Temperature

  • Affected by depth

• Velocity

• Salinity

  • There is still some dissolved salt (and other solids) in freshwater

• Oxygen

  • Beneficial for plants and animals

• Nutrients

  • Nitrates and phosphates

• Suspended matter

• Botton substrate

  • Sandy, rocky, muddy, etc.

Freshwater Stratification

• The littoral zone is the edge of a pond or lake

  • There is more plant life and nutrients here

• The benthic zone is the bottom of a pond/lake

  • Not always deep

  • Many nutrients

• The limnetic zone is the layer below the littoral zone

• The photic zone is below the limnetic zone

  • Less light reaches this layer, therefore less plant life exists in this zone

• The profundal zone is just above the pond/lake floor

Streams & Rivers

• Not much distinction between these

• Streams are typically smaller, run a little faster, and have a change in elevation

  • Streams empty into rivers or other bodies of water

• Rivers have more volume and empty into a larger body of water

Ponds & Lakes

• Once again, there is no specific point at which a pond becomes a lake or a lake becomes a pond

Wetlands

• These biomes typically have shallow waters with a profusion of plant life

• Due to the low depth and high concentration of nutrients, this is a very productive biome class

• Have trees and larger flora

Marshes

• Alongside swamps, this biome is the most productive

• Have more grasses, very few trees

Bogs

• Another kind of wetland, although not as productive as marshes or swamps

Swamps

• Alongside marshes, this biome is the most productive

Marine Aquatic Biomes

Intertidal

• Between tides

• As the tides come and go, this area transitions from being submerged to above the surface

• Extreme conditions for the organisms living here

Coral Reefs

• Warm, shallow water

• Has extremely high biodiversity and productivity

• Alongside estuaries, coral reefs are the most productive

Open Ocean

• Low productivity due to the low density of organisms in this region

Saltwater Marsh

• Like their freshwater counterparts, marshes are comprised mainly of grasses

• Along coasts, fed by the ocean

Saltwater Swamp

• Swamps have both grasses and trees

• Also fed by the ocean along coasts

• Mangrove swamps are stabilizing and provide valuable habitats

Estuaries

• Alongside coral reefs, estuaries are the most productive

Marine Stratification

• By the coast in the intertidal zone

  • There are many nutrients here that come from the coast

  • Sunlight also means this area can be productive

  • Plants are able to root here

  • These combined factors make it a production region

• The ocean floor, whether right by the coast or at the deepest point, is the benthic zone

  • As things die and sink, their nutrients are deposited on the ocean floor

• Around coral reefs and into the open ocean is the pelagic zone

  • The vast majority of the ocean

  • Phytoplankton and floating plants inhabit this space

• Going deeper is the photic zone

  • Less light reaches here

• At the deepest points of the ocean is the aphotic zone

  • Light no longer reaches and no photosynthesis is taking place

  • Instead, chemosynthesis is what plants use

  • Hydrothermal vents also provide this region with live-giving chemicals and heat

• Depth, temperature, and salinity can cause marine ecosystems to vary

• Nitrogen and phosphorus, important nutrients, are dense along the coast

  • This can be a result of runoff into rivers and eventually estuaries

• Upwellings bring nutrients from the depth of the ocean to the surface, boosting productivity

• Secondary productivity can be high in cold water where there is lots of dissolved oxygen

Human Impact

• The human impact on water systems will be discussed more throughout the course as it pertains to those topics

• We deplete natural sources of freshwater primarily through agriculture and drinking water

• Runoff containing harmful chemicals or objects has to flow somewhere, that being a body of water

  • The organisms in this body of water are then affected by what is being dumped into their home

• Although we will never run out of water, we are turning freshwater into unusable states quicker than it returns

  • This means that we have more contaminated or salty water that we cannot use, not less water entirely

  • Saltwater can be converted into freshwater through desalinization, but this is an expensive and long process

• The natural flow of water is also disrupted by human development

• The impact of water in the form of floods and storms can be more severe because of human activities

  • Global warming means more water evaporates, creating bigger and more intense storms

  • The removal of trees creates smooth ground that water can run over quickly

    • This means that settlements in basins or valleys may be in danger of particularly intense floods and mudslides