APES Ch 5 Climate and Biodiversity

Polar grasslands

(Arctic tundra, alpine tundra) Arctic - Occur just south of the polar ice cap. During most of the year, these treeless plains are bitterly cold, swept by frigid winds, and covered with ice and snow. Winters are long and dark, and the scant precipitation falls mostly as snow. The biome is carpeted with a thick, spongy mat of low-growing plants; grasses, mosses,and dwarf woody shrubs. Tall plants can't survive the cold and wind. Most growth occurs in the 5-8 week summer where the sun shines around the clock. Alpine - Occurs above tree limit but below snow line on mountains. Vegetation similar to arctic but receives more sunlight and has no permafrost layer

Sandy shores

(Barries Beaches) Containing niches for different marine organisms. Most keep hidden from view and survive by burrowing, digging, and tunneling in sand. Also home to numerous birds that occupy specialized niches by feeding on different types of crustaceans, insects, and other organisms.

Evergreen coniferous forests

(Boreal forests or Taigas) Found just south of the arctic tundra. The subarctic climate with long, dry, and extremely cold winters. In the northernmost taiga, sunlight is only 6-8 hours per day. Summers are short, with mild to warm temperatures, and the sun typically shines 19 hours per day. Dominated by coniferous evergreen trees that keep some of their needles year-round. The needles can withstand the intense cold and drought of winter. Plant diversity is low in these forests. Deep layer of leaf litter, slow decomposition. Soil is thin, nutrient-poor, and acidic, preventing other plants from growing.

Temperate rain forest

(Coastal coniferous forests) Found in scattered coastal temperature areas with ample rainfall or moisture from dense ocean fogs. Dense strands of large conifers dominate these.

Ocean depth diagram

(High tide, low tide, continental shelf) all part of the coastal zone. Once you go over the continental shelf, you end up in the open sea. Euphotic, Bathyal, Abyssal zones.

Saltwater aquatic life xone

(Marine) estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, coastal marshes, mangrove swamps, and oceans

Decomposers

(mostly bacteria) Break down organic compounds in dead bodies and wastes of aquatic organisms into simple nutrient compounds used by producers

Temperate grassland

(tall-grass prairies, short-grass prairies) Winters are bitterly cold, summers are hot and dry, and annual precipitation is fairly sparse and falls unevenly through the year. Drought, occasional fires, and intense grazing inhibit the growth of trees and bushes, except along rivers. Because grass dies and decomposes each year, soil is deep and fertile and held in place by a thick network of intertwined roots from drought-tolerant grasses unless the topsoil is plowed up and allowed to blow away by prolonged exposure to high winds.

Human impacts on grasslands

-Conversion of savanna and temperate grasslands to cropland -Release of CO2 to atmosphere from burning and conversion of grassland to cropland -Overgrazing of tropical and temperate grasslands by livestock -Damage to fragile arctic tundra by oil production, air and water pollution, and off-road vehicles

Human impact on forests

-Damage to soils from off-road vehicles -Clearing and degradation of tropical forests for agriculture, livestock grazing, and timber harvesting -Clearing of temperate deciduous forests in Europe, Asia, and North America for timber, agriculture, and urban development -Clearing of evergreen coniferous forests in North America, Finland, Sweden, Canada, Siberia, and Russia -Conversion of diverse forests to less biodiverse tree plantations

Human impacts on mountains

-Landless poor migrating uphill to survive by growing crops -Timber extraction -Mineral resource extraction -Hydroelectric dams and reservoirs -Increasing tourism (such as hiking and skiing) -Air pollution from industrial and urban centers

Types of inland wetlands

-Marshes (dominated by grasses and reeds with few trees) -Swamps (dominated by trees and shrubs) *-Prairie Potholes (depressions carved out by glaciers) *-Floodplains (Receive excess water during heavy rains and floods) -Arctic Tundra (wet in summer) *-Bottomland hardwood swamps * = seasonal wetlands (only soggy/underwater for a short time each year)

Human impact on freshwater systems

-We build dams, levees, and dikes that reduce the flow of water and alter wildlife habitats in rivers -Cities and farmlands pollute streams and rivers -Filled in inland wetlands to grow food and build cities

Rain shadow effect diagram

1)Prevailing winds pick up moisture from ocean 2)On the windward side, air rises, cools, and releases moisture 3)On the leeward side, air descends, warms, and releases, little moisture

3 factors for determining air circulation over earth's surface

1)Uneven heating of the earth's surface - Air is heated much more at its fattest part, the equator, where the sun's rays strike directly than at the poles, where sunlight strikes at a slanted angle and spreads out over a much greater area 2)Rotation of the earth on its axis - An imaginary line connecting the north and south poles. The equator rotates faster than the polar regions, resulting in the air masses rising above the earth and moving north/south being deflected west/east over different parts of the planet's surface 3)Properties of air, water, and land - Heat evaporates water, transferring heat from ocean to atmosphere. Landmass heats faster than oceans.

How many major biomes are there?

12

Inland Wetlands

Absorb and store excess water from storms and provide a variety of wildlife habitats. Lands covered with fresh water all or part time located away from coastal areas.

Climate and vegetation vary with...?

Altitude (elevation above sea level), and latitude (distance from the equator)

Desert

An area with little precipitation and vegetation, and found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions. Evaporation exceeds precipitation.

Weather

An area's short-term temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, and other physical conditions if the lower atmosphere over a short period of time

Zooplankton

Animal plankton

Intertidal zone

Area of shoreline that appears between low and high tides. Organisms living here must be able to avoid being swept away or crushed by waves, and evade or cope with being immersed during high tide and left high, dry, and hot at low tide. They also have to survive changing salinity levels when heavy rains dilute salt water. Most hold onto something, dig in, or hide in protective shells.

Climate

Average weather conditions - especially temperature and precipitation - of an area over a long time. A regions average temperature and precipitation are the two main factors in determining it

Coral Reefs

Biologically diverse and productive ecosystems increasingly stressed by human activities.

Benthic Zone

Bottom of the lake - mostly decomposers, detritus feeders, and fish that swim from one zone to the other inhabit it. It is nourished mainly by detritus that falls from the littoral and limnetic zones and by sediment washing into the lake.

Euphotic Zone

Brightly lit upper zone where floating drifting phytoplankton carry out photosynthesis. Nutrient levels are low (except around upwellings) and levels of dissolved oxygen content are high. Large, fast-swimming predatory fish populate this zone (sharks, tuna, swordfish).

Global warming

Caused by large inputs of greenhouse gasses into the troposphere that enhance the earth's natural greenhouse effect, leading to global warming. This can alter precipitation patterns, shift areas where we can grow crops, raise average sea levels, and change the areas where some types of plants and animals can live.

Lakes

Consist of sunlit surface layers near and away from shore; at deeper levels they contain a dark layer and a bottom zone. Large bodies of standing fresh water formed when precipitation, runoff, or groundwater seepage fills depressions in the earth's surface. Supplied with water from rainfall, melting snow, and streams that drain the surrounding watershed

Open sea

Consists of a brightly lit surface layer, dimly lit middle, and a dark bottom zone. The sharp increase in water depth at the edge of the continental shelf separates the coastal zone from the sea.

Tropical rain forests

Cover 2% of the earth's land surface, at least 1/2 of all terrestrial species live here. Found near the equator where hot, moisture-laden air rises and dumps its moisture. Warm annual mean temperature, high humidity. and heavy rainfall almost daily. Dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants that keep their leaves year-round. They form a dense canopy that blocks most light from reaching the ground. Ground-level plants have enormous leaves for catching the little light. These forests are teaming with life and have high biological diversity. They occupy a variety of specialized niches in distinct layers. Things decompose quickly because of warm, moist conditions and hordes of decomposers, and there is little litter as a result. Soil contains very few nutrients because plants absorb them almost immediately.

Mountains

Cover about 1/5 of earth's land surface. Dramatic changes in altitude, climate, soil, and vegetation take place over a very short distance. Due to steep slopes, soil is prone to erosion when vegetation is removed. Mountains are islands of biodiversity surrounded by a sea of lower-elevation landscapes. They contain the majority of the world's forests, are often habitats for endemic species found nowhere else on earth, and are sanctuaries for animals driven from lowland areas. They help regulate climate. Ice and snow coverings reflect radiation back into space, glacial ice affects sea levels, and they play a big role in the hydrogen cycle by releasing water, etc. into small streams.

Temperate desert

Daytime temperatures are high in summer and low in winter, and more precipitation falls than in tropical deserts. Sparse vegetation consists mostly of widely dispersed, drought resistant shrubs and cacti or other succulents, and animals are adapted to the lack of water and temperature variations. (Ex. Mojave in Southern California)

Profundal Zone

Deep, open water where it is too dark for photosynthesis. Without sunlight and plants, oxygen levels are low here. Fish adapted to the lake's cooler and darker water are found in this zone.

Human impacts on deserts

Deserts take a long time to recover from disturbances because of their slow plant growth, low species diversity, slow nutrient cycling, and lack of water. Desert vegetation destroyed by livestock overgrazing and off-road vehicles may take decades to grow back.

Why do different organisms live in different places?

Different climates lead to different communities of organisms, especially vegitation.

Bathyal Zone

Dimly lit middle zone that does not contain photosynthesizing producers because of a lack of sunlight. Various types of zooplankton and smaller fish, many of which migrate to feed on the surface at night, populate this zone.

Benthos

Dwell on the bottom - barnacles and oysters that anchor to one spot, worms that burrow in sand/mud, and lobsters and crabs that walk of the sea floor

How do coral reefs form?

Form in clear, warm, coastal waters of the tropics and subtropics. Formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called polyps that build reefs by secreting a protective crust of limestone around their soft bodies, and when they die, their empty crusts remain behind as a platform for more reef growth.

Temperate deciduous forests

Grow in areas with moderate average temperatures that change significantly with the season. They have long, warm summers, cold but not too severe winters, and abundant precipitation often spread fairly evenly throughout the year. Dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees that become dormant in the winter to survive. They grow new leaves every spring and change colors in fall. Due to a slow rate of decomposition, the forests accumulate a thick litter layer.

Grasslands

Have enough precipitation to support grasses but not enough to support large stands of trees. Mostly found in interiors of continents. They persist due to a combination of seasonal drought, grazing by large herbivores, and occasional fires - this keeps trees from growing. Low average precipitation and various average temperatures.

Forests

Have enough precipitation to support large stands of trees and are found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions. They contain various species of trees and smaller forms of vegetation.

Estuary

Highly productive area in the coastal zone, a partially enclosed area of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater and nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff from land

Tropical desert

Hot and dry most of the year. They have few plants and a hard, windblown surface strewn with rocks and some sand

Freshwater aquatic life zones

Lakes, ponds, streams, river, inland wetlands

Coastal Wetlands

Land areas covered with water all or part of the year (river mouths, inlets, bays, sounds, mangrove forest swamps in tropical waters, and salt marshes in temperate zones). Constant water movement stirs up nutrient-rich silts, making it available to producers.

Lake diagram

Littoral is by shore, Limnetic is top, Profundal is middle, Benthic is bottom

Barrier islands

Low, narrow, sandy islands that form offshore from a coastline. Beautiful but very limited pieces of real estate, prime targets for development. Risky living there because sooner or later, flood destruction, severe beach erosion, or major storms (hurricanes) destroy everything. Undisturbed islands have one or more rows of natural sand dunes where sand is held in place by roots of grass. The dunes are the first defense against the sea.

Abyssal Zone

Lowest zone. Very dark, very cold, little dissolved oxygen. Ocean floor contains enough nutrients to support 98% of the 250,000 identified species living in the ocean.

Rain shadow effect

Mountains interrupt the flow of prevailing surface winds and the movement of storms. When moist air blowing inland from an ocean reaches a mountain range, it cools as it is forced to rise and expand. The air then loses most of its moisture as rain and snow on the windward facing slopes. As drier air mass flows down the leeward slopes, it draws moisture out of the plants and soil below. The lower precipitation and resulting semiarid or arid conditions on the leeward side of high mountains create the rainshadow effect.

Greenhouse effect

Natural warming effect of the troposphere. Some of the energy released radiates into space, and some warms the troposphere and the earth's surface. Without its current greenhouse gasses, the earth would be cold and mostly lifeless.

Freshwater life zones

Occur where water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% by volume accumulates on or flows through the surfaces of terrestrial biomes. Ex: Lakes, ponds, inland wetlands

Importance of coral reefs?

Oldest, most diverse, and productive ecosystems providing homes for 1/4 of all marine species. They help moderate atmospheric temperatures by removing CO2 from the atmosphere, act as natural barriers that help protect 15% of the world's coastlines from erosion by battling waves and storms. Economically, they produce 1/10 of the global fish catch and 1/4 of the catch in developing countries. They also support fishing and tourism industries worth billions of dollars yearly.

Human impact on Marine Systems

People are destroying and degrading many of the coastal areas' most vital resources. 45% of the world's people live along/near coasts. Half of coastal wetlands lost to agriculture and urban development. Over 1/3 of mangrove forests lost since 1980 to agriculture, development, and aquaculture shrimp farms. About 10% of world's beaches eroding because of coastal development and rising sea levels. Ocean bottom habitats degraded by dredging and trawler fishing boats. At least 20% coral reefs severely damaged and 30-50% more threatened.

Phytoplankton

Plant plankton found near the surface (require photosynthesis)

Rocky shore

Pounded by waves. Numerous pools and other niches in the rocks in their intertidal zones contain a great variety of species that occupy different niches.

Surface water

Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate

Mangrove swamps

Roots are in the water, but they are also out of the water. Prevent erosion, filters and purifies water, slows down storm surges. Very productive in terms of food webs.

What are organisms in aquatic life zones determined by?

Salinity - the amount of various salts like NaCl dissolved in a given volume of water

2 major types of aquatic life zones

Saltwater and freshwater

Permafrost

Soil in which the water it contains stays frozen for more than 2 yeras in a row. It keeps melted snow and ice from soaking into the ground during the summer and forms lakes, marshes, bogs, ponds, etc.

Nekton

Strongly swimming consumers like fish, turtles, and whales. Found in all layers of the ocean

3 layers of ocean depth

Surface = Euphotic Zone (0-200 meters) Most producers because of sunlight access. Photosynthesis can occur here. Middle = Bathyal Zone (200 - 1500 meters) Twilight zone. Bottom = Abyssal Zone (1500-10000 meters) Most creatures here depend on animal and plant plankton that die and drift into deep waters. Due to a limit of food, reproduction is slow and they are very vulnerable to overfishing. Darkness zone.

We live in what kind of biome?

Temperate deciduous forest

Factors that determine the organisms found in each layer of the ocean

Temperature, access to sunlight, dissolved oxygen content, and availability of nutrients

Biome

Terrestrial regions with characteristic types of natural communities adapted to the climate of each region. They consist of a mosaic of patches, each having a somewhat different biological community but sharing similarities unique to the biome.

Waterhsed

The land area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream (also called drainage basin)

Limnetic Zone

The open, sunlit water surface layer away from the shore that extends to the depth penetrated by sunlight. The main photosynthetic body of the lake, it produces the food and oxygen that support most of the lake's consumers.

Importance of centers of productivity?

They filter out toxic pollutants, excess plant nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants. They reduce storm damage by absorbing the energy of waves and storing excess water produced by storms. They also provide food, habitats, and nursery sites for numerous aquatic species.

How do ocean currents and winds affect climate?

They redistribute heat received from the sun from one place to another. Oceans absorb heat from the air.

Littoral Zone

Top layer, consists of the shallow sunlit waters near the shore to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing. It has high biological diversity.

Threats to coral reefs

Vulnerable to damage because they grow slowly and are disrupted easily. They also only thrive in clear, shallow, warm water with high salinity, temperature 18-30 degrees C (64-86 F). Biodiversity can be reduced by natural disturbances like severe storms, freshwater floods, and invasions of predatory fish. Ocean warming, soil erosion, algae growth from fertilizer runoff, mangrove destruction, coral reef bleaching, rising sea levels, increased UV exposure from ozone depletion, using cyanide and dynamite to harvest reef fish, coral removal for building, aquariums, and jewelry, and damage by anchors, ships, and tourist divers.

Tropical grassland

Warm temperatures year-round, 2 prolonged dry seasons and abundant rain during the rest of the year, In Africa, they boast enormous herds of grazing and browsing hoofed animals.

Greenhouse gasses

Water vapor (H2O), Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and Nitrous oxide (N2O) They allow mostly visible light and some infrared radiation and UV radiation from the sun to pass through the troposphere

Runoff

When surface water flows into streams

Cold desert

Winters are cold, summers are warm or hot, and precipitation is low (Ex. The Gobi in China)

What would happen if the Gulf Stream stopped?

Without it, its warming effect if the heat carried northward from the equator, the climate of northwestern Europe would be subarctic to arctic. Deserts would appear in the tropics and thick ice sheets would cover northern Europe, Siberia, and Canada.

Global warming is caused by...

large inputs of greenhouse gasses into the troposphere