Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity : Chapter 7

Climate and Terrestrial

Biodiversity:Chapter 7

Let’s dance.• Stand up. Your face is earth. I am the sun.• Where is your north pole?• Your forehead is North America. Where is New York?

California? (Help each other)• Where does the sun rise? Set? Now rotate. How

long does this take?• The earth is tilted. How much? Where is the north

star for you?• Why do we have summer? Winter?• Now revolve but don’t rotate. How long does this

take?

Core Case Study: Connections b/t Wind, Climate, and Biomes

• Wind– Driven by solar energy

• Circulates– Heat– Moisture– Plant nutrients– Soil particles– Long-lived air pollutants

Dust Blown from West Africa to the Amazonian Rain Forests

Video!

7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?

• Concept 7-1 An area's climate is determined mostly by – solar radiation, – the earth’s rotation, – global patterns of air and water

movement, – gases in the atmosphere, – and the earth’s surface features.

The Earth Has Many Different Climates

• Weather – short term• Climate – long term pattern• Air circulation in lower

atmosphere due to– Uneven heating of the earth’s

surface by the sun– Rotation of the earth on its axis– Properties of air, water, and land

The Earth Has Many Different Climates

• Currents – Prevailing winds – Earth’s rotation – Redistribution of heat from the sun

• Link between air circulation, ocean currents, and biomes

Ocean currents video

• http://www.montereyinstitute.org/noaa/lesson08.html

Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate

Zones

Connected Deep and Shallow Ocean Currents

El Niño, La Niña

• http://esminfo.prenhall.com/science/geoanimations/animations/26_NinoNina.html (not funny)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvmeUStFvz8 (Funny)

Global Air Circulation – prevailing winds

Energy Transfer by Convection

in the Atmosphere

Global Air Circulation,

Ocean Currents,

and Biomes

Greenhouse Gases Warm the Lower Atmosphere

• Greenhouse gases– H2O

– CO2 *

– CH4 *

– N2O *

• Greenhouse effect – good and bad• *Human-enhanced global warming

Flow of Energy to and from the Earth

The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local Climates

• Heat absorption by land and water• Effect of

– Mountains• Rain shadow effect – windward (wet),

leeward (dry)– Cities

• Microclimates

Rain Shadow Effect

Death Valley

Photo: L. Kern, 2014

Photo: L. Kern, 2014 Photo: L. Kern, 2014

7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes?

• Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual precipitation and temperature lead to the formation of tropical, temperate, and cold deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely determine their locations.

Climate Affects Where Organisms Can Live

• Major biomes – regions with similar climate, soil, plants, animals

• Latitude and elevation• Climates can be categorized by

– Annual precipitation– Temperature

The Earth’s Major Biomes

Generalized Effects of Elevation and Latitude on Climate and

Biomes

St. Mary Lake, Glacier NP, Montana

Boreal forest (taiga)

Tundra, lichens, mosses

No plants can grow here.

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

Another view at Glacier

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

Going-to-the-sun Road, Logan Pass July 4th, 2012

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

Going-to-the-sun road

Purple/gray patches are areas where pines were all killed in a forest fire, 2006.

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

In summer, the snowmelt makes

hundreds of waterfalls.

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

Close-up of the previous pic.

Photo: L. Kern, 2012

Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and Average Temperature as Limiting Factors

Science Focus: Staying Alive in the Desert

• Plant adaptations – Either drop leaves (mesquite, creosote) when

dry or no leaves (succulents), leaves are waxy– Deep tap roots or shallow widespread roots– Large seeds that can lie dormant for long

periods• Animal strategies and adaptations

– Small size, nocturnal, get water from breaking down fats, thick skins, excrete dry wastes

There Are Three Major Types of Deserts

• Tropical, Temperate, Cold deserts• Fragile ecosystem

– Slow plant growth– Low species diversity– Slow nutrient recycling– Lack of water

• Wind blown dust storms in Saraha - increased 10x since 1950 due to– Overgrazing– Drought due to

• Climate change• Human overuse of water

– SUV connection: 4x4s driving over surface, allowing it to crumble and be picked up by winds.

Climate Graphs

of Three Types of Deserts

There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands

• Tropical– Savanna

• Grazing animals – eat grasses• Browsing animals – eat twigs and

leaves

• Temperate– Tall-grass prairies (up to 88cm/yr)– Short-grass prairies (25 cm/yr)

Grasslands – why no trees

• Fires are common in grasslands• Fires and winds hinder tree growth

• Many of these areas are degraded by overgrazing

There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands

• Arctic tundra: fragile biome• Adaptations of plants and animals• Permafrost – layer in soil where

water stays frozen 2+ years!• Permafrost doesn’t allow water to

permeate soil – lakes and ponds• Alpine tundra

Climate Graphs of Tropical,

Temperate, and Cold

Grasslands

Temperate Shrubland: Nice Climate, Risky Place to Live

• Chaparral, temp shrubland• Near the sea: nice climate• Prone to fires in the dry season

– Fire resistant roots– Seeds sprout with fire

• Thin soil, not very fertile

Chaparral Vegetation in Utah, U.S.

There Are Three Major Types of Forests

• Tropical• Temperate• Cold

– Northern coniferous and boreal forest / taiga

There Are Three Major Types of Forests

• Tropical rain forests– Broadleaf, evergreen trees– Temperature and moisture– Stratification of specialized plant and

animal niches– Little wind: significance – seed

dispersal– Rapid recycling of scarce soil

nutrients– Impact of human activities

There Are Three Major Types of Forests

• Temperate deciduous forests– Temperature and moisture– Broad-leaf, deciduous trees– Slow rate of decomposition:

significance– Impact of human activities – most

disturbed

There Are Three Major Types of Forests

• Evergreen coniferous forests: boreal and taigas– Temperature and moisture– Few species of cone: bearing trees– Slow decomposition: significance

• Coastal coniferous forest• Temperate rain forests

Climate Graphs of Tropical,

Temperate, and Cold Forests

Some Components

and Interactions in a Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem

Stratification of Specialized Plant and Animal Niches in a Tropical

Rain Forest

Mountains Play Important Ecological Roles

• Majority of the world’s forests• Habitats for endemic species• Help regulate the earth’s climate• Can affect sea levels• Major storehouses of water

– Role in hydrologic cycle (see slide #28 again)

7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s Terrestrial Ecosystems?

• Concept 7-3 In many areas, human activities are impairing ecological and economic services provided by the earth’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains.

Humans Have Disturbed Most of the Earth’s Lands

• Deserts• Grasslands• Forests• Mountains

Mountains

AgricultureTimber extraction

Hydroelectric dams and reservoirs

Mineral extraction

Increasing tourismUrban air pollutionIncreased ultraviolet radiation from ozone depletionSoil damage from off-road vehicles

Forests

Clearing for agriculture, livestock grazing, timber, and urban developmentConversion of diverse forests to tree plantationsDamage from off-road vehiclesPollution of forest streams

Fig. 7-20, p. 158

Large desert cities

Soil destruction by off-road vehicles

Deserts

Soil salinization from irrigationDepletion of groundwaterLand disturbance and pollution from mineral extraction

Grasslands

Conversion to croplandRelease of CO2 to atmosphere from burning grasslandOvergrazing by livestockOil production and off-road vehicles in arctic tundra Stepped Art

NATURAL CAPITAL DEGRADATION

Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems