Major Ecosystems of the World

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Chapter 6

• Major Ecosystems of the World

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Lecture Outline

• Terrestrial Biomes
• Define Biome
• Representative terrestrial biomes
  (characteristics physical biological)
• Human impacts on biomes
• Impact of altitude latitude
• Aquatic Ecosystems
• Environmental factors that affect ecosystems
• Representative aquatic ecosystems
• Human impacts on aquatic ecosystems

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What is a biome?

• A broad, regional type of ecosystem that has
  distinct climate and soil conditions and a
  distinctive kind of biological community adapted
  to those conditions.

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Biomes

• Include
• Many interacting ecosystems
• Terrestrial ecology
• Community to ecosytems to landscape to biome
• What is important in determining a biome
  Temperature and precipitation
• Also influenced by landforms (especially
  mountains).

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Major Biomes of World
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Vertical Zonation

• Going up a mountain is like traveling to the
  poles
• What happens as you go up a mountain?
• Important differences between latitude and
  elevation biomes

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Tundra(Arctic or Alpine Tundra)

• Location High mountains or latitude
• Vegetation treeless, low vegetation
• Growing season - short
• Seasons cold, harsh winters, frost any month.
• Water is locked up in the snow and ice

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Arctic Tundra

• Low productivity, low diversity, low resilience
• Permafrost soil is frozen year round
• Vegetation no deep roots, small plants
• Heave/settlement - due to freeze thaw
• Climate very cold, little percipitation
• Drainage none, clayey soils

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Alpine Tundra

• Where is this biome? Located at high altitudes
• How is it different from Artic Tundra?
• More solar radiation
• Very hot temperatures during day in summer
• Lots of wind gravelly soil
• Well draining

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Tundra Fauna

• Year round Lemmings, voles, weasels, artic
  foxes
• Migratory Musk ox, caribou, alpine mountain
  goats, mountain sheep, birds, insects

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Tundra Flora

• Dwarf vegetation dwarf willows, dwarf birches,
  sedges, grasses, mosses, lichens
• All very small

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Human effects on Tundra

• Oil and natural gas wells roads, pipelines,
  drilling locations
• Mineral excavation - mining

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Taiga(Boreal forests, Conifer forests)

• Taiga
• Found in northern hemisphere only
• On edge of artic tundra
• Low productivity low resilience
• Peat formed by cold temperatures, very wet soil
  in summer, acids from fallen needles
• Boreal Forests
• Found between 45 60 degrees north latitude
• Moist cool
• Many streams wetlands

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Taiga Flora Fauna

• Taiga Flora
• Black white spruce, balsam fir, eastern larch,
  aspen, birch
• Taiga Fauna
• Caribou, wolves, bears, moose, rodents, rabbits,
  lynx, sable, mink, migratory birds, insects

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Temperate Rain Forests(Conifer Forests)

• Location NW North America, SE Australia, S.
  South America
• Precipitation High condensation from dense
  canopy
• Flora Mosses, lichen, Ferns cover branches
• Olympic National Park

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Temperate Rain Forest Flora Fauna

• Flora
• Large Evergreen trees western hemlock, douglas
  fir, western red cedar
• Epiphytes what the heck is that? Mosses,
  orchids, lichen, fern
• Fauna squirrels, wood rats, mule deer, elk,
  birds, amphibians, reptiles

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Human Impact Taiga, Boreal Forests Temperate
Rainforest

• Logging increased erosion, siltation of rivers
  creek
• Peat Mining used as an energy source, long
  lasting damage

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Temperate Deciduous Forest(Broad-Leaved)

• Precipitation - significant
• Key adaptation ability to produce summer leaves
  that are shed for winter
• Rich topsoil with underlying clay

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Temperate Deciduous ForestFlora Fauna

• Flora Oak, maple, birch, beech, elm, ash, small
  shrubs, flowers, herbaceous plants
• Fauna puma, wolves, bison, deer, bear, and many
  small animals and birds

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Grasslands (Prairies Savannas)

• Location dry continental climates of Great
  Plains, Russian Steppes, African Savanna, South
  American Pampas
• Richest soil in world
• Fauna few trees except along rivers, grass
• Wildfires - helps maintain the grasslands.

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Grassland Flora Fauna

• Flora
• Grasses both short and tall
• Herbaceous flowering plants
• Savannas - acacia
• Fauna
• Prairies bison, wolves, deer, elk, antelopes,
  migratory birds
• Savannas wildebeast, antelope, giraffe, zebra,
  elephants, lions, hyenas.

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Human Impact on Grasslands Savannas

• Agriculture
• 90 of North American grassland has vanished
• Rarest biome in North America
• Rangeland
• Both North American grassland and African
  savannas are being used for cattle

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Chaparral(Mediterranean, Thorn Shrub)

• Climate warm, dry summers cool, moist winters
  
• Location California, Mediterranean Coast, SW
  Australia, Central Chile, South Africa
• Covers small area
• Highly desired for human population great
  climate
• Drier areas African Sahel, northern Mexico,
  Great Basin

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Chaparral Flora Fauna

• Flora
• Varies around the world
• Evergreen shrubs with small, leathery leaves
• Scrub Oak, small trees,
• Fire Resistant
• Fauna
• Mule deer, wood rats, chipmunks, lizards, birds
• Thorn shrub snakes, lizards, rodents,
  antelopes, gazelle, rhinos, giraffes

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Human affects on Chaparral

• Preferred location of humans to live
• Crowding out the indigenous flora fauna

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Deserts

• Precipitation infrequent unpredictable
• Location 30 degrees north south latitude,
  leeward side of rain shadow
• High in mineral content

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Desert Flora Fauna

• Flora Perennials, annuals, cacti, yuccas,
  Joshua trees, sage brush
• Fauna amphibians, reptiles, rodents, mule deer,
  jack rabbits, kangaroo

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Human impacts on Deserts

• War
• Development into agricultural areas
• Habitation

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Tropical Rainforests

• Climate warm all year round, rains daily
• Location Equatorial Regions
• Soil old, thin, acidic and nutrient poor
• Where are all the nutrients? In the canopy of the
  forest
• Rapid decomposition and recycling of dead organic
  matter

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Rainforests Flora Fauna

• Flora flowering plants
• Three distinct stories of plants
• Tall Trees
• Middle Story
• Lower Story
• Epiphytes, lianas
• 1/3 to ½ of all species of plants insects
• Fauna
• Reptiles, amphibians, birds, sloths, monkeys,
  elephants.

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Human impacts on Rainforests

• Logging
• Agriculture plants and livestock
• Wood harvesting furniture, heat/cooking
• Mining
• Erosion
• Water contamination
• 1-1/2 acres are destroyed a second some
  scientist think we will lose them all in 40 years.

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Aquatic Ecosystems

• Freshwater rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,
  marshes, swamps
• Estuaries where rivers meet oceans or seas
• Marine
• Intertidal
• Benthic
• Neritic
• Oceanic

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Freshwater Ecosystems

• Vary significantly
• Influenced by
• Local Climate
• Soil
• Surrounding Ecosystems
• Affects from upstream

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Rivers and Streams

• Flowing ecosystem
• Changes greatly from source to mouth
• Groundwater can intersect
• Depend on land for energy - detritus

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Rivers and streams

• Features of a river

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Flora Fauna of Rivers Streams

• Greatly influenced by surrounding terrestrial
  ecosystems
• Varies widely depending on velocity of water,
  temperature, water quality

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Impact of Humans on Streams and Rivers

• Pollution
• Dams
• Development

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Lakes and Ponds

• Littoral zone most productive zone, where
  photosynthesis is greatest,
• .
• Limnetic Zone open water beyond littoral zone
  extends down as far as light penetrates.
  Microscopic organisms
• Profundal Zone Beneath Limnetic zone, shallow
  lakes dont have, food drifts from above.

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Lake Zones
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Thermal Stratification in Lakes

• Layering in lakes determined by how much light
  penetrates
• Thermal stratification
• Summer sunlight penetrates water -gt warms
  surface, less dense
• Cool water stays on bottom, more dense
• Line that marks change in density is called a
  thermocline
• In fall, surface water becomes colder than lower
  water and the warmer water below rises (fall
  turnover)
• In spring, reverse happens after ice melts
  (spring turnover)

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Thermal Stratification in lakes
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Marshes SwampsWetlands

• Areas covered by shallow water for part of year
  (plants can grow in water)
• Soil rich in nutrients
• Grasslike plants dominate
• Swamps wetlands with trees
• Marshes wetlands without trees
• Bogs Fens areas without trees that accumulate
  peat, low productivity

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Estuaries

• Bays or semi-enclosed bodies of brackish (salty
  but less than seawater)
• Contain rich sediment carried from upstream.

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Marine Ecosytems

• Divided into several zones
• Intertidal
• Benthic
• Pelagic
• Neritic
• Oceanic

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Pelagic Environment

• Determined by depth of water
• Neritic province area from shoreline to depth
  of 200 meters
• Oceanic province area in open ocean with water
  depths greater than 200 meters

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Intertidal Zone

• Shoreline area that is between low and high tides
• High levels of light and nutrients
• Abundant oxygen
• Highly productive but stressful environment

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Benthic Environment

• Ocean floor
• Mostly sand and mud
• Zones
• Abyssal benthic zone extends from 4000 to 6000
  m
• Hadal zone extends deeper than 6000 m.

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Flora of Marine Ecosystem

• Kelp
• Coral Reefs must have light
• Sea Grasses 95 not eaten instead decomposed
  by bacteria

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Neritic Province

• Shallow water close to shore
• Upper reaches comprise the euphotic zone
• Extends to depth of 200 meters
• Enough light penetrates to support photosynthesis
• Phytoplankton are producers, zooplankton are
  primary consumers, nekton are secondary
  consumers, carnivorous nekton are tertiary
  consumers

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Oceanic Provinces

• Largest marine environment
• Deep water organisms feed on marine snow (organic
  debris that floats down from upper reaches)
• Organisms adapt to dark environment (called
  aphiotic)
• Many organisms can produces own light

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Human Impact on Marine Environments

• Damage to coral reefs
• High salinity
• Pollution
• Overfishing
• Tourism
• Global warming
• Oceans
• Pollution - Plastic
• Development
• Mining
• Oil Drilling
• Overfishing