Ecology & the Biosphere Chapter 18 Biomes Major terrestrial

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Ecology the Biosphere

• Chapter 18

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Biomes

• Major terrestrial or aquatic life zone
• Aquatic biomes
• Occupy roughly 75 of Earths surface
• Freshwater
• Marine
• Terrestrial biomes
• Classified based on vegetation type

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Aquatic - Freshwater

• Typically have a salt concentration of less than
  1
• Standing water
• includes lakes and ponds
• Flowing water
• rivers and streams
• Wetlands
• Cover less than 1 of Earth
• Contain a mere 0.01 of its water
• Harbor about 6 of all described species
• Are used for drinking water, crop irrigation,
  sanitation, and industry

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Photic zone
Benthic realm
Aphotic zone
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Aquatic - Marine

• Typically have a salt concentration around 3
• Oceans
• Intertidal zones
• Coral reefs
• Estuaries

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High tide
Low tide
Pelagic realm (open water)
Man-of-war (to 50 m long)
Turtle (60180 cm)
Oarweed (to 2 m)
Sea star (to 33 cm)
Photic zone
Brain coral (to 1.8 m)
Phyto- plankton
Zoo- plankton
Blue shark (to 2 m)
200 m
Sponges (1 cm1 m)
Sperm whale (1020 cm)
Intertidal zone
Continental shelf
Twilight
Hatchet fish (260 cm)
Sea pen (to 45 cm)
Octopus (to 10 m)
Aphotic zone
Gulper eel (to 180 cm)
1,000 4,000 m
Sea spider (190 cm)
Benthic realm (seafloor from continental shelf to
deep-sea bottom)
Rat-tail fish (to 80 cm)
Brittle star (to 60 cm)
Anglerfish (45 cm2 m)
No light
Glass sponge (to 1.8 m)
Sea cucumber (to 40 cm)
Tripod fish (to 30 cm)
6,000 10,000 m
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Terrestrial

• Tropical Forest
• Savanna
• Desert
• Chaparral
• Temperate Grassland
• Temperate broadleaf forest
• Coniferous forest
• Tundra
• Polar ice

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30º N
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
30º S
Key
Temperate broadleaf forest
Tropical forest
Savanna
Coniferous forest
Arctic tundra
Desert
High mountains (coniferous forest and alpine
tundra)
Chaparral
Temperate grassland
Polar ice
Figure 18.27
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Tropical Rainforest

• occur in equatorial areas
• temperature is warm
• days are 1112 hours long year-round
• 200-400 cm rain
• 79-157 inches

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Savannas

• dominated by grasses and scattered trees
• warm year-round
• Experience 30-50 cm rainfall
• 1220 inches
• dramatic seasonal variation

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Deserts

• driest of all biomes
• Less than 30 cm
• 12 inches
• May be very hot or very cold
• 140 to -22 F

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Temperate Grasslands

• mostly treeless
• 25-75 cm rain per year
• 1030 inches
• Experience frequent droughts and fires
• characterized by grazers including bison and
  pronghorn in North America

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Temperate Broadleaf Forest

• Occurs throughout midlatitudes
• sufficient moisture to support the growth of
  large trees
• 75-150 cm rain
• 30-60 inches
• Includes dense stands of deciduous trees in the
  Northern Hemisphere

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Coniferous Forest

• Temperate rainforest
• dominated by cone-bearing evergreen trees
• Includes the taiga
• largest terrestrial biome on Earth

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Tundra

• Covers expansive areas of the Arctic between the
  taiga and polar ice
• characterized by
• Permafrost
• permanently frozen subsoil
• Bitterly cold temperatures
• High winds

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Polar ice

• high latitudes
• north of the arctic tundra in the northern
  hemisphere
• Antarctica in the southern hemisphere
• Only a small portion of these land masses is free
  of ice or snow
• Even in summer!