4/12/22

Learning Goals:

1. Describe what is studied at each level of ecology

Ecology and Biomes: 2. Define what a biome is
Intro to Earth’s Diverse 3. Describe how sunlight and air circulation affects
the seasons and air/water currents on earth
Environments 4. Understand the relationship between altitude,
temperature, and climate in defining biomes.
Jenifer Gifford, Ph.D 5. Describe the major aquatic and terrestrial
biomes.

1 2

1 2

Earth’s Biomes Ecologists study how organisms interact with their

environment at several levels
• Environmental concerns are among the most pressing issues we face
today. • Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their
environments.
• How can we manage Earth’s resources in ways that meet the needs of
people today without compromising the ability of future generations to • Organisms can potentially be affected by many different variables, grouped
meet theirs? into two major types.
• Preserving an environment involves understanding structure and function 1. Biotic factors include all of the organisms in an
of populations, communities and ecosystems. area, the living component of the environment.
2. Abiotic factors are the environment’s nonliving
component, the physical and chemical factors.
• An organism’s habitat includes
the biotic and abiotic factors
present in its surroundings.

The Biosphere Aquatic Biomes Terrestrial Biomes

3 4

1
 4/12/22

Ecologists study how organisms interact with their Ecologists study how organisms interact with their
environment at several levels environment at several levels
Ecosystem: both the abiotic and biotic components of the environment.
Organismal Ecology: Organismal ecologists
Ecosystem ecologists study how nutrients and energy move among organisms
explore morphological, physiological, and
and through the surrounding atmosphere and soil or water
behavioral adaptations.
Recall: Adaptations are heritable traits that
increase fitness of an individual in a particular area
Population Ecology: Population ecologists focus
on how the number and distribution of individuals in
a population change over time
Recall: a population is a group of individuals of the
same species living in a particular geographic area.
Community Ecology: Community ecologists study
the nature and consequences of the interactions
between species. They may focus on predation,
parasitism, and competition, or explore how
communities respond to fires, floods, and other
disturbances
Recall: A community is an assemblage of all the
populations of organisms living close enough together
for potential interaction.

5 6

How to Ecologist’s Use the Scientific Method and Perform How to Ecologist’s Use the Scientific Method and Perform
Experiments? Experiments?
Observation: The oak winter moth is an insect pest of apple trees and Hypothesis: Parasitism by Cyzenis albicans will reduce populations of winter
populations need to be controlled. oak moths where they are highly abundant
Observation : Moth population can be negatively affected by the following
factors: If Rejected
If Supported

Statistical Analyses can be used to form a line of best fit and determine the
significance of the relationship between the two variables

7 8

2
 4/12/22

How to Ecologist’s Use the Scientific Method and Perform Ecologists study how organisms interact with their
Experiments? environment at several levels
Another Hypothesis: Now that populations were reduced by parasitism, the
• Global ecology is encompassed by the biosphere, the thin zone
population is controlled by predation on the winter oak moth pupa.
surrounding the Earth where all life exists
If supported, removal of predators will increase the population size.
Experiment: Trap and remove the pupal predators and monitor the moth • Global ecologists focus on the effects of human impacts on the biosphere
population over time. • The biosphere:
• extends from the atmosphere several kilometers above Earth to the
depths of the oceans
• is all of Earth that is inhabited by life

Data Collection

9 10

Ecologists study how organisms interact with their

environment at several levels

• The five levels of ecological study are synthesized and

applied in conservation biology
• Conservation biology is the effort to study, preserve,
and restore threatened populations, communities, and FACTORS IN THE BIOSPHERE AND
ecosystems
CLIMATE AFFECT THE
DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES

11 12

3
 4/12/22

Physical and chemical factors influence life in the biosphere Physical and chemical factors influence life in the
biosphere
• One of the fundamental goals of ecology is to explain the distribution
of organisms.
• The range of conditions a species can tolerate and resources it can
use is called its niche
• This is a product of abiotic and biotic factors that affect where a
particular species lives
• Organisms cannot be adapted to all environments because of
fitness tradeoffs

• The presence of a species in a

particular place has two possible
explanations:
• The species may have evolved
from ancestors living in that
location.
• It may have dispersed to that
location and been able to survive
once it arrived.

13 14

Modeling can help ecologists make predictions about Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial
changing ecosystems and organism distribution communities
• Climate is the prevailing long-term weather conditions found in an area (temp &
precipitation) that often determines the distribution of communities.
• Weather consists of specific short-term atmospheric conditions of temperature,
precipitation, sunlight, and wind

• The Earth’s global climate patterns are largely determined by Arctic

Circle
• the input of radiant energy from the sun Low angle of 60°N
incoming sunlight
• the planet’s movement in space
30°N
• Solar radiation varies with latitude. Tropic of
Cancer
• Equatorial regions receive sunlight
more directly. Sunlight strikes
most directly 0°(equator)
• Higher latitudes receive sunlight at
more of a slant. Tropic of
Capricorn
30°S

• The tropics (region surrounding the Low angle of

incoming sunlight 60°S
equator) receive greatest annual input Antarctic
Atmosphere
and have least seasonal variation Circle

• The cooler regions that receive indirect light are known as temperate regions

15 16

4
 4/12/22

Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial
communities communities
The Earth’s permanent tilt causes the seasons: • Direct, intense solar radiation in the tropics near the equator has an
• In June, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is tipped toward the sun. impact on the global patterns of rainfall and winds. Tropics experience the
• In December, the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is tipped away from the greatest annual input and least seasonal variation in solar radiation.
sun. • Areas along the equator receive the most moisture; areas at about 30°N
• The reverse is true about the Southern Hemisphere, and 30°S latitude are among the driest on Earth
generating opposite seasons during the same time of year. • A major cycle in global air circulation, called a Hadley cell, is responsible
for this pattern:

17 18

Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial
communities communities
• Prevailing winds (pink) result from the combined effects of rising and falling
air masses (blue/brown) and Earth’s rotation (gray).
• In the tropics, Earth’s rapidly moving surface deflects vertically circulating air,
making the trade winds blow from east to west.
• In temperate zones, the slower-moving surface produces the westerlies,
winds that blow from the west towards the east.

60 ° N
Westerlies

Trade winds 30 ° N

Doldrums

Trade winds

Westerlies
30 ° S

60 ° S

19 21

5
 4/12/22

Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial Climate influences the distribution of terrestrial
communities communities
• Landforms can also affect local climate. • Ocean currents, river-like flow
For example, air temperature declines patterns in the oceans, result
about 6°C with every 1,000-m increase from a combination of prevailing
in elevation. winds, the planet’s rotation, unequal
heating of surface waters, the
• Rainfall is affected by the prevailing location and shapes of the
winds AND the location of mountains continents
• Ocean currents have a
profound effect on regional
climates.
• Gulf stream circulates warm water
north from the Gulf to UK, making
California coast

Nevada Desert
Wind
direction
East
its west coast warmer in winter than
Pacific
Ocean
our east coast (New England)
Rain shadow
Desert
Sierra
Nevada At this point, you should understand how air circulation and the tilt/rotation/revolution
Coast
Range of the Earth affect temperature and precipitation
Summarize this with the people around you. 3 minutes.

22 23

Biotic and Abiotic Factors Generate Distinct Biomes Distinct biomes are found throughout the world
• Biomes are regions characterized by distinct abiotic characteristics and
dominant vegetation types
• Examples: broad-leaved evergreen forests, deserts, grasslands, and
tundra
• Each terrestrial biome is determined largely by climate—
temperature, moisture, sunlight, and wind
• Average annual temperature and precipitation
• Annual variation in temperature and precipitation
• Temperature and moisture influence net
primary productivity (NPP), or total
amount of biomass generated by the
carbon that is fixed per year minus the
amount oxidized during cellular respiration
• Biomass refers
to the total mass
of organisms,
Notice that Biomes change with latitude

24 25

6
 4/12/22

Biomes change with altitude as well as latitude

TERRESTRIAL BIOMES

26 27

Polar ice covers the land at high latitudes Long, bitter-cold winters characterize the tundra
• The tundra covers
Temperature

Precipitation

expansive areas of the Arctic

range

between the taiga and the

permanently frozen polar
ice.
• The treeless arctic tundra is
characterized by
permafrost (continuously
frozen subsoil), no trees,
only shrubs, grasses,
• Polar ice covers land north of the tundra, mosses, lichens, and may
much of the Arctic Ocean, and the continent receive as little precipitation
of Antarctica as some deserts.
• Temperatures are extremely cold year-
round and precipitation is very low.
• The terrestrial polar biome is closely
intertwined with the neighboring marine
biome.

28 29

7
 4/12/22

Coniferous forests are often dominated by a few Broadleaf trees dominate temperate forests
species of trees
• Temperate Deciduous

Precipitation
Temperature
• Cone-bearing evergreen trees, such

range
forests

Temperature

Precipitation
range
as spruce, pine, fir, and hemlock,
• grow where there is
dominate coniferous forests or
sufficient moisture to
boreal forests.
support the growth of
• The northern coniferous forest, or large trees and
taiga, is the largest terrestrial biome • experience wide-ranging
on Earth. The taiga is characterized temperatures (–30°C to
by: 30°C) and high annual
• growth in cool, high elevations (just precipitation (75–150 cm).
south of the artic circle)
• These forests typically have
• long, cold winters a growing season of 5 to 6
• short, wet summers months and a distinct annual
• thin, acidic soil; slow rhythm of leaf drop in the fall
decomposition and the production of new
leaves in the spring.
• Temperate rain forests of coastal
North America are also coniferous
forests.

30 31

Temperate grasslands include the North American Tropical forests cluster near the equator
prairie • Tropical forests
Precipitation
Temperature
Precipitation
Temperature

range

• Temperate grasslands • occur in equatorial areas

range

Fire

• are mostly treeless, except along • experience warm temperatures

rivers or streams, and days that are 11–12 hours
• are found in regions of relatively long year-round
cold winter temperatures • have variable rainfall
• experience precipitation of about • The tropical rain forest is
25–75 cm per year, with periodic among the most complex
droughts of all biomes.
• in North America • Tropical rain forests
have historically been harbor enormous
grazed by large bison numbers of species.
and pronghorn. • Large-scale human
• Very productive farms destruction of tropical
have replaced most of rain forests continues
North America’s temperate to endanger many
grasslands. species.

32 33

8
 4/12/22

Deserts are defined by their dryness Terrestrial biomes reflect regional variations in climate
• The current concern about global warming is generating intense interest
• Deserts are the driest of all

Temperature

Precipitation
in the effect of climate on vegetation patterns.

range
terrestrial biomes.
• They are characterized by low • Scientists are documenting
and unpredictable rainfall. • shifts in latitudes of biome
• The cycles of growth and borders 30°
N
Tropic of

reproduction in the desert are • changes in snow and Cancer

Equator

keyed to rainfall. ice coverage Tropic of Capricorn

30°

• Deserts can be very • changes in length of

S

hot or very cold. the growing season

• Desertification, the Key
Tropical forest Chaparral Coniferous forest High mountains

conversion of semi-arid Savanna Temperate grassland Arctic tundra (coniferous forest

and alpine
Desert Temperate broadleaf Polar ice tundra)
regions to desert, is a forest

significant environmental
problem.

34 35

Human Effects on Biomes Shifting Climates, Shifting Biomes

• Natural biomes result from 3.5 billion years of

interplay among geology, climate, evolution, and
ecology
• Explosion of human populations is creating impacts
so significant that some researchers have called this
a new epoch of history, the Anthropocene
• Over 75% of Earth’s ice-free land shows evidence of
direct alteration by humans:
• Examples: farming, logging, and urban development
• Wildlands account for just 11% of terrestrial NPP

36 37

9
 4/12/22

Aquatic Biomes are characterized by fresh or salt water

• Aquatic biomes are classified into two categories: freshwater and saltwater
(marine) systems
• In the water cycle, the sun’s rays cause water to evaporate and fall
• Because land is higher than the sea, gravity returns freshwater to the sea.
Along the way the water is contained in streams and lakes

AQUATIC BIOMES

38 39

Four abiotic factors distinguish streams from oceans: Subdivisions of the Oceans

1. Salinity • Pelagic realm: all open water

• Photic zone: where light penetration is sufficient for photosynthesis and
• Salinity has dramatic effects on osmosis and water balance in
organisms: Phytoplankton (algae & cyanobacteria) can occur (“phot” = light)
• Species are adapted to specific ranges of salinity • Neritic zone: intertidal zone to the continental shelf.
• It is a major determinant of species distributions • Coral reefs also occur in the photic zone.
2. Water depth • Aphotic zone: where there is insufficient light for photosynthesis
• Water absorbs and scatters light, so the amount and types of • Benthic realm: the substrate, which consists of the seafloor
wavelengths available to organisms change dramatically as water
depth increases
3. Water flow
• Organisms in areas with fast flow need body shapes and behavioral
adaptations to help them cope with fast flow
4. Nutrient availability
• Nutrients limit growth rates in the photosynthetic organisms that
provide food for other species

40 41

10
 4/12/22

Coastal Ecosystems are areas where freshwater Freshwater Biomes

meets marine water
• Freshwater biomes
• The marine environment includes distinctive
biomes where the ocean meets the land or fresh • cover less than 1% of Earth’s surface
water. • contain less than 0.01% of its water
• Intertidal zones are where the ocean meets
• harbor 6% of all described species
the land and the shore is pounded by waves
during high tide and exposed to the sun and • include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams,
drying winds during low tide. and wetlands
• Estuaries are productive areas where rivers • relied on for drinking water, irrigation,
meet the ocean. sanitation and industry
• High nutrient availability
• Nurseries of the oceans • Freshwater biomes fall into two broad
groups:
1. standing water biomes (lakes and
ponds)
2. flowing water biomes (rivers and
streams)

42 43

Wetlands hold standing water throughout the year Freshwater Lakes and Ponds have distinct regions defined by
sunlight penetration
Bog • Wetlands are areas that hold some
amount of water during part of the year • Littoral zone: Seashore
and are characterized by their vegetation. • plants, algae and animals are distributed according to water depth
• Marshes are frequently or continually and distance from shore (phytoplankton and plants)
inundated with water and have lots of
reeds and grasses
• Limnetic: Lake Zone
• Swamps are dominated by woody plants • deep lakes are dark and may only support microbes living on
or shubs decomposing organisms (removes oxygen from bottom of lake)
• Bogs are characterized by acidic water,
Swamp peat deposits and moss.

Marsh

44 45

11
 4/12/22

Freshwater biomes can be characterized by their biological Freshwater Lakes are characterized by distinct temperature
productivity layers that don’t mix in the summers

• Oligotrophic lakes are nutrient • Freshwater biomes:

poor and have limited organic lakes and ponds
matter • Lakes have distinct
• Eutrophic lakes are nutrient rich layers of water with
and are characterized by lots of different
organic material and high temperatures that
biological productivity prevents mixing
• In the winter, ice
floats and insulates
the rest of the lake,
which allows
aquatic animals to
survive.

46 47

Human Effects on Aquatic Biomes Aquatic Biomes are Finite Systems

Human activities affect the Solar

heat
global water cycle: Net movement
of water vapor
Water vapor by wind Water vapor
• The destruction of tropical over the sea over the land

rain forests reduces the Precipitation

Precipitation Evaporation Evaporation over the land
amount of water vapor in theover the sea from the sea and
transpiration
air.
• Atmospheric water comes
Oceans
from transpiration;
Surface water
destruction of forests and
Flow of water groundwater
changes the water vapor in from land to sea

the air
• Pumping large amounts of • Fisheries have been overexploited,
groundwater to the surface leading to cascading food-web
for irrigation can increase effects
the rate of evaporation over • Excess CO2 in the atmosphere
land, resulting in higher acidifies the oceans and raises their
humidity and depleting temperatures
groundwater supplies.

48 49

12
 4/12/22

Comprehension Questions

50

13