How would you describe it… In your notes, describe the ecosystem that is Mission Hills High School. What is your evidence?

Levels of Organization & Biomes Chapter 34

What you need to know  The levels of organization ecologists study  The role of abiotic factors in the formation of biomes  Features of freshwater and marine biomes  Major terrestrial biomes and their characteristics

4 Levels of Organization  Ecologists have organized the interactions of organisms into different levels according to complexity

5 1 st Level of Organization  Organism: An individual living thing that is made of cells, uses energy, reproduces, responds, grows, and develops

6 2 nd Level of Organization  Population: A group of organisms, all of the same species, which interbreed and live in the same place at the same time

7 3 rd Level of Organization  Community: All the populations of different species that live in the same place at the same time.

8 4 th Level of Organization  Ecosystem: Populations of plants and animals (biotic) that interact with each other and with the non-living (abiotic) parts of that area

9 5 th Level of Organization  Biosphere: is all the ecosystems, or the portion of Earth that supports living things

10 What level of Organization? Ecosystem

11 What level of organization? Organism

12 What level of Organization? Biosphere

13 What level of Organization? Population

In your notes…  Construct your own definitions of the levels of organization.

Ecology in a nutshell  aAWgyw aAWgyw aAWgyw

Biomes  The major types of ecosystems that occupy very broad geographic regions.  Aquatic biomes make up the largest part of the biosphere

Aquatic Biomes  Broken into four layers: 1.Photic zone: enough light for PS 2.Aphotic zone: very little light 3.Thermoclines: mid level region with fast temperature change (deeper  colder) 4.Benthic zone: bottom of the biome (sand, organic sediments, detritus)

In your notes…  What type of life exists within these 4 layers?

Freshwater Biomes 1.Lakes & Wetlands  Littoral zone (shore), limnetic zone (deep water)  Oligotrophic lakes (deep lakes, nutrient poor, O 2 rich), eutrophic (shallow lakes, nutrient rich, O 2 poor) Why? 2.Rivers & Streams  Defined by current, and divided among head waters and mouth  Estuaries are where freshwater rivers and streams merge into the ocean

Marine Biomes  Intertidal zone: land meets the water (tidal regions)  Neritic zone: shallow water  Pelagic Biome: open blue water (most of the ocean)  Coral Reef: cnidarians make calcium carbonate shells (coral); among the most productive ecosystems

In your notes…  Why do you think aquatic organisms can only live in freshwater OR saltwater and not both?

Climate  Total annual rainfall  Average annual temperature Climate is largely determined by latitude, but can be modified by mountain ranges, trade wind patterns, and/or altitude

8 Major Biomes 1.Tropical rain forest 2.Savanna 3.Desert 4.Temperate forest 5.Temperate grassland 6.Chaparral 7.Taiga 8.Tundra High temperature Decreasing rainfall Lower temp Decreasing rf Very low temp

Tropical Rain Forest

Tropical Rainforest  Temperature is warm, rainfall cm/year  Photoperiod: hr/day - year round  No seasonal change  Poor soil: rapid recycling rather than accumulation  Most complex terrestrial biome  Plants: many varieties of vegetation (300 species of trees)  Animals: highest variety of species  Highest amount of trophic levels

Savannah

Savannahs  Temp. warm, rainfall cm year  Seasonal droughts and fires  Plants: grasses, sparse trees  Animals: Large herbivores and predators

Desert

Desert  Driest terrestrial biome: low and unpredictable rainfall (less than 30 cm/year, some none in decades!)  Descending dry air mass: 30 o latitude  High temperature fluctuations  Plants: Deep rooted, water storing, CAM plants (cactus)  Animals: Behaviorally adapted insects, reptiles & mammals  unique excretory adaptations

Temperate Forest (deciduous/broadleaf)

Temperate Forests (deciduous/broadleaf)  Seasons, rainfall 200 cm/year  Growing season 5-6 month  Plants: Flowering seasonal trees  High rates of decomposition, but low cycling of nutrients, allows for thick layer of rich soil  Animals: insects, birds, rodents, deer  Good regeneration from human impact

Temperate Grassland

 Seasonal Weather; rainfall cm year  Plants: grasses  Animals: large herbivores and their predators

Chaparral

Chaparral  Semiarid regions, rainfall 10-30cm per year (additional moisture from fog)  Plants: Dense spiny shrubs, tough evergreens  annual plants  Periodic firestorms necessary for germination  Animals: grazers, fruit eating birds, rodents, lizards

Taiga (Coniferous Forest)

 Long cold winters, short wet summers  Most precipitation in form of snow  Plants: Cone bearing evergreens  Animals: Large grazing animals like moose, elk deer

Tundra

Tundra  Long bitter winter, short summer with long 24hr days  High moisture levels but no trees:  Permafrost prevents root growth  Plants: seasonal grass  Animals: grazing migratory herds (caribou)

In your notes…  Explain how the idea of “Biomes” developed.  What are the main “defining characteristics” that Biomes have in common?  In which Biome would you place MHHS? Why?