Bio = Life Geo = Earth Graphy = Description of ( a picture) A description of living things on Earth

A. One factor that has affected how species are distributed is the motion of Earth’s continents. B. The continents are parts of huge blocks of solid rock called plates. C. As the plates move, the continents move with them in a process called Continental Drift.

D. What was the name of the single large land mass? Pangaea E. Continental drift has had a great impact on the distribution of species. F. Australia drifted way from other landmasses. 1. Kangaroos, koalas and other unique species flourished in this isolation.

A. The movement of organisms from one place to another is called dispersal. 1.Dispersal can be caused by wind, water or other living things including humans.

B. Wind can disperse seeds, the spores of fungi, tiny spiders and other small, light organisms. 1. Water transports objects that float.

C. Organisms can be dispersed by other living things. 1. Examples = birds deposit seeds in waste, animals carry seeds in fur, humans move plants/seed/insects 2. An organism that is carried into a new location by people is referred to as an Exotic Species.

A. Three factors that limit dispersal of a species are physical barriers, competition and climate.

B. Examples of physical barriers = Water, Mountains, Deserts and Oceans

C. Examples of competition = Organisms compete for resources. Organisms must find a unique niche. Existing species may outcompete new species.

D. The typical weather pattern in an area over a long period of time is an area’s climate. 1. Examples of climate = Climate determines how species are distributed. Places with similar climates tend to have species that a occupy similar niches.

A grassland is an area that is populated by grasses and other nonwoody plants. A prairie is a grassy plain.

Nine-Mile Prairie is a 230-acre (97-hectare) relict tall grass prairie owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation. It is located in on the northwest edge of Lincoln, in Lancaster County. The prairie was so named because it is five miles west and four miles north of the University of Nebraska campus in downtown Lincoln.

Three hundred and ninety-two vascular plant species and over 80 species of birds have been observed on the prairie. Notable species include the federally-threatened prairie white fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) and the rare regal fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia). The prairie is also used as a seed source of local genotypes of grasses and wildflowers for use in prairie restoration efforts in the region.

A Wetland is an area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, that has watery soil with aquatic plants. Water in Wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater or a mix of salt/fresh Whitehead Wetlands is a Salt Water Wetland.

Whitehead Saline Wetlands contains a variety of saline wetland plants and animals, including the state endangered saltwort plant, which utilizes this vital habitat. Saline = Salt Water (Ocean or Marine Biome)

The rare Salt Creek tiger beetle, a tiny insect that makes its home exclusively on the salt flats along stream banks of Salt Creek and its tributaries, is one species that utilizes the saline wetlands. As one of the rarest insects in the United States, the tiger beetle’s population has been steadily declining over the past decades due largely to loss of habitat. The beetle received federal protection under the Endangered Species Act in October of 2005; before, it was protected as an endangered species by the State of Nebraska. The tiger beetle is often used as an indicator species signally the existence of a healthy saline wetland and serves as an important link in a complex food chain of the saline wetland ecosystem.