Ecosystems and Communities

Climate Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at that time for a particular area. Unequal heating of our atmosphere Climate is the yearly average atmospheric condition in a specific area over a long period of time.

Greenhouse Effect Atmosphere is a thin shell where conditions are presently suitable for life. Greenhouse Effect Greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide(CO2), methane and a few other gases.

Latitude on Climate Latitude Equator Tropics Temperate Polar

Heat Transport in the Biosphere Unequal heating and cooling rates drives winds and ocean currents Winds –Jet stream –Westerlies –Trade winds Ocean currents –Gulf Stream –Southern Oscillation Altitude-rain shadow

Factors in an Ecosystem Biotic factors are the living factors in an ecosystem. Abiotic factors are the nonliving factors in an ecosystem. Habitat

Niche Niche is what an organism does or its occupation

Community Interactions Competition Predation Symbiosis –Mutualism+,+ –Commensalism+,0 –Parasitism+,-

Succession Ecological Succession Primary Succession –Pioneer species –Climax community Secondary Succession Natural disasters, climate change, human activitiesM

Aquatic Succession Death of large organism, scavengers, decomposers Nutrients that are broken down from tissues, bones are left. Marine worms Skeleton is dissolved by chemosynthetic organism and the nutrients and energy is used by mollusks and arthropods.

Biomes Biome Tolerance Stress Optimum

Biomes and Climate Microclimate Climate diagram, climatograph

Major Terrestrial Biomes Each of the terrestrial biomes is defined by a unique set of abiotic and biotic factors

Biome Characteristi ClimateSoil/Seas TundraDry, very cold 0, Dry, Very Cold Permafrost, 60 days Taiga, Boreal Coniferous Cold winters, hotsummer 0-5 degrees, cm Spodosol days Temperate Decideous Cold hot Trees N12-27 S cm Mollisol 180 days Grassland, Steppe, veldt, pampas Variable, Sometime drough Grassest Wide Ranges 25-75cm Mollisol 180 days Tropical rain forest Warm and Wet 25 constant Over 150cm Udisol Year round DesertVery dryHot +20 Cold 10 Below 25cm Aridisols, depends

Other Land Areas Mountain Ranges –Factors vary with elevation Polar Ice Caps –North, mosses, lichens, Polar bears, seals, insects, mites –South, mosses, lichens, Penguins, aquatic marine animals

Aquatic Aquatic ecosystems are determined by the depth, flow, temperature and water chemistry of the water.

Freshwater Flowing-River, streams, creeks, brooks Standing-Lakes, pond –Plankton-free floating organisms –Phytoplankton-unicellular plants –Zooplankton-organism that feed off of the phytoplankton Wetlands-bogs, marsh, swamps

Wetlands Wetland –Bog(sphagnum) –marsh cattails, rushes, wetlands along rivers, –swamp flooded forest

Estuaries Estuaries-are areas where rivers meet the ocean. Detritus, shallow characteristics. Valuable as nursaries, migration stop Salt marsh- temperate-zone estuaries where grasses are the dominant vegetation Mangrove swamps-coastal wetlands, along tropical regions. Mangroves, seagrasses dominant vegetation. Valuable as nursery for fish and shellfish.

Marine Ecosystems Phototic Zone-light penetrates, photosynthetic Aphotic Zone-below 200 m, chemosynthetic Benthic Zone-covers the ocean floor Divisions also with distance from shore and depth.

Intertidal Zone Areas where organisms are exposed to extreme conditions, daily. Many different types of communities Zonation- prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a certain area High tide, low tide

Coastal Ocean Coastal Ocean from low tide mark to the edge of the continetial shelf. Kelp forest temperate, shallow regions, very productive. Usually supports a complex food web.

Coral Reef Corals are small marine animals that are found warm, shallow coastal areas. Corals are sack like with tenticles Symbiotic algae and corals, coral wastes are nutrients for the algae, the algae supply Carbon for the corals.

Open Ocean Open ocean is anywhere from continental shelf, ,000 meters Low nutrients, high pressure, low temperatures and total darkness.

Benthic Zone Benthic zone the ocean floor. Benthos-organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean Depend on other organisms for food, detritus Vents, nutrients chemosynthetic