Chapter 4 Communities and Biomes

Community Distribution Limiting Factor – any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts an organism (ex. Food, water, shelter..) Range of tolerance – when organism receives too much or too little of something (ex. Sun, water...)

1. What happened to the deer population over the years? 2. What are possible reasons for what happened to the deer population? 3. What do animals need to survive? 4. Define “limiting factor.” 5. What are some of the limiting factors that affect the deer’s survival? 6. Are wildlife populations static, or do they tend to fluctuate as part of an overall “balance of nature?” 7. Is nature ever really in “balance”, or are ecological systems constantly changing?

Climax community – a stable mature community that undergoes little or no succession (example: a mature Oak Forest) Succession – orderly, natural changes in a community over time Pioneer species – first inhabiters of an area (moss, lichens) Primary (1  ) Succession - first colonization of a new land (lava flow, stream deposit, strip mine) Secondary (2  ) succession - sequence of changes that happen after a community is disrupted by natural disasters (forest fire, hurricane, flood) or by human actions (agriculture, clear cutting forest)

Biomes – a large group of ecosystems that share the same type of climax community

Aquatic biome – biome of water (river, lake, ocean, stream) Marine biome – the ocean covers nearly 75% of the earth’s surface Plankton –producers of the ocean, generally microscopic Photic zone – layer of the water that is shallow enough that light can pass through Aphotic zone – layer of water that is deep enough that it never receives light

Marine Zones Photic Aphotic

Estuary – water (such as at the mouth of a river) where fresh water and salt water mix (brackish water) Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.

Tidal zone (intertidal zone) – is where the land and sea meet, between the high and low tide zones. This complex marine ecosystem is found along coastlines worldwide. It is rich in nutrients and oxygen and is home to a variety of organisms Much of this inhospitable environment is washed by the tides each day, so organisms that live here are adapted to huge daily changes in moisture, temperature, turbulence (from the water), and salinity.tides

Most livings are near the surface of fresh water where the water stays warmer and the light is able to penetrate the water Freshwater biome – a water biome that does not contain much salt; lakes, ponds, rivers

Terrestrial biome – biome on land  Temperature  Precipitation T wo major factors influence the type of biome that exist on land

Biome Graph Precipitation vs Temp. "Original" Whittaker diagram "Modified" Whittaker diagram

PlaceAverage Temperature o C Annual Precipitation (cm) Biome La Selva, Costa Rica Tropical Rain Forest Marietta, Ohio12105 Temperate Deciduous Forest Pasadena California Savanna Ferron, Utah Desert Tucson, Arizona Subtropical Desert Santa Rosa, Costa Rica26165Tropical Seasonal Forest Brazzaville, Congo25137Tropical Seasonal Forest Lambarene, Gabon Tropical Seasonal Forest Amauulu, Hawaii20410Tropical Rain Forest Toolik Lake, Alaska-8.818Tundra Beijing, China Temperate Grassland Seoul, South Korea Temperate Deciduous Forest Archbold Biological Station Tropical Seasonal Forest* Everglades National Park (Flamingo) Tropical Seasonal Forest* NOTE: Use “original” diagram

Terrestrial Biome Map

Tundra It has poor soil due to the weather and small plants and animals because of the lack of protection and short growing seasons Tundra – treeless land with long summer days and below 0  C much of the year. Permafrost – because of the cold temperatures the ground never thaws more than a few inches deep the layer under the thawed layer remains frozen year round (permanently frozen) People have found remains of even extinct animals in the permafrost (a woolly mammoth) year-old baby mammoth has been unearthed in a remote northern Siberian region

Taiga Taiga (Northern Coniferous Forest) – water logged soil, it lacks permafrost and has acidic soil due to pine needles. There is more shelter (trees) and large plants which allows for larger animals

Desert Desert – Annual rainfall 0 to 25cm. Plants vary with the amount of rain from small shrubs to nothing at all. Most animals are small and remain under cover during the day to escape the hot sun.

Grasslands Grassland – 25 to 75 cm of rain annually. It is covered with grasses and small plants. There is more biodiversity than deserts because of the more water. It is ideal for growing grains in the rich soil.

Temperate Forest Temperate forests – 70 to 150 cm per year. Usually there is a rich top layer of soil and a deeper layer of clay. Plants include broad-leaf trees. Many animals live in the forest year round others migrate south. You live here!!!

Tropical Rain Forest Tropical Rain Forest – Receives 200 to 400 cm of rain per year. Most nutrients are tied up in the living material. The roots are usually shallow because of the thin, poor soil. This is the most biologically diverse of all the biomes