1. Climate of Rangelands Presentation (ppt.) There are J. Peterson
J. Schmidt (
Jim Peaco (
There are

2. Climate plays primary role
Presentation (ppt.)
Climate plays primary role
Climate:
Long-term patterns of temperature & precip
Weather = short-term variation in temp., precip. wind, humidity, etc.
Biome:
Largest terrestrial ecosystem that is easily recognizable.
Prairies, shrublands, woodlands, forests, etc.
Ecosystems:
Community of organisms & abiotic environment
There are

3. How does climate affect global vegetation patterns?
Presentation (ppt.)
How does climate affect global vegetation patterns?
Affects plant biomass (amount of vegetation)
Drives photosynthesis
Determines growing periods (frost-free period)
Affects types of plants that will grow:
Trees need more water than shrubs, forbs & grasses.
Some plants like it hot & some like it cold. Depends on plant physiology.
Influences soils texture & structure.
Climate affects photosynthesis – the kinds of plants and the amount of plants that you have is
There are

4. Climate Affects Vegetation
Presentation (ppt.)
Climate Affects Vegetation
Rangelands evolved where precip was insufficient for forests, but too much for barren deserts.
These are RANGELANDS
Robert Whittaker’s classification of biomes, based on annual precipitation, temperature
There are

5. Variation in Annual Precipitation Across U.S.
Presentation (ppt.)
Variation in Annual Precipitation Across U.S.
The Western U.S. has a lot of area that gets between 5 and 15 inches of rainfall.
There are

6. Variation in Precip L.A. Sharp Experimental Area –Malta Idaho
Presentation (ppt.)
Variation in Precip
L.A. Sharp Experimental Area –Malta Idaho
Effective precip = when precipitation is usable
One of the greatest challenges of managing rangelands is dealing with these year-to-year variations in precipitation. (Good place to show brief slideshow of 50 years of change in a crested wheatgrass stand)
Min Precip = (1989) 6.6 inches Max Precip = (1982) 23.6 inches Average = 14.9 inches
There are

7. Presentation (ppt.)
There are several ways to categorize climate. This is one of them.
There are

8. Geographic Climate Regions
Presentation (ppt.)
Geographic Climate Regions
Mediterranean
Pacific Northwest
Great Basin
Southwest Deserts
Great Plains
Mountains
Figure by K. Launchbaugh
This is Karen’s approximation of climatic regions that relate to vegetation pattersn
There are

9. Grassland & Savannas Deserts & Semideserts Mediterranean
Presentation (ppt.)
Grassland & Savannas
Deserts & Semideserts
Mediterranean
Deserts & Semideserts
There are

10. Presentation (ppt.)
Topographic Effects
Mountains can create Orographic Barriers with Rain Shadows on the leeward side
From
Describe an example of a rainshadow. Think about Colorado where you have the lush vegetation on the west side of the Rockies, then a desert on the east side of the mountain range.
There are

11. Presentation (ppt.)
Hadley Cell Effect
Atmospheric circulation patterns between circulation between the equator and 30 latitude.
There are

12. Presentation (ppt.)
Hadley Cell Effect
Creates bands of moist or dry zones around the globe.
There are

13. Equator
30

14. Continental Land Effects
Lands around large bodies of water tend to have climates with:
Mild temperatures
Abundant precipitation (moist or mesic)
Centers of continents are often:
Extreme temperature variation (summer to winter)
Dry

15. Continental Patterns
Watch Global Circulation video at:

16. Rangelands of the World
Presentation (ppt.)
Rangelands of the World
Map created by Eva Strand, Karen Launchbaugh, and Christopher Bernau of the University of Idaho based on a global database created by the World Wildlife Fund
There are

17. Summary of Climate
Patterns of precip. & temp drive patterns of vegetation.
Geographic effect
Orographic barriers & rain shadows
Altitude and latitude are important
Hadley cells
Continental effects