1. Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 6
Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity

2. Section 6-2
INTRO TO CLIMATE

3. Blowing in the Wind: A Story of Connections
Wind connects most life on earth.
Keeps tropics from being unbearably hot.
Prevents rest of world from freezing.
Figure 5-1

4. CLIMATE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Weather is a local area’s short-term physical conditions such as temperature and precipitation.
Climate is a region’s average weather conditions over a long time.
Latitude and elevation help determine climate.

5. Earth’s Current Climate Zones
Figure 5-2

6. Solar Energy and Global Air Circulation: Distributing Heat
Global air circulation is affected by
the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by solar energy
seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation.
Figure 5.3
Natural capital: as the planet makes its annual revolution around the sun on an axis tilted about 23.5°, various regions are tipped toward or away from the sun. The resulting variations in the amount of solar energy reaching the earth create the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Figure 5-3

7. Coriolis Effect
Global air circulation is affected by the rotation of the earth on its axis.
Figure 5.4
Natural capital: because of the Coriolis effect the earth’s rotation deflects the movement of the air over different parts of the earth, creating global patterns of prevailing winds that help distribute heat and moisture in the troposphere.
Figure 5-4

8. Convection Currents
Global air circulation is affected by the properties of air water, and land.
Figure 5.5
Natural capital: transfer of energy by convection in the troposphere. Convection occurs when hot and wet warm air rises, cools, and releases moisture as precipitation and heat (right side). Then the more dense cool and dry air sinks, gets warmer, and picks up moisture as it flows across the earth’s surface to begin the cycle again.
Figure 5-5

9. Convection Cells
Heat and moisture are distributed over the earth’s surface by vertical currents, which form six giant convection cells at different latitudes.
Figure 5.6
Natural capital: global air circulation and biomes. Heat and moisture are distributed over the earth’s surface by vertical currents, which form six giant convection cells at different latitudes. The resulting uneven distribution of heat and moisture over the planet’s surface leads to the forests, grasslands, and deserts that make up the earth’s biomes.
Figure 5-6

10. Ocean Currents: Distributing Heat and Nutrients
Figure 5.7
Natural capital: the natural greenhouse effect. When concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rise, the average temperature of the troposphere rises. (Modified by permission from Cecie Starr, Biology: Concepts and Applications, 4th ed., Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, 2000)
Ocean currents influence climate by distributing heat from place to place and mixing and distributing nutrients.
Figure 5-7

11. Topography and Local Climate: Land Matters
Figure 5.8
Natural capital: The rain shadow effect is a reduction of rainfall on the sides of mountains facing away from prevailing surface winds. Warm, moist air in prevailing onshore winds loses most of its moisture as rain and snow on the windward (wind-facing) slopes of a mountain range. This leads to semiarid and arid conditions on the leeward side of the mountain range and the land beyond. The Mojave Desert in the U.S. state of California and Asia’s Gobi Desert were both created by this effect.
Interactions between land and oceans and disruptions of airflows by mountains and cities affect local climates.
Figure 5-8

12. INTRO TO BIOMES Biomes Animation
Section 6-3
INTRO TO BIOMES Biomes Animation

13. BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND
Different climates lead to different communities of organisms, especially vegetation.
Biomes – large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals.
Each biome contains many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to differences in climate, soil, and other environmental factors.

14. BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND
Figure 5.9
Natural capital: the earth’s major biomes—the main types of natural vegetation in various undisturbed land areas—result primarily from differences in climate. Each biome contains many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to differences in climate, soil, and other environmental factors. Human ecological footprints (Figures 3 and 4 on pp. S12–S15 in Supplement 4) have removed or altered much of the natural vegetation in some areas for farming, livestock grazing, lumber and fuelwood, mining, and construction.
Figure 5-9

15. BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND
Figure 5.10
Natural capital: average precipitation and average temperature, acting together as limiting factors over a period of 30 or more years, determine the type of desert, grassland, or forest biome in a particular area. Although the actual situation is much more complex, this simplified diagram explains how climate determines the types and amounts of natural vegetation found in an area left undisturbed by human activities. (Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Company, from Derek Elsom, The Earth, New York: Macmillan, Copyright © 1992 by Marshall Editions Developments Limited)
Biome type is determined by precipitation, temperature and soil type
Figure 5-10

16. BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND
Figure 5.11
Natural capital: generalized effects of elevation (left) and latitude (right) on climate and biomes. Parallel changes in vegetation type occur when we travel from the equator to the poles or from lowlands to mountaintops.
Parallel changes occur in vegetation type occur when we travel from the equator to the poles or from lowlands to mountaintops.
Figure 5-11

17. Summary of Biomes
Biomes – large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals.
Determined by climate (average Temperature & Precipitation, Soil)
Parallel trends as you move from the equator to the poles and as you move from lower to higher elevation.
Tropical (near equator) -> Temperate -> Cold

18. Major Categories of Biomes
1. Deserts: Low Rainfall (evaporation exceeds precipitation) a. Tropical: Parts of middle east & Africa) b. Temperate (U.S. ex. Sonoran) c. Cold: Gobi (Mongolia) 2. Forests (large trees dominate) a. Tropical: Lots of rainfall (parts of S. America, Africa, Asia) b. Temperate: 4 seasons Deciduous (Eastern U.S.) Rainforest (Parts of Washington State, etc.) c. Cold: Taiga (Coniferous or Boreal Forest), Canada, parts of U.S.

19. Major Categories of Biomes (Continued)
3. Grasslands (medium rainfall, dominated by grasses) a. Tropical: Savanna b. Temperate: Prairie lands in U.S. c. Cold: Tundra (Alaska, parts of Canada, poles)

20. Section 6-4
DESERTS

21. DESERT BIOMES
Deserts are areas where evaporation exceeds precipitation.
Deserts have little precipitation and little vegetation.
Found in tropical, temperate and polar regions.
Desert plants have adaptations that help them stay cool and get enough water.

22. DESERT BIOMES
Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate and cold deserts.
Figure 5.12
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and cold deserts. Top photo shows a popular but destructive SUV rodeo in Saudi Arabia (tropical desert). Center photo shows saguaro cactus in the United States (temperate desert). Bottom photo shows a Bactrian camel in Mongolia’s Gobi (cold) desert.
Figure 5-12

23. Tropical Desert Month Mean monthly temperature (C)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Month
Fig. 5-12a, p. 109

24. Temperate Desert Month Mean monthly temperature (C)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.12
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and cold deserts. Top photo shows a popular but destructive SUV rodeo in Saudi Arabia (tropical desert). Center photo shows saguaro cactus in the United States (temperate desert). Bottom photo shows a Bactrian camel in Mongolia’s Gobi (cold) desert.
Month
Fig. 5-12b, p. 109

25. Polar Desert Month Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Freezing point
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Mean monthly temperature (°C)
Figure 5.12
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and cold deserts. Top photo shows a popular but destructive SUV rodeo in Saudi Arabia (tropical desert). Center photo shows saguaro cactus in the United States (temperate desert). Bottom photo shows a Bactrian camel in Mongolia’s Gobi (cold) desert.
Month
Fig. 5-12c, p. 109

26. DESERT BIOMES
The flora and fauna in desert ecosystems adapt to their environment through their behavior and physiology.
Figure 5.13
Natural capital: some components and interactions in a temperate desert ecosystem. When these organisms die, decomposers break down their organic matter into minerals that plants use. Colored arrows indicate transfers of matter and energy between producers, primary consumers (herbivores), secondary or higher-level consumers (carnivores), and decomposers. Organisms are not drawn to scale.
Figure 5-13

27. GRASSSLANDS & CHAPARRALS
Section 6-5
GRASSSLANDS & CHAPARRALS

28. GRASSLANDS AND CHAPARRAL BIOMES
Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue).
Figure 5-14

29. GRASSLANDS AND CHAPARRAL BIOMES
Grasslands (prairies) occur in areas too moist for desert and too dry for forests.
Savannas are tropical grasslands with scattered tree and herds of hoofed animals.

30. Tropical grassland (savanna)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.14
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (arctic tundra) grasslands. Top photo shows wildebeests grazing on a savanna in Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, Africa (tropical grassland). Center photo shows wildflowers in bloom on a prairie near East Glacier Park in the U.S. state of Montana (temperate grassland). Bottom photo shows arctic tundra with caribou in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (polar grassland).
Month
Fig. 5-14a, p. 112

31. Temperate grassland Month Mean monthly temperature (C)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.14
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (arctic tundra) grasslands. Top photo shows wildebeests grazing on a savanna in Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, Africa (tropical grassland). Center photo shows wildflowers in bloom on a prairie near East Glacier Park in the U.S. state of Montana (temperate grassland). Bottom photo shows arctic tundra with caribou in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (polar grassland).
Month
Fig. 5-14b, p. 112

32. Temperate Grasslands
The cold winters and hot dry summers have deep and fertile soil that make them ideal for growing crops and grazing cattle.
Temperate tall-grass prairie ecosystem in North America.
Figure 5-15

33. Polar grassland (arctic tundra)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.14
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (arctic tundra) grasslands. Top photo shows wildebeests grazing on a savanna in Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya, Africa (tropical grassland). Center photo shows wildflowers in bloom on a prairie near East Glacier Park in the U.S. state of Montana (temperate grassland). Bottom photo shows arctic tundra with caribou in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (polar grassland).
Month
Fig. 5-14c, p. 112

34. Polar Grasslands
Polar grasslands are covered with ice and snow except during a brief summer.
Figure 5-17

35. Chaparral
Chaparral has a moderate climate but its dense thickets of spiny shrubs are subject to periodic fires.
Figure 5-18

36. Section 6-6
FORESTS

37. FOREST BIOMES
Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar forests.
Forests have enough precipitation to support stands of trees and are found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions.
Figure 5.19
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (cold) forests. Top photo shows the closed canopy of a tropical rain forest in the western Congo Basin of Gabon, Africa. Middle photo shows a temperate deciduous forest in the U.S. state of Rhode Island during the fall. Photo 9 in the Detailed Contents shows this same area of forest during winter. Bottom photo shows a northern coniferous forest in the Malheur National Forest and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Figure 5-19

38. Tropical rain forest
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Month
Tropical rain forests have heavy rainfall and a rich diversity of species.
Found near the equator.
Have year-round uniformity warm temperatures and high humidity.
Fig. 5-19a, p. 116

39. Tropical Rain Forest
Figure 5.21
Natural capital: stratification of specialized plant and animal niches in a tropical rain forest. Filling such specialized niches enables species to avoid or minimize competition for resources and results in the coexistence of a great variety of species.
Filling such niches enables species to avoid or minimize competition and coexist
Figure 5-21

40. Temperate deciduous forest
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.19
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (cold) forests. Top photo shows the closed canopy of a tropical rain forest in the western Congo Basin of Gabon, Africa. Middle photo shows a temperate deciduous forest in the U.S. state of Rhode Island during the fall. Photo 9 in the Detailed Contents shows this same area of forest during winter. Bottom photo shows a northern coniferous forest in the Malheur National Forest and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Month
Fig. 5-19b, p. 116

41. Temperate Deciduous Forest
Most of the trees survive winter by dropping their leaves, which decay and produce a nutrient-rich soil.
Figure 5-22

42. Temperate Rain Forests
Coastal areas support huge cone-bearing evergreen trees such as redwoods and Douglas fir in a cool moist environment.
Figure 5-24

43. Polar evergreen coniferous forest
(boreal forest, taiga)
Freezing point
Mean monthly temperature (C)
Mean monthly precipitation (mm)
Figure 5.19
Natural capital: climate graphs showing typical variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar (cold) forests. Top photo shows the closed canopy of a tropical rain forest in the western Congo Basin of Gabon, Africa. Middle photo shows a temperate deciduous forest in the U.S. state of Rhode Island during the fall. Photo 9 in the Detailed Contents shows this same area of forest during winter. Bottom photo shows a northern coniferous forest in the Malheur National Forest and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness in the U.S. state of Oregon.
Month
Fig. 5-19c, p. 116

44. Evergreen Coniferous Forests
Consist mostly of cone-bearing evergreen trees that keep their needles year-round to help the trees survive long and cold winters.
Figure 5-23

45. Section 6-7
MOUNTAIN BIOMES

46. MOUNTAIN BIOMES High-elevation islands of biodiversity
Often have snow-covered peaks that reflect solar radiation and gradually release water to lower-elevation streams and ecosystems.
Figure 5-25

47. HUMAN IMPACTS ON TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
Human activities have damaged or disturbed more than half of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems.
Humans have had a number of specific harmful effects on the world’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains.

48. Natural Capital Degradation
Desert
Large desert cities
Soil destruction by off-road
vehicles
Soil salinization from irrigation
Figure 5.26
Natural capital degradation: major human impacts on the world’s deserts. QUESTION: What are three direct and three indirect harmful effects of your lifestyle on deserts?
Depletion of groundwater
Land disturbance and
pollution from mineral
extraction
Fig. 5-26, p. 123

49. Natural Capital Degradation
Grasslands
Conversion to cropland
Release of CO2 to atmosphere
from grassland burning
Overgrazing by livestock
Figure 5.27
Natural capital degradation: major human impacts on the world’s grasslands. Some 70% of Brazil’s tropical savanna—once the size of the Amazon—has been cleared and converted to the world’s biggest grain growing area. QUESTION: What are three direct and three indirect harmful effects of your lifestyle on grasslands?
Oil production and off-road vehicles in arctic tundra
Fig. 5-27, p. 123

50. Natural Capital Degradation
Forests
Clearing for agriculture, livestock
grazing, timber, and urban
development
Conversion of diverse forests to tree
plantations
Damage from off-road vehicles
Figure 5.28
Natural capital degradation: major human impacts on the world’s forests. QUESTION: What are three direct and three indirect effects of your lifestyle on forests?
Pollution of forest streams
Fig. 5-28, p. 124

51. Natural Capital Degradation
Mountains
Agriculture
Timber extraction
Mineral extraction
Hydroelectric dams and
reservoirs
Increasing tourism
Urban air pollution
Figure 5.29
Natural capital degradation: major human impacts on the world’s mountains. QUESTION: What are three direct and three indirect harmful effects of your lifestyle on mountains?
Increased ultraviolet radiation
from ozone depletion
Soil damage from off-road
vehicles
Fig. 5-29, p. 124

52. Chapter Overview Questions
What factors the earth’s climate?
How does climate determine where the earth’s major biome’s are found?
What are the major types of desert biomes?

53. Chapter Overview Questions (cont’d)
What are the major types of grassland biomes?
What are the major types of forest and mountain biomes?
How have human activities affected the world’s desert, grassland, forest, and mountain biomes?