Notes GEO 9 Ecosystem
Biogeography- interdisciplinary study living and nonliving environment interactions and
interdependence (climate, soil, plants, animals)
Levels of organization: subatomic, atomic, molecular, cell organelles, cellular, tissues, organs, organ
systems, individual, population, community, ecosystem, biomes (large- scale ecosystems), biosphere
Ecosystem: natural system with biotic (flora and fauna) and abiotic (physical elements including
temp. water and light) elements
Human activity!
System of a tree: biotic and abiotic components (in/outputs and processes) p90
Location of biomes: LATITUDE and CLIMATE map p91
Solar climate belts: POLAR, TEMPERATE, TROPICAL
I.TROPICAL: 1)rainforests, 2)tropical grassland (savanna(h)), 3) hot desert
II.TEMPERATE:
WARM: 4)Mediterranean, (Subtropical monsoon not mentioned)
TRUE (in your book cool): 5)Deciduous forest, 6)grassland (steppe, prairie, pampas)
III.COLD: 7)Taiga (coniferous forest) and 8)Tundra
8) Polar regions:
Arctic- north polar ocean+ Greenland, Canada, Russia
Antarctica: a real continent
Climate: cold and dry!
Antarctica coldest: (role of circumpolar winds!)+ highest continent
Tundra vegetation (permafrost) only shrubs, mosses, grasses and alpine flowers
polar bears, wolves, foxes, reindeer, walruses, whales
Antarctica: mosses and lichen species,
Phytoplankton in seas- supporting penguins and seals
Activities p93 1-3
1)Tropical rainforests
Location: between the two tropics (23.5°) now 6% of land but 50% world’s species- deforestration
No seasons- hot 26-28C° and wet (humid ~2000 mm) low fluctuation= constant growing season
Role of ITCZ!
15 million plant and animal species
300 tree species per km2- multilayered vegetation!
Emergents, canopy layers, under canopy, shrubs, 5% sunlight reaches ground
Buttress roots in shallow soil, lianas and orchids
toucans, jaguars, chameleons, stick insects, orangutan in Borneo, poison darts frogs.
Finish the notes with the Coral reef ecosystem p96-97!