THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE
ENVIRONMENTS
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• ECOLOGISTS STUDY HOW ORGANISMS
INTERACT WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT AT
SEVERAL LEVELS
– ECOLOGY  DEF???
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
•
•
•
•
ORGANISM LEVEL
POPULATION
COMMUNITY
ECOSYSTEM
– ABIOTIC VS BIOTIC
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• WHAT IS THE BIOSPHERE?
– BIOSPHERE  DEF??
– PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL FACTORS INFLUENCE THE
BIOSPHERE
• IMPORTANT ABIOTIC FACTORS INCLUDE
–
–
–
–
–
SOLAR ENERGY
WATER
TEMPERATURE
WIND
ETC. (PH, NATURAL DISASTERS, SOIL STRUCTURE AND
COMPOSITION)
• WHAT IS A HABITAT?
– HABITAT  DEF??
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• ORGANISMS FOUND IN ENVIRONMENTS HAVE
ADAPTED TO ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS IN
THAT ENVIRONMENT
• THESE ORGANISMS ARE PRESENT FOR ONE OF
TWO REASONS
– THEY EVOLVED SPECIFICALLY IN THAT LOCATION
– THEY SPREAD TO THAT LOCATION AND WERE ABLE
TO SURVIVE
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• REGIONAL CLIMATES INFLUENCE THE
DISTRIBUTION OF BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• REGIONAL CLIMATES INFLUENCE THE
DISTRIBUTION OF BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• CLIMATE IS THE DETERMINING FACTOR IN
UNDERSTANDING AN ENVIRONMENT
– BIOMES  MAJOR TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS
• TWO MAJOR CATEGORIES
– AQUATIC VS TERRESTRIAL
– SEE BIOMES POWERPOINT ON WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!
THE BIOSPHERE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO EARTH’S DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
• COME BACK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
ECOLOGY…
THIS MEANS
YOU!!!!