Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 7
Core Case Study: Connections between
Wind, Climate, and Biomes
  Wind
•  Indirect form of solar energy
  Circulates
•
•
•
•
•
Heat
Moisture
Plant nutrients
Soil particles
Long-lived air pollutants
Dust Blown from West Africa to the
Amazonian Rain Forests
7-1 What Factors Influence Climate?
  Concept 7-1 An area's climate is determined
mostly by solar radiation, the earth’s rotation,
global patterns of air and water movement,
gases in the atmosphere, and the earth’s
surface features.
The Earth Has Many Different
Climates (1)
  Weather
  Climate
  Air circulation in lower atmosphere due to
•  Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun
•  Rotation of the earth on its axis
•  Properties of air, water, and land
The Earth Has Many Different
Climates (2)
  Currents
•  Prevailing winds
•  Earth’s rotation
•  Redistribution of heat from the sun
  Link between air circulation, ocean currents, and
biomes
Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the
Earth’s Current Climate Zones
Global Air Circulation
Cold deserts
Air cools and
descends at
lower latitudes.
Westerlies
Forests
30°N
Northeast trades Hot deserts
Warm air rises
and moves
toward the poles.
Air cools and
descends at
lower latitudes.
60°N
Forests
Southeast trades
Equator 0°
Hot deserts
Westerlies Forests
Cold deserts
60°S
30°S
Solar energy
The highest solar
energy input is at
the equator.
Fig. 7-3, p. 142
Energy Transfer by Convection
in the Atmosphere
LOW
PRESSURE
Cool,
dry air
HIGH
PRESSURE
Heat released
radiates to space Condensation
and
precipitation
Falls, is
compressed,
warms
Rises,
expands,
cools
Hot,
wet air
Warm,
dry air
Flows toward low pressure,
picks up moisture and heat
HIGH
PRESSURE
Moist surface
warmed by sun
LOW
PRESSURE
Fig. 7-4, p. 143
Connected Deep and Shallow
Ocean Currents
Warm, less
salty, shallow
current
Cold, salty,
deep current
Fig. 7-5, p. 143
Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents,
and Biomes
Moist air rises, cools,
and releases
moisture as rain
Polar cap
Arctic tundra
Evergreen
60° coniferous forest
Temperate deciduous
forest and grassland
Desert
30°
Tropical deciduous forest
Equator
0° Tropical rain forest
Tropical deciduous forest
30°
60°
Desert
Temperate deciduous
forest and grassland
Polar cap
Fig. 7-6, p. 144
Greenhouse Gases Warm the
Lower Atmosphere
  Greenhouse gases
•
•
•
•
H 2O
CO2
CH4
N 2O
  Greenhouse effect
  Human-enhanced global warming
Flow of Energy to and from the Earth
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect
Local Climates
  Heat absorption by land and water
  Effect of
•  Mountains
•  Rain shadow effect
•  Cities
•  Microclimates
Rain Shadow Effect
Prevailing winds
pick up moisture
from an ocean.
On the windward side
of a mountain range,
air rises, cools, and
releases moisture.
On the leeward side of
the mountain range, air
descends, warms, and
releases little moisture.
Fig. 7-7, p. 145
Active Figure: Biomes map
Active Figure: Climate and ocean
currents map
Animation: El Nino Southern Oscillation
Animation: Air circulation
Animation: Greenhouse effect
Animation: Increasing greenhouse gases
Animation: Coastal breezes
Animation: Seasonal variation
Animation: Upwelling along western
coasts
7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature
and Locations of Biomes?
  Concept 7-2 Differences in average annual
precipitation and temperature lead to the
formation of tropical, temperate, and cold
deserts, grasslands, and forests, and largely
determine their locations.
Climate Affects Where Organisms
Can Live
  Major biomes
  Latitude and elevation
  Annual precipitation
  Temperature
The Earth’s Major Biomes
Generalized Effects of Elevation and
Latitude on Climate and Biomes
Elevation
Mountain ice
and snow
Tundra (herbs,
lichens, mosses)
Coniferous
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Latitude
Tropical
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Coniferous
Forest
Tundra
(herbs,
lichens,
mosses)
Polar ice
and snow
Fig. 7-9, p. 147
Elevation
Mountain ice
and snow
Tundra (herbs,
lichens, mosses)
Coniferous
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Latitude
Tropical
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Coniferous
Forest
Tundra
(herbs,
lichens,
mosses)
Polar ice
and snow
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-9, p. 147
Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and
Average Temperature as Limiting Factors
Polar
Tundra
Subpolar
Coniferous forest
Temperate
Hot
Desert
Deciduous
forest
Grassland
Chaparral
Tropical
Desert
Savanna
Rain forest
Tropical
seasonal
forest
Scrubland
Fig. 7-10, p. 147
Science Focus: Staying Alive
in the Desert
  Plant adaptations
  Animal strategies and adaptations
There Are Three Major Types of Deserts
  Tropical deserts
  Temperate deserts
  Cold deserts
  Fragile ecosystem
•
•
•
•
Slow plant growth
Low species diversity
Slow nutrient recycling
Lack of water
Climate Graphs of Three Types of
Deserts
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-11, p. 149
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (1)
  Tropical
  Temperate
  Cold (arctic tundra)
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (2)
  Tropical
•  Savanna
•  Grazing animals
•  Browsing animals
  Temperate
•  Tall-grass prairies
•  Short-grass prairies
There Are Three Major Types of
Grasslands (3)
  Arctic tundra: fragile biome
  Adaptations of plants and animals
  Permafrost
  Alpine tundra
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate,
and Cold Grasslands
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-12, p. 151
Monoculture Crop Replacing Biologically
Diverse Temperate Grassland
Temperate Shrubland: Nice Climate,
Risky Place to Live
  Chaparral
  Near the sea: nice climate
  Prone to fires in the dry season
Chaparral Vegetation in Utah, U.S.
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-14, p. 152
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (1)
  Tropical
  Temperate
  Cold
•  Northern coniferous and boreal
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (2)
  Tropical rain forests
•  Temperature and moisture
•  Stratification of specialized plant and animal
niches
•  Little wind: significance
•  Rapid recycling of scarce soil nutrients
•  Impact of human activities
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (3)
  Temperate deciduous forests
•
•
•
•
Temperature and moisture
Broad-leaf trees
Slow rate of decomposition: significance
Impact of human activities
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests (4)
  Evergreen coniferous forests: boreal and taigas
•  Temperature and moisture
•  Few species of cone: bearing trees
•  Slow decomposition: significance
  Coastal coniferous forest
  Temperate rain forests
Climate Graphs of Tropical, Temperate,
and Cold Forests
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-15, p. 154
Some Components and Interactions in a
Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem
Ocelot
Harpy
eagle
Blue and
gold macaw
Squirrel
monkeys
Climbing
monstera palm
Katydid
Green tree
Slaty-tailed
snake
trogon
Tree frog
Ants
Bacteria
Bromeliad
Fungi
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary to
secondary
consumer
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Fig. 7-16, p. 155
Stratification of Specialized Plant and
Animal Niches in a Tropical Rain Forest
45
40
Emergent
layer
Harpy
eagle
35
Toco
toucan
Height (meters)
30
Canopy
25
20
15
Under
story
Wooly
opossum
10
Brazilian
tapir
5
0
Black-crowned
antpitta
Shrub
layer
Ground
layer
Fig. 7-17, p. 156
Temperate Rain Forest in Washington
State, U.S.
Mountains Play Important
Ecological Roles
  Majority of the world’s forests
  Habitats for endemic species
  Help regulate the earth’s climate
  Can affect sea levels
  Major storehouses of water
•  Role in hydrologic cycle
Mount Rainier National Park in
Washington State, U.S.
Video: Caribou on tundra
Video: Desertification in China
Video: Eagle fishing
Animation: Prairie food web
Active Figure: Rainforest food web
Video: Sequoias
Video: Tundra flyover
7-3 How Have We Affected the Word’s
Terrestrial Ecosystems?
  Concept 7-3 In many areas, human activities
are impairing ecological and economic services
provided by the earth’s deserts, grasslands,
forests, and mountains.
Humans Have Disturbed Most of
the Earth’s Lands
  Deserts
  Grasslands
  Forests
  Mountains
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial
Ecosystems
NATURAL CAPITAL
DEGRADATION
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems
Deserts
Grasslands
Forests
Clearing for
Large desert cities Conversion
agriculture,
to cropland
Soil destruction by Release of CO2 livestock grazing,
off-road vehicles
to atmosphere timber, and urban
from burning development
Soil salinization
grassland
Conversion of
from irrigation
diverse forests to
Overgrazing tree plantations
Depletion of
by livestock
groundwater
Damage from offOil production road vehicles
Land disturbance and off-road
and pollution from vehicles in
Pollution of
mineral extraction arctic tundra forest streams
Mountains
Agriculture
Timber extraction
Mineral extraction
Hydroelectric dams
and reservoirs
Increasing tourism
Urban air pollution
Increased ultraviolet
radiation from ozone
depletion
Soil damage from off-road
vehicles
Fig. 7-20, p. 158
NATURAL CAPITAL
DEGRADATION
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems
Deserts
Grasslands
Forests
Clearing for
Large desert cities Conversion
agriculture,
to cropland
Soil destruction by Release of CO2 livestock grazing,
off-road vehicles
to atmosphere timber, and urban
from burning development
Soil salinization
grassland
Conversion of
from irrigation
diverse forests to
Overgrazing tree plantations
Depletion of
by livestock
groundwater
Damage from offOil production road vehicles
Land disturbance and off-road
and pollution from vehicles in
Pollution of
mineral extraction arctic tundra forest streams
Mountains
Agriculture
Timber extraction
Mineral extraction
Hydroelectric dams
and reservoirs
Increasing tourism
Urban air pollution
Increased ultraviolet
radiation from ozone
depletion
Soil damage from off-road
vehicles
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-20, p. 158
Video: Gopher
Video: Grizzly bears
Video: Owl hunting