To do science is to search for repeated patterns,
not simply to accumulate facts,
and to do the science of geographical ecology
is to search for patterns of plant and animal life
that can be put on a map.
Robert Macarthur
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
• Implications
I The Earth Has Many Different Climates
• Weather
• Climate
A. Atmospheric Circulation
– Uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun
– Rotation of the earth on its axis
– Properties of air, water, and land
Global Air Circulation
b. Ocean Circulation
• Currents
– Prevailing winds
– Earth’s rotation
– Redistribution of heat from the sun
• Link between air circulation, ocean currents, and biomes
See board
D. Coriolis Effect
A. Defn: an effect resulting from the earth’s rotation causing
particles in motion to be deflected to the right in the
Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern
Hemisphere
Coriolis Effect 1
Coriolis Effect 2
See Demonstration
Seasonal variation
Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the Earth’s
Current Climate Zones
In lab
Climatograms
Thermohaline Circulation
Land & Sea Interaction/Coastal Breezes
Upwelling along western coasts
animation
Normal conditions in the Pacific
El Niño
Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents, and
Biomes
90o cool/dry
60o cool/wet
30o warm/dry
0o warm/wet
30o warm/dry
60o cool/wet
90o cool/dry
Rain Shadow Effect
Generalized Effects of Elevation and
Latitude on Climate and Biomes
The Earth’s Surface Features Affect Local
Climates
• Heat absorption by land and water
– Cities
• Microclimates
Greenhouse Gases Warm the
Lower Atmosphere
• Greenhouse gases
–
–
–
–
H2O
CO2
CH4
N2O
• Greenhouse effect
• Human-enhanced global warming
Flow of Energy to and from the Earth
Natural Capital: Average Precipitation and Average
Temperature as Limiting Factors
The Earth’s Major Biomes
KNOW THEM!
Gobi
Atacama
Sonoran
There Are Three Major Types of Deserts
• Tropical deserts
Sahara
• Temperate deserts
Mojave, Sonoran
• Cold deserts
Gobi
Fragile ecosystem
Slow plant growth
Low species diversity
Slow nutrient recycling
Lack of water
Don’t crush the crypto!
Desert
Plant adaptations/Animal strategies and adaptations
Savannah
Arctic Tundra
North American Prairie
There Are Three Major Types of Grasslands
• Tropical Grasslands
(2)
Savanna
• Temperate Grasslands
Prairies of N. America
• Cold Grasslands
Arctic tundra: fragile biome
Permafrost
Too moist for desert/too dry for forests
Nutrients in soil
Resilient . . . Unless soil disturbed
Support huge numbers of grazers
Monoculture Crop Replacing Biologically
Diverse Temperate Grassland
Grasslands
Plant adaptations/Animal strategies and adaptations
Jungle
Seasonal Forest
Taiga
There Are Three Major Types of
Forests
• 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
• Temperate deciduous forests
– Temperature and moisture
– Broad-leaf trees
– Slow rate of decomposition:
significance
– Impact of human activities
• Evergreen coniferous forests: boreal and taigas
– Temperature and moisture
– Few species of cone: bearing trees
– Slow decomposition: significance
Coastal coniferous forest, Temperate rain forests
Forests
Plant adaptations/Animal strategies and adaptations
Temperate Shrubland: Nice Climate, Risky
Place to Live
• Chaparral
• Near the sea: nice climate
• Prone to fires in the dry season
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
Major Human Impacts on Terrestrial
Ecosystems