Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 7
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
Energy Transfer by Convection
in the Atmosphere
Global Air Circulation, Ocean Currents,
and Biomes
Warm, less
salty, shallow
current
Cold, salty,
deep current
Fig. 7-5, p. 143
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
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
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
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-11, p. 149
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-12, p. 151
Monoculture Crop Replacing Biologically
Diverse Temperate Grassland
Chaparral Vegetation in California, U.S.
Santa Monica Mountains, CA
Stepped Art
Fig. 7-15, p. 154
45
40
Emergent
layer
Harpy
eagle
35
Toco
toucan
Canopy
Height (meters)
30
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.
More Mountains!
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.
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