The Biosphere and its Biomes

1. The Biosphere and its Biomes

2. The Study of Ecology • The scientific study of organisms and between organisms and their environments. • Biotic- living factors in an environment • Abiotic- nonliving factors in an environment

3. Key Abiotic Factors • Sunlight • Water • Temperature • Soil- product of abiotic factors (ice, rain, wind) and the actions of living things (microorganisms, plants, worms, etc.) on rocks and minerals. • Wind • Severe Disturbances

4. Identify Specific Key Abiotic Factors

5. 5 Levels of Ecological Study • Individual Organism • Populations- group of organisms (of the same species) living in the same area • Communities- all of the organisms inhibiting a particular area • Ecosystems- abiotic + biotic factors in an area • Biosphere- broadest level of ecological study; sum of all of the earth’s ecosystems (biotic and abiotic factors)

6. Identify 5 Levels of Ecological Study

7. Biomes • Major type of terrestrial ecosystems that cover large regions of Earth (8 land biomes). • Characterized by specific biotic (plants & animals) and abiotic factors.

8. Tropical Rain Forest • Warm year-round (near the equator) • LOTS of rain • Diverse life

9. Savanna • Tropical regions of Africa, Australia, & South America • Grasslands with scattered trees • Warm; wet & dry seasons

10. Desert • VERY dry (less than 30 cm per year!) • Hot or cold (deserts in Asia)

11. Chaparral • Temperate coastal biome • Dense evergreen shrubs • Mild, rainy winters & hot, dry summers

12. Temperate Grassland • Deep, nutrient-rich soil that supports a variety of plants • No woody shrubs and trees • “Prairies”

13. Temperate Deciduous Forest • Deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves each year) • 4 seasons

14. Coniferous Forest (Taiga) • Cone-bearing evergreen trees • Long, cold winters with heavy snow

15. Tundra • VERY cold, high winds • Permafrost- permanently frozen subsoil

16. Biomes Project • Draw a picture of a polar bear. • What does it eat? • What is its habitat? • Who has been to the artic? • How do you know what a polar bear acts like then?

18. Your Zoo Proposal • 5 biomes • 2 animals • 5 plant species • Things to consider… • 1) How do you maintain the climate? • 2) Abiotic factors (sunlight, shade, air quality, water, etc)

19. Your Zoo Proposal Requirements • Map of the zoo • Written proposal • Info poster for each of the 5 habitats (what will be included at the beginning of each biome)

20. Food Chains • What did you eat for dinner last night? • Heterotroph or autotroph?

21. Food chain- Pathway of food transfer from one trophic level to another. Trophic level- feeding level Food Chains

22. Food Web • The patter of feeding represented by interconnected and branching food chains in an ecosystem.

23. Energy Flow Through Ecosystems • There is a limited amount of energy available in an ecosystem– an “energy budget” that is divided among the trophic levels. • What determines the “energy budget”?

24. Energy Pyramid • Emphasizes the energy loss from one trophic level to the next. • Rule of 10- Only 10% of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next; rest is lost as heat.

26. Activity • The crackers represent 100 “units” of energy from the sun. • Get in groups of 4. • Each student should choose a label from the bag. • Identify your trophic level. • Plant= producer • Grasshopper= primary consumer • Rat= secondary consumer • Hawk= tertiary consumer

27. Activity • Rule of 10- An average of 10% of the energy in 1 trophic level transfers to the next level. • Model this energy transfer process by passing the appropriate amount of “energy” (crackers) to the next trophic level.

28. Activity • What amount of “energy” was passed on to each trophic level? • Grasshopper? • Rat? • Hawk? • Why do higher trophic levels (i.e. the hawk) contain fewer individuals?

29. Global Warming • Atmospheric CO2 levels have risen dramatically. • Why? • Burning of wood • Burning of fossil fuels • Deforestation

30. Global Warming • CO2 and the Greenhouse Effect • Global Warming (the overall rise in Earth’s average temperature)

31. Possible Effects of Global Warming • Melting of glaciers & polar ice caps, raising sea levels & flooding low-lying coastal areas. • Changing precipitation patterns (more hurricanes) • Shifting biome boundaries, affecting species that live there.