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Climate refers to the average yearly weather conditions in a region, shaped by factors like latitude and landforms. It plays a vital role in determining ecosystem types or biomes, which encompass large areas with distinct climatic and soil characteristics. The ten major biomes include Tropical Rainforest, Desert, Temperate Forest, and Tundra, among others. Interactions within communities, such as competition, predation, and symbiosis, influence biodiversity. Ecological succession drives changes in ecosystems over time, emphasizing the importance of conservation for future generations.
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ECOLOGY--- Ecosystems and Communities
What is Climate? • Climate is the average yearly condition of temperature and precipitation in a region. • It’s caused by the latitude, wind, ocean currents, and the shape and elevation of land masses. • Climate affects ecosystems, because all organisms have certain needs for temperature.
Biomes and Climate • A biome is a group of communities on land that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate. • A microclimate is a climate in a small area that differs from the climate around it (ex: fog on certain streets in a city and sunny in the rest of the city).
The Major Biomes • There are ten major biomes: • Tropical Rain Forest • Tropical Dry Forest • Tropical Savanna • Desert • Temperate Grassland • Temperate Woodland and Shrubland • Temperate Forest • Northwestern Coniferous Forest • Boreal Forest (Taiga) • Tundra
What is Weather? • Weather is the day-to-day condition of earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place. • Rusty Garrett-News 10
The Greenhouse Effect • The greenhouse effect keeps the temperature on Earth within a good range for life. • The gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat.
The Effect of Latitude on a Climate • Differences in latitude determine the amount of sunlight that hits and then heats the Earth’s surface. • Differences inheatingcause three main climate zones: • polar zones-very cold areas • temperate zones- ranges from hot to cold depending on the season • tropical zones- always warm
How The Sun Hits the Earth POLAR ZONE TEMPERATE TROPICAL ZONE TEMPERATE POLAR ZONE
Biotic and Abiotic Factors • Organisms are influenced by biological (biotic) and physical (abiotic) factors. • Biotic factors include all living things. • Abiotic factors include temperature, soil type and other non-living factors. • Where an organism lives is called its habitat.
Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors
The Niche • A niche is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and how that organism uses those conditions.
Community Interactions • communities interact in one of three ways: 1) competition - organisms try to use the same resources they need to live. Competition often results in one organism dying out. 2) predation - this occurs when one organism (predator) captures and eats another (prey).
Community Interactions (cont.) 3) symbiosis - occurs when two species live together in one of three ways: • mutualism - both species benefit from the relationship • commensalism - one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed. • parasitism- one species benefits by living in or on the other and the other is harmed
Ecological Succession • Ecosystems are constantly changing in response to natural and human disturbances. • As an ecosystem ages, older inhabitants die out and new organisms move in.
Why Conserve Our Biosphere? • Most people want to preserve our biosphere for future generations. • Conservation, in ecology, includes wise management of natural resources, protecting our habitats and wildlife, and enforcing environmental laws. • Today, our efforts are focused on protecting entire ecosystems. This will ensure that the natural habitats and the interactions of many different species are preserved at the same time.