Ecology PDF

climate: typical atmospheric conditions and patterns in a place measured over a long period of time Weather: variation in atmospheric conditions over a short time frame (hours or days) -The key difference is the time frame. What creates climate? -unequal heating of earth...

climate: typical atmospheric conditions and patterns in a place measured over a long period of time Weather: variation in atmospheric conditions over a short time frame (hours or days) -The key difference is the time frame. What creates climate? -unequal heating of earth -greenhouse effect -the sun's energy heats up the planet -Closer to the equator the rays hit perpendicular but the closer to the poles it's more oblique so there is more direct heat towards the equator due to the direct contact. -the earth is spinning and going around the sun but the axis is tilted a bit so the equator is tilted. -the tilt gives us seasons Large scale patterns of climate variation -warm moist air rises, as it rises the pressure goes down and it starts to cool off -as it cools off the moisture consensus and falls back down as rain -why there is tropics by the equator -the cool dry air travels back down since it's relatively cold. It starts to sink around 32 degrees, a bit farther from the equator. It will cycle. Hadley cells -nearest the equator Farrell cells - Polar cells -farthest from the equator? atmospheric circulation Coriolois effect: deflection of an object's path due to the rotation of the earth -deflected to the right in N hemisphere -deflected to the left in the S hemisphere -if the earth was not angled on its axis we would not have seasons. Ocean currents -major ocean currents in every ocean and are influenced by -solar energy -air currents -coriolis effect -topography of land masses and ocean floor -physical and chemical properties of water -salinity and density. -gyre: large scale water circulation patterns -smaller scale geographic features can affect regional and local climates Rain shadow -created by mountain ranges  -wind flowing over an ocean and has a lot of moisture and hits the mountain and moves upwards. By the time the air is over the mountains it's dry air since it cools off as it gets forced upwards and all the moisture gets turned into precipitation before it passes the mountain. -as air goes up the mountain so as air cools more of the moisture is condensing out and turns into precipitation Climates determine temperate biomes -biomes are areas that tend to have similar climates patterns -desert. terrestrial biomes Factors that influence the biome distribution -climate -elevation -soil Soil The type of soil you'll find in an area the different type of organisms will be there -soil has specific definition and meaning -its not only dirt it also comprises air and water, and living organisms in addition to mineral particles. So it is composed of minerals, living organisms, water and gas. -typically found at the surface of the earth and foundation for things like plants -soil changes depending on the area -EX in the south the soil can be red while up higher the soil is dark black -all of the variation depends on CLORPT -climate, patterns of precipitation can influence what happens to the minerals in soul -organisms/ life in the soil can influence the type of soil -relief/ topography which means the shape of the landscape and the physical surface of the earth. Whether you have flat land or cliffs. -parent material, types of rocks and materials under the soil you can end up with diff soils -time, soil from 100 yrs ago in the same place can be different than soil from now horizons -horizons, if you take a cross section of the soil and you'll see many different layers, so it's the distinct layers of the soil as you go down. (look at diagram on slide) -O horizon organic layer -A horizon, mixture of organic material mineras, clay, silt and sand, B horizon, clay humus and materials leached from A -C horizon weathered parent material (don't need to worry about E Layer)  -sand silt and clay are the 3 big minerals in the soil, and they all have their own properties. -different ratio of the three can alter the soil texture and composition -the composition can influence how fast water passes through, how water holds, and how well it retains nutrients, the pH. -sand is the largest of those three minerals so it has the highest du filtration rate. Water drains out really fast -clay is the smallest so when you pack it there is less space between the particles so if you pour water through it it takes a lot longer to pass through. Soil pH -the pH can affect the nutrients availability -it can inform how things grow Nutrients -if you're limited a nutrient then the plant is only going to grow as much as the limited nutrient is -think of chem last year when you couldn't create more molecules when you are missing one. - Terrestrial biomes biomes - geographic regions that tend to have similar climate conditions and similar communities -look similar, function similar and similar adaptations -when classifying biomes they mostly look at plants Biome types (9) Tropical rainforest -very lush, very wet and moist. -found near the equator since its very hot and very moist air and a lot of precipitation -three diff climate diagrams of places that are tropical rainforest, -very stable temps very consistent weather -near the equator -very nutrient poor soil -very wet and so many organisms, so things are decomposed very quickly and cycle through the system so quick -little temp variation -heavy rain -quickly leeches soil nutrients -vertical stratification -there are several diff layers with different forms of life as you go higher -epiphytes (things that like to grown on plants), Tropical dry forest -in similar areas but just get rain so they are drier Slightly farther from the equator  -three climate diagrams, has huge variation in precipitation unlike rain forest. -it has wet seasons and dry seasons. -hot temps , -semi evergreen, they are adapted to drought so they don't need as many nutrients. -many migratory animal species - because of the huge swings in resource availability, EX precipitation -rich soils, since the swing of the precipitation and decomposition isn't as fast. -human populations -erosion. Desert -drought/ flash floods -extreme temps -hot deserts and cold deserts not always hot -sparse, diverse, slow growing vegetation. -they can deal with the climate -many nocturnal animals -human impairment increasing -only biome that is increasing, -we are desertifying other places. The more we develop in places the more the natural mechanisms are eroded and they turn into deserts. Rip -they are usually around 30 degree latitude mark since dry air no precipitation -highly variable climate diagram since hot and cold deserts, pay attention to axis especially here -Rain shadows can also create deserts as well. Woodlands shrubland -dry adapted shrubs and -mild winters/ whole year is growing season Grassland -temperate biome -typically on the drier sides less trees since not alot of precipitation -water limits plant growth -extreme temps’ -many grasses/ forbs with deep roots -3rd of the plant is the actual plant but the roots are so much longer than above ground plant - very rich soils -fire -overgrazing/Conversion to agriculture -tend to be drier since the air flow is dry around 60 degree mark latitude -not dry like desert but dry like temperate forest -there is precipitation according to climate chart Temperate deciduous forest -high precipitation -moderate temps -fast plant growth -high human population centers -limit growth/regeneration -in a mature forest you get relatively sunlight and moisture that goes to the bottom Temperate rain forests -high precipitation -large trees -red woods -old growth trees -fog condensation -since sitting along the coast -epiphytes -moss and lichen Not very many temperate rainforests in the world, -climate diagram has a unique pattern Boreal forest (taiga) -reletively poor (acidic) sandy soils = low water retention -shorter growing seasons since less nutrients in the soils -cold climate -low climate -low diversity -needles reduce h2o loss -important resource for paper industry -not very much precipitation Tundra -ice limits plant growth- permafrost -permanently frozen soil -arctic - low light -animal migration -low/ slow decomposition -because of cold -harsh environment -small human population -just above boreal forest \ -growing seasons are shorter -there is water but mostly frozen -alpine = subclassification of tundra -found at high elevations at lower latitudes (white caps on mountains) -soils are generally well drained and thin -similar flora and fauna to tundra Answers to climate diagram 1 climate diagram 2 none 3 dry seasons 4 diagram of tropical dry forest Which diagram is which 1 and 2 are temperate and 3 is a boreal -temp in boreal are below 0 when its not growing season and shorter seasons (change in axis ) -in the temperate there is a little higher precipitation -in 1 it has a small drop in precipitation -temps are higher in temperate Compare tundra and borea -1is tundra nd 2 is boreal - Avg precipitation are higher in boreal and lower in tundra --temp curves are kinda similar Antarctica assignment due sept 15th at 11:59 Biome assignment due sept 15th at 11:59 will be talked about on sept 16th Aquatic biomes -there is 8 of them and there are 3 sub biomes in fresh water wetlands Streams and rivers -flowing water -lotic= flowing water -they are also freshwater -flow from source to mouth -sediments accumulate downstream -upstream is close to source and downstream is closer to mouth -as it flows through land it brings sediments with it -allochthonous nutrient input -allo refers to sources of nutrients in water system Autochthonous means external sources aka things that fall -tend to have lower species diversity -heavily altered by humans -dams -riparan zone is a band of terrestrial vegetation alongside rivers ans stress influenced by seasonal flooding and elevated water rables Bankful elevation -the point where the river is at its highest depth before it floods -floodplan is what seasonally floods Ponds and lakes  -not flowing just sill bodies of water -lentic = non flowing -freshwater -some region that is too deep for plants to rise to the water surface -lake zones -littoral zone -shallow edges water meets the bank (lot of plants) -limnetic -everything deeper than the littoral (open water) -dominate life form that's photosynthesizes (algae in lim and plants in lit) -profundal -too deep to get sunlight -bethnetic -the sediments at the bottom (the actual floor) Layers of the water -epilimnion -the surface layer of the water in the lake or pond (warm) -thermocline - barrier between warm Epi and cold hypo (the kinda cold area) -middle depth that has rapid change in temps at small amount of depth change -hypolimnion -deep colder part of water -benthos - -stratification -the condition of a lake or pond when the warmer less dense surface water floats on the cooler denser water below Circulation and turnover in temperate lakes -turnover = all of the water will turn over (stuff on bottom will go to surface) twice a year -in summer its warm at surface and cold at bottom -in winter if it's cold enough there is frozen layer of ice on top so coldest water is at the top (ice is less dense) and the warmer is on the bottom -water is most dense at 4*C so as you get warmer than 4 the water gets less dense (or in both directions) -spring and fall is where turnover is happening - as the water gets closer to the 4* mark the water starts to rise to the top (in fall) - ice will melt and the density will start to increase and its going to start to sink (in spring) - so in spring and fall there are algae blooms since there are rushes of nutrient rich water flowing to the surface and then oxygen rich water rushing to the bottom. Freshwater wetlands -Fresh water  -depth is shallow -requires saturation of water year round -sometimes it can look like there is barley water but soil is saturated so still wetland -3 major ones -swamp -has trees (emergent growing out of water) -marsh -has emergent herbaceous plants (no trees) -bog -has acidic water, acid adaptive plants, slow decomposition (from acidity), accumulation of peat (partially decomposed plant matter) -wetlands are very valuable Estuaries -Where freshwater meets saltwater -interesting organisms there that have adapted to be there - there are usually saltwater marshes are nearby same with mangrove -they can be there but dont have to be salt marshes -saltwater biomes -characterized by herbaceous organisms -contains non woody vegetation -usually on coast lines Mangrove swamps -occurs along tropical/subtropical areas -characterized by mangrove trees w/ salt tolerant trees submerged in water -closer to equator -mangrove swamps that are intact along the coast lines they can limit the damage of storm surges Intertidal zone -a biome consisting of the narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide -can be in pacific northwest -highly stochastic (chaotic), harsh, environment -esperiences drastic changes in -moisture -salinity -temp -flow rate Coral reef -a marine biome found in warm, shallow waters that remain at or above 20*c year round -so shallow warm nutrient rich places -extremely biodiverse -found in places with upwelling at the coast line  -since they are warm, nutrient rich and shallow they are so diverse Open ocean -the part of the ocean that is away from the shore line and coral reefs. -they cover the largest portion of the surface of the earth -worlds largest biome -neritic zone -similar to littoral zone -shallow area below the lowest tide where it kinda drops off -upwelling + sunlight = higher productivity -oceanic zone -after the drop off all of the deep ocean space -neritic and oceanic are related horizontally not vertically -photic zone -where sunlight can penetrate (in neritic and oceaning zone (vertically now) -aphotic zone -where sunlight cannot penetrate (under photic) Chapter 4 -most plants get their nutrients from the soil -nitrogen -phosphorus -calcium -potassium -used to make -nucleic acids -protiens - other organic compounds -soil -nutrients are present in soil as ions -what other things are there that the ions can react with -clay tends to have the highest cation capacity - water availability depends on also how tightly the soil is holding on to the water -clay has highest matrix potential -these characteristics infleucen the field capacity and wilting point -transpiration is when water gets taken up through the soil and goes uo the plant and leaves through the stomata at the top of the plant -osmosis is the movement of water across the semi permeable membrane -water moves through roots -terrestrial plants have adaptations for generating energy via photosynthesis -plants take the universal source of energy (sun) and turn it into something everyone needs -photosynthesis  -6CO2+6H20+photons → C6H12O6 + 6O2 -three main photosynthetic pathways -oldest is c3 PSN they all do the same thing, there are just slight variations on how they do that, -oldest, most common, and most efficient -C4 PSn, diff is first molecules produced in light reactions and the amt of carbons -CAM PSN, Sources of heat gain and loss -conduction= transferred by physical touch -convection= transfer between water and gasses -evaporation= liquid to gas, to cool off -desert, have three options, -conduction, decreasing physical contact with hot stuff -increse convectove cooling, more access to airflow -reduce radiative heating, amount of energy it absorbs -increasing heat storage -tundra -increase heat ratiatice -decrease convection, sheltering of the wind Water + salt balance in animals Thermalregulation stability -Poikilotherm, organism does not have constant body temperature\ -turts -heterotherm, based on the environmental temp \ sometimes stable sometimes not - hibernation animals -homeotherm, organism maintains a constant internal temp, stable - Source of temp -ectothermic, body heat determined by their environment -amphibians, reptiles -endothermic, produce their own internal body heat -mammals -thermal inertia, the more volume you have the more slowly the temp of the thing will change -smallest saucepan and largest pot, take longer to boil in big pot Basking -behavioural adaptation to regulate temp -ectothermic things do this more but not exclusive, -sitting in the sun