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ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
Ecological succession is the observed process
of change in the species structure of
an ecological community over time. The time
scale can be decades (for example, after a
wildfire), or even millions of years after a mass
extinction.
Secondary Succession
CLIMAX COMMINITIES
An ecological community in which populations
of plants or animals remain stable and exist in
balance with each other and their environment.
A climax community is the final stage of
succession, remaining relatively unchanged until
destroyed by an event such as fire or human
interference.
The Daintree
Rainforest in
Queensland, Australia is
an example of a
climax forest ecosystem.
BIOMES
The Terrestrial
Biomes
DESERTS
OR
DUNES
Although few animals and plants are adapted to
the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital
biome. The desert is important because it covers
about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are
both hot and cold deserts. Antarctica is the
largest desert in the world, while the Sahara in
Africa is the largest of the hot deserts. .
Types of Desert
Subtropical desert. These occur in the
subtropics, from 23.5 to about 30o latitude,
generally on the western side of the continents,
where high pressure prevails. This high pressure
pushes moisture away from these areas. Examples of
this type of desert are the Sonoran (SN),
Chihuahuan (CU), and Mojave (MH) deserts.
Rain shadow desert in which a mountain range
blocks moisture from reaching the downstream
desert. An example of this type is the Great Basin
Desert.
TAIGA
Taiga - Coniferous or boreal forest, located in a
band across northern North America, Europe,
and Asia. This terrestrial biome also occurs at
high elevations. Long, cold winters and short,
wet summers. Few species of trees are present;
these are primarily conifers that grow in dense
stands with little undergrowth. Some deciduous
trees also may be present
RAINFOREST
Rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are
dominated by trees often forming a closed
canopy with little light reaching the ground.
Epiphytes and climbing plants are also
abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting,
but may be somewhat seasonal.
Types of Rainforest
Temperate forest and rainforest - Forests occuring
at temperate latitudes (>23.5 degrees N or S
latitude). This terrestrial biome is characterized by
moderate to large seasonal changes in temperature;
rainfall, however, is usually more evenly distributed.
Leaves of deciduous trees drop during autumn and
winter. Temperate rainforests may experience less
seasonal change in temperature.
Tropical rainforest - A terrestrial biome found
within 23.5? of the equator in areas where rainfall is
abundant (more than 250 cm/year) and the dry
season, if any, is brief. Forests are very diverse
floristically and structurally; trees sometimes reach
great heights. Most trees are evergreen; deciduous
GRASSLAND
An area dominated by grasses, such as a prairie or
meadow.
Temperate grassland - A terrestrial biome found
in temperate latitudes (>23.5? N or S latitude).
Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height
and species diversity of which depend largely on the
amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are
important in the long-term maintenance of
grasslands.
Tropical savanna and grassland - Savannas are
grasslands with scattered individual trees that do
not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are
found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and
TUNDRA
The tundra biome is the coldest of all biomes.
The tundra covers about one fifth of the land on
earth.
The word tundra comes from a Finnish word
that means treeless plain, which is a good
description of the biome.
Types of Tundra
Arctic tundra (T) is found in the
northernmost latitudes where harsh cold and
permafrost prevent tree growth. Despite the
common appearance of snow much of this biome
is actually very dry, often qualifying as desert.
Alpine tundra (A) is at the highest altitudes on
mountains. Alpine tundra gets a great deal of
snow, usually from September to July, and has a
very short growing season.
FOREST
Forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise
forest biomes can vary widely in amount of
precipitation and seasonality.
Types of Forest
Temperate forest - Forests occuring at temperate
latitudes (>23.5 degrees N or S latitude). This
terrestrial biome is characterized by moderate to
large seasonal changes in temperature; rainfall,
however, is usually more evenly distributed.
Leaves of deciduous trees drop during autumn
and winter.
Tropical deciduous forest - A terrestrial biome
similar to tropical rainforest and found at the
same latitudes, but rainy and dry seasons are
more distinct and the total amount of rainfall is
CHAPARRAL
Found in coastal areas between 30 and 40
degrees latitude, in areas with a Mediterranean
climate. Vegetation is dominated by stands of
dense, spiny shrubs with tough (hard or waxy)
evergreen leaves. May be maintained by periodic
fire. In South America it includes the scrub
ecotone between forest and paramo.
Aquatic
biomes
Aquatic biomes
Water is the common link among the five
biomes and it makes up the largest part of
the biosphere, covering nearly 75% of the
Earth's surface.
Aquatic regions house numerous species of
plants and animals, both large and small.
Without water, most life forms would be
unable to sustain themselves and the Earth
would be a barren, desert-like place.
Although water temperatures can vary
widely, aquatic areas tend to be more
humid and the air temperature on the
cooler side.
Freshwater:
Ponds and lakes
Streams and rivers
Wetlands
Marine:
Oceans
Coral reefs
Estuaries
Freshwater Regions
Freshwater is defined as having a low salt
concentration, usually less than 1%.
Plants and animals in freshwater regions are
adjusted to the low salt content and would
not be able to survive in areas of high salt
concentration (i.e, ocean).
Wetlands
Wetlands are areas of standing water
that support aquatic plants. Marshes,
swamps, and bogs are all considered
wetlands. Plant species adapted to the
very moist and humid conditions are
called hydrophytes. These include pond
lilies, cattails, sedges, tamarack, and
black spruce.
Wetlands have the highest species
diversity of all ecosystems. Many species
of amphibians, reptiles, birds (such as
ducks and waders), and furbearers can
Marine Regions
Marine regions cover about threefourths of the Earths surface and
include oceans, coral reefs, and
estuaries.
Marine algae supply much of the worlds
oxygen supply and take in a huge
amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Oceans
The largest of all the ecosystems, oceans
are very large bodies of water that
dominate the Earths surface. Some say
that the ocean contains the richest
diversity of species even though it
contains fewer species than there are
on land.
Like ponds and lakes, the ocean regions
are separated into separate zones:
intertidal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic.
Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are widely distributed in
warm shallow waters. They can be found
as barriers along continents, fringing
islands, and atolls.
Naturally, the dominant organisms in
coral reefs are corals. Corals are
interesting since they consist of both
algae and tissues of animal polyp.
Besides corals, the fauna include several
species of microorganisms,
invertebrates, fishes, sea urchins,
octopuses, and sea stars.
Estuaries
Estuaries are areas where freshwater
streams or rivers merge with the ocean.
This mixing of waters with such different
salt concentrations creates a very
interesting and unique ecosystem.
Microflora like algae, and macroflora,
such as seaweeds, marsh grasses, and
mangrove trees (only in the tropics), can
be found here.
Estuaries support a diverse fauna,
including a variety of worms, oysters,
crabs, and waterfowl.
Biodiversity
"Biodiversity" is most commonly used to
replace the more clearly defined and
long established terms, species diversity
and species richness. Biologists most
often define biodiversity as the "totality
of genes, species, and ecosystems of a
region
It is the variability among living organisms
IMPORTANCE OF
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity boosts ecosystem
productivity where each species, no
matter how small, all have an important
role to play.