2/4/2015

Concepts: Life on Land

NATURAL HISTORY
the study of how organisms in a particular area
are influenced by factors such as climate, soils,
predators, competitors, and evolutionary history,
involving field observations rather than carefully
controlled experimentation or statistical analyses
of patterns
Uneven heating of the earths spherical surface
by the sun and the tilt of the earth on its axis
combine to produce predictable latitudinal
variation in climate.
Soil structure results from the long-term
interaction of climate, organisms, topography,
and parent mineral material
The geographic distribution of terrestrial biomes
corresponds closely to variation in climate,
especially prevailing temperature and
precipitation

Sun delivers different amounts of energy

depending on the season, affecting
temperature and daylength

Why does wind blow around

Convection isobars rather than directly
from high to low pressure?
Convection Cells
Cells Imagine you are looking
down from above one of the
poles of the earth as if it were
a merry-go-round, with you
Warm air at the centre at point A. If you
rises at the threw a ball directly to a
friend on the rim at point B
equator, is you would miss, because by
cooled as it the time the ball reached the
moves to the rim the rotation of the merry-
go-round would have taken
poles. your friend to point C.
Cold air sinks To people on the merry-go-
at the round the ball would appear
to have been deflected to the
poles, is left and to have followed a
warmed as it curved path. To people not
on the merry-go-round the
moves to the ball would appear to have
equator followed the straight path.

Slide from Dr. Daniel Lagunzad Slide from Dr. Daniel Lagunzad

1
 2/4/2015

Coriolis Effect

Climatograph
Temperature
Precipitation
Seasonal
10C = 20mm

Slide from Dr. Daniel Lagunzad

http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Saudi+Arabia/
Weather+and+Climate
http://southhill.vsb.bc.ca/Departments/Huma
nities/Geogpraphy/Kyle/Notes/2_Atmosphere/
Climographs/TropicalDesert/TropicalDesert.ht
ml

90.0 Mean temp 180.0

Mean temp (degrees Celsius)

80.0 Rel Humidity 160.0

Relative humidity (%)

70.0 140.0
60.0 120.0
50.0 100.0
40.0 80.0
30.0 60.0
20.0 40.0
10.0 20.0
0.0 0.0

http://www.bcscience.com/bc10/images/0_qu
iz_01.1_07.gif

http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/l/6/61
445-the-windy-red-rocks--walk---perfect-
hangover-cure-wellington-new-zealand.jpg

2
 2/4/2015

SOILS
What if... the rotation of the Earth were
different? How would that affect seasons in
terms of temperature and precipitation?

Soils are Dynamic Biomes

Climate
Rates of weathering, leaching, erosion, decomposition
Present organisms
Organisms
Topography
Water flow and erosion patterns
Parent material
Granite, volcanic rock, sand
Time
Soil age

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/ecosystems.html

3
 2/4/2015

Biome Geography Climate Soils Biology Human

Influences
Tropical
Rainforest
Tropical Dry
Forest
Tropical Savanna
Desert
Mediterranean
Woodland and
Shrubland
Temperate
Grassland
Temperate
Forest
Taiga/Boreal
Forest
Tundra
(Mountains)

What do the biomes look like when you

consider mans modifications?

http://ecotope.org/anthromes/v1/guide/default.aspx

Review: Life on Land

Uneven heating of the earths spherical surface What about water?
by the sun and the tilt of the earth on its axis
combine to produce predictable latitudinal
variation in climate.
Soil structure results from the long-term
interaction of climate, organisms, topography,
and parent mineral material
The geographic distribution of terrestrial biomes
corresponds closely to variation in climate,
especially prevailing temperature and
precipitation

4
 2/4/2015

Concepts: Life in Water

The hydrological cycle exchanges water among
reservoirs
The biology of aquatic environments
corresponds broadly to variations in physical
factors such as light, temperature, and water
movements and to chemical factors such as
salinity and oxygen

5
 2/4/2015

97% oceans Powered by solar energy

2% polar ice caps and glaciers Turnover time
1% rivers, lakes, actively 9 days atmosphere
exchanged groundwater 12-20 days river water
days to centuries lakes
3,100 years oceans
(> 1.3 B km3 H2O)

Natural History of Aquatic

Phyla Distribution
Environments
Physical factors
Light, temperature, water movements
Chemical factors
Salinity, oxygen
Biological factors
Phytoplankton, zooplankton, nekton, benthic
organisms, corals, etc.

Factors Oceans Kelp Intertid Salt Rivers and Lakes

forests al zone marshes, streams
mangrove
forests,
and
estuaries
Geography
Light
Temperature
Water
movements
Salinity
Dissolved
oxygen
Biology
Human
influences

6
 2/4/2015

thermocline

Kelp Forest

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/images/sw_to_wc-pics/kelp_forest_adam.obaza.jpg

Intertidal Zone Mangroves

http://www.kallide
meyer.com/wp-
content/uploads/2
011/04/mangrove-
channel.jpg

7
 2/4/2015

River
Continuum
Concept

River
Ecosystem
Synthesis

Lakes

Oligotrophic vs. Eutrophic Lakes Review: Life in Water

The hydrological cycle exchanges water among
reservoirs
The biology of aquatic environments
corresponds broadly to variations in physical
factors such as light, temperature, and water
movements and to chemical factors such as
salinity and oxygen

8
 2/4/2015

Next... Population Genetics and Natural

Selection