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Tropics

Some defining characteristics of most tropical areas. Warm temperaturesBiological complexity (many species and thus many species interactions)Many soils with low levels of mineral nutrients. . In temperate areas (like Michigan), low temperatures and low soil moisture in winter constrain biolog

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Tropics

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    1. Tropics Regions between 23.5 ° N and S (tropics of Cancer and Capricorn). These are areas where the sun is directly overhead at some point during the year. This area includes 40% of the globe’s surface area (including both land and oceans).

    2. Some defining characteristics of most tropical areas Warm temperatures Biological complexity (many species and thus many species interactions) Many soils with low levels of mineral nutrients

    3. In temperate areas (like Michigan), low temperatures and low soil moisture in winter constrain biological processes, like the growth and reproduction of individuals and, thus, populations In tropical areas, other factors like biological interactions and low soil nutrients may take over this constraining role

    4. Terrestrial tropical ecosystems vary greatly Rain forests (these get most of the attention) Deciduous forests Scrub forests Savanna Mangroves

    5. Holdridge life zones Based classification of life zones on 1. Biotemperature (based on temperatures starting at 0° C--below 0° C plants are dormant) Precipitation 3. Ratio of mean annual potential evapotranspiration to mean total annual precipitation.

    6. Evapotranspiration is evaporation from ground surface plus the water released from plant leaves (transpiration)

    7. When ratio of annual evapotranspiration to annual precipitation is more than 1, what can we say about the climate? Detroit’s annual rainfall is about 32.9 inches or 836 mm per year Detroit’s daily average temperature of 49 degrees F or 9 degrees C http://www.city-data.com/states/Michigan-Climate.html

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