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CHAPTER 34 The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments

CHAPTER 34 The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments. Modules 34.1 – 34.6. A Mysterious Giant of the Deep. Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their environment The ocean is Earth’s largest and least explored ecosystem

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CHAPTER 34 The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments

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  1. CHAPTER 34The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments Modules 34.1 – 34.6

  2. A Mysterious Giant of the Deep • Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions of organisms with their environment • The ocean is Earth’s largest and least explored ecosystem • Recent explorations of the deep sea have brought previously unknown species to light, such as this “mystery squid”

  3. It can accommodate a pilot and two other people • It is equipped with instruments to view and sample the ocean at depths of up to 2,500m • Deep-sea submersibles like Alvin allow the exploration of the deep sea

  4. Scientists have found seafloor life whose ultimate energy source is not sunlight, but energy that comes from the interior of the planet • This energy is emitted from hydrothermal vents near the edges of Earth’s crustal plates

  5. Many animals thrive in the extreme environment around hydrothermal vents • Tube worms were unknown to science until hydrothermal vents were explored • They live on energy extracted from chemicals by bacteria

  6. 34.1 Ecologists study how organisms interact with their environment at several levels • Ecologists study environmental interactions at the organism, population, community, and ecosystem levels • These clams that live near an ocean vent constitute a population Figure 34.1

  7. Ecosystem interactions involve living (biotic) communities and nonliving (abiotic) components • Abiotic components include energy, nutrients, gases, and water • Organisms are affected by their environment • But their presence and activities often change the environment they inhabit

  8. THE BIOSPHERE 34.2 The biosphere is the total of all of Earth's ecosystems • The global ecosystem is called the biosphere • It is the sum of all the Earth's ecosystems • The biosphere is the most complex level in ecology Figure 34.2A

  9. except for energy obtained from the sun and heat lost to space • Patchiness characterizes the biosphere • Patchiness occurs in the distribution of deserts, grasslands, forests, and lakes • Each habitat has a unique community of species • The biosphere is self-contained Figure 34.2B

  10. 34.3 Connection: Environmental problems reveal the limits of the biosphere • Human activities affect all parts of the biosphere • One example is the widespread use of chemicals

  11. Carson documented her concerns in the 1962 book Silent Spring • This book played a key role in the awakening of environmental awareness • Rachel Carson was one of the first to perceive the global dangers of pesticide abuse Figure 34.3

  12. 34.4 Physical and chemical factors influence life in the biosphere • The most important abiotic factors that determine the biosphere's structure and dynamics include • solar energy • water • temperature

  13. Disturbances such as fires, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions are also abiotic factors Figure 34.4

  14. 34.5 Organisms are adapted to abiotic and biotic factors by natural selection • The presence and success of a species in a particular place depends upon its ability to adapt • Natural selection adapts organisms to abiotic and biotic factors • Biotic factors include predation and competition Figure 34.5

  15. 34.6 Regional climate influences the distribution of biological communities • Climate often determines the distribution of communities • Earth's global climate patterns are largely determined by the input of solar energy and the planet's movement in space

  16. This is a result of the variation in solar radiation at different latitudes • Most climatic variations are due to the uneven heating of Earth's surface North Pole 60º N Low angle ofincoming sunlight 30º N Tropic ofCancer Sunlight directlyoverhead 0º (equator) Tropic ofCapricorn 30º S Low angle ofincoming sunlight 60º S Figure 34.6A Atmosphere South Pole

  17. The seasons of the year result from the permanent tilt of the plant on its axis as it orbits the sun MARCH EQUINOX(equator facessun directly) JUNE SOLSTICE(NorthernHemisphere tiltstoward sun) DECEMBERSOLSTICE(NorthernHemisphere tiltsaway from sun) SEPTEMBEREQUINOX Figure 34.6B

  18. The tropics experience the greatest annual input and least seasonal variation in solar radiation • The direct intense solar radiation near the equator has an impact on the global patterns of rainfall and winds

  19. Ascending moist airreleasesmoisture Descendingdry airabsorbsmoisture Descendingdry airabsorbsmoisture Trade winds Trade winds Doldrums 0º 23.5º 23.5º 30º 30º TROPICS TEMPERATEZONE TEMPERATEZONE Figure 34.6C

  20. As the air rises, it cools and releases much of its water content • This results in the abundant precipitation typical of most tropical regions • After losing their moisture over equatorial zones, high altitude air masses spread away from the equator • Warm, moist air at the equator rises

  21. This explains the locations of the world's great deserts • As the dry air descends, some of it spreads back toward the equator • This creates the cooling trade winds that dominate the tropics • They cool and descend again at latitudes of about 30° north and south

  22. Temperate zones are located between the tropics and the Arctic Circle in the north and the Antarctic Circle in the south • They have seasonal variations in climate • The temperatures are more moderate than in the tropic or polar regions

  23. In the tropics, Earth's rapidly moving surface deflects vertically circulating air, making the winds blow from east to west • In temperate zones, the slower-moving surface produces the westerlies, winds that blow from west to east • Prevailing winds result from the combined effects of the rising and falling of air masses and Earth's rotation Figure 34.6D

  24. Ocean currents have a profound effect on regional climates by warming or cooling coastal areas • They are created by winds, planet rotation, unequal heating of surface waters, and the locations and shapes of continents

  25. Fresno100º 40 miles • Local high temperatures for August 6, 2000, in Southern California DeathValley119º Bakersfield100º Pacific Ocean Burbank90º Santa Barbara 73º San Bernardino 100º Key Riverside 96º Los Angeles(Airport) 75º 70s (ºF) Santa Ana84º Palm Springs 106º 80s 90s 100s 110s San Diego 72º Figure 34.6E

  26. Landforms, such as mountains, can affect local climate East Winddirection PacificOcean CascadeRange CoastRange Figure 34.6F

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