biomes 3. 18.2 the distribution of biomes is determined by climate -tundra -taiga/boreal forest...
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Biomes 3
18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate
-Tundra-Taiga/Boreal Forest-Mountainous Coniferous-Deciduous Forest-Savanna-Shrublands -Grasslands-Desert-Subtropical & Tropical
General Classification Scheme
Grassland
Grasslands are lands dominated by grass. Ha ha. Well its true. But WHY? Edaphic in some cases. Sometimes temperature. But in midwestern US- mostly disturbance driven structure. Today almost all of the grasslands of the US have been turned into soybean fields or corn.
Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)Characteristic species of tall grass prairie. Incredibly deep root system.
18.20 Tallgrass prairie in Nebraska, in the center of the U.S.
American bison: Bison bison
Keystone species, and the center of a flourishing an vibrant human culture (Ogllala Sioux) they were nearly “hunted” to extinction by Anglos. It wasn’t hunting, actually, it was slaughter: Ecological Ignorance meets Basic Human Avarice…
Ogallala Aquifer
Long term sustainability of Great Plains agriculture is very much in doubt…Water is in short supply, water table is dropping, the largest aquifer in the US, by far, is being depleted.
Thousands of ghost towns, exceedingly low population density…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Commons
18.26 Alpine grassland in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
-Steppe…I am not going into detail on Steppe. It is high elevation grasslands in Siberia, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re644qgnCtw
18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate
-Tundra-Taiga/Boreal Forest-Mountainous Coniferous-Deciduous Forest-Savanna-Shrublands -Grasslands-Desert-Subtropical & Tropical
General Classification Scheme
-Desert
Focus on the desert southwest
Columnar Cacti/sub-tree, shrubs Sub shrubs/Opuntia Perennial grass Dune
Death valley
Sonoran desertvery species rich…
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)10 feet tallIs found in the Sonoran desert.
Arches, Utah
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)10 feet tallIs found in the Sonoran desert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=725R5RvtiUI
Side winder rattlesnake: (Crotalus cerastes)
Road Runner: Geococcyx californianus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geococcyx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxYUS_shPfo&NR=1
18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate
-Tundra-Taiga/Boreal Forest-Mountainous Coniferous-Deciduous Forest-Savanna-Chaparral -Grasslands-Desert-Subtropical & Tropical
General Classification Scheme
-Subtropical & tropical forest
18.5 (A) Interior of Rara Avis Rainforest in Costa Rica, (B) Epiphytes are symbiotic commensals
18.6 A tropical montane forest in the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park, Costa Rica
Rainforests:6% of Earth’s surface- 50% of the species
In the Amazon- - 170,000 species of plant (68% of the known total- 250,000)
- In 5 acres- 300 species of tree.
- 30% of all bird species
Insect diversity is unimaginable, and unknown:
One example:2.5 acres- 18,000 species of beetle- most of them were new to science (had no name).
Global Rainforest Loss
35% lost
50% lost52% lost
Biomes 3