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Earth’s biomes

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Environmental factors Abiotic factors

non-living chemical & physical factors temperature light water nutrients

Biotic factors living components

animals plants

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Marine

intertidal

coral reefbenthos

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Tropical rainforest

distribution: equatorialprecipitation: very wettemperature: always warmcharacteristics: many plants & animals, thin soil

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Savanna

distribution: equatorialprecipitation: seasonal, dry season/wet seasontemperature: always warmcharacteristics: fire-adapted, drought tolerant plants; herbivores; fertile soil

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Desert

distribution: 30°N & S latitude bandprecipitation: almosttemperature: variable daily & seasonally, hot & coldcharacteristics: sparse vegetation & animals, cacti, succulents, drought tolerant, reptiles, insects, rodents, birds

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Temperate Grassland

distribution: mid-latitudes, mid-continentsprecipitation: seasonal, dry season/wet seasontemperature: cold winters/hot summerscharacteristics: prairie grasses, fire-adapted, drought tolerant plants; many herbivores; deep, fertile soil

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

distribution: mid-latitude, northern hemisphereprecipitation: adequate, summer rains, winter snowtemperature: moderate warm summer/cool wintercharacteristics: many mammals, insects, birds, etc.; deciduous trees; fertile soils

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Coniferous Forest (Taiga)

distribution: high-latitude, northern hemisphereprecipitation: adequate to dry (temperate rain forest on coast)temperature: cool year roundcharacteristics: conifers; diverse mammals, birds, insects, etc.

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Arctic Tundra

distribution: arctic, high-latitude, northern hemisphereprecipitation: dry temperature: cold year roundcharacteristics: permafrost, lichens & mosses, migrating animals & resident herbivores

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Alpine Tundra

distribution: high elevation at all latitudesprecipitation: dry temperature: cold year roundcharacteristics: permafrost, lichens, mosses, grasses; migrating animals & resident herbivores

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What have we done!

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Impact of ecology as a science Ecology provides a scientific context for

evaluating environmental issues Rachel Carson, in 1962,

in her book, Silent Spring,warned that use ofpesticides such as DDTwas causing populationdeclines in manynon-target organisms

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Barry Commoner’s Laws of Ecology Everything is connected to everything else Everything must go somewhere

there is no such place as “away” Nature knows best There is no such thing as a free lunch

Laws of Unintended Consequences

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Acid Precipitation nitrogen oxides sulfur dioxide

power plants industry transportation

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BioMagnification

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BioMagnification PCBs

General Electric manufacturing plant on Hudson River

PCBs in sediment striped bass

nesting areas

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Carbon DioxideGlobal Warming

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CO2

NOx

methane

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Ozone Depletion

protects from UV rays

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Ozone Depletion

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Ozone Depletion Loss of ozone above Antarctica

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Bad ozone vs. good ozone

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Deforestation Loss of habitat Loss of biodiversity

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Loss of Diversity 3 levels of biodiversity

ecosystem diversity different habitats

across landscape community diversity

mix of species genetic diversity

inbreeding with shrinking populations

All decreased by human activity

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Driven to extinction

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Introduced species Introduced species

transplanted populations grow exponentially in new area

non-native species out-compete native species lack of competitors & predators reduce diversity

examples African honeybee gypsy moth zebra mussel purple loosestrife

kudzu

gypsy moth

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Zebra mussel~2 months

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Purple loosestrife

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Purple loosestrife Non-native species out-compete native species

lack of competitors & predators reducing diversity causing loss of food & nesting sites for animals Video

1968 1978

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OverexploitationNorth Atlantic bluefin tuna

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Biodiversity hot spots

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Restoration projects

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Think Globally, Act Locally

Any Questions??