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IntroductionGeorge Wong, mycologist

Office Hour: TBATBAOffice: St. John 612BSt. John 612BTelephone: X63940X63940Email: biol101@biol101@hawaiihawaii..eduedu

Mushroom

EcologyEcologyHow organisms interact with each other and their physical environment.Includes relationship between people and environment.

Lecture 7Lecture 7 Our SunOur Sun

All energy comes from the sun!

Food ChainFood Chain

Food ChainFood Chain

Circle of LifeMufasa: Everything you see exists together, in

a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures-- from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.

Simba: But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?

Mufasa: Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.

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BiomesBiomes

Earth can be divided into BiomesBiomes

Today’s Lecture:Today’s Lecture: Biome CharacteristicsBiome Characteristics

Occupy large regionsPlants & animalsHave specific climate with similar plants and animal adaptations

Species composition is not the same in different areasSpecies composition is not the same in different areas

DesertsDeserts

Australia

California

Morocco

Tunisia

Categories of Biome

TundraTaigaGrasslandsDesertsDeciduous ForestsTropical Rainforests

ChaparralSavannaTropical DeciduousRain Forest

Primary Biomes Other Biomes

Division into Biomes

Latitudes define some biomes

Latitude determines temperatures

ArcticArctic Circle

Temperate Tropic of Cancer

Tropical

Tropic of CapricornTemperate

Antarctic CircleAntarctic

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Tundra Biome Characteristics of Tundra BiomeTundra Biome

Found only in Northern HemisphereVery short growing seasonMosses, lichens, sedges, no trees

TundraTundra Tundra PlantsTundra Plants

Characteristics of Tundra BiomeTundra Biome

Permafrost layerAbundant water (wet sponge)

waterVegetation –“carpet”

permafrost

soil

soil

Characteristics of Tundra BiomeTundra Biome

Permafrost restricts root growth.Reason for small plants.

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More Tundra PicturesMore Tundra Pictures More Tundra PictureMore Tundra Picture

Characteristics of Tundra BiomeTundra Biome

Some animals in the TundraLemmingsArctic FoxSnowy OwlCaribou LemmingsLemmings

lemmings

Lemming Lemming ComicComic

Arctic Fox Arctic Fox PicturePicture

Arctic Fox

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Snowy Owl PictureSnowy Owl Picture

snowyowl

Caribou PictureCaribou Picture

caribou

Taiga BiomeTaiga Biome Characteristics of Taiga Biome

Snow: cone shaped trees

Evergreen conifers

Seasonal cycle: migrations

Abundant, open water

Nutrient rich soils

Taiga Picture Taiga Picture

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Moose

moose

Lynx

lynx

Snowshoe hare

Snowshoe hare

Grasslands Biome

Names: Steppe, prairie, plain, etc.

Temperate & tropics similar

Unbroken sea of grass

Grazing adapted plants

Fires important: no trees?

Grasslands BiomeGrasslands Biome

Prairie dogs

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bison

giraffes

Desert BiomeDesert Biome

Widely spaced plants

Spiny and succulents plants

Many types of animals, well adapted

Desert Biome

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Desert Biome

Spade-foot ToadsSpade-foot Toads

playa (temporary lake)

Deciduous Forest BiomeDeciduous Forest Biome Deciduous Forest Biome

Broadleaf plants; seasonal

Complex biome

Good canopy & understory

Fairly rich soils; productive

Early settlers used land for agriculture, but abandoned.

deer

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black bear

Tropical Rainforest BiomeTropical Rainforest Biome

Large number of speciesTall, stratified tree canopy= dark on forest floor (seedlings?)Good drainageRapid decomposition = nutrients in plants

Tropical Rainforest Biome

Understory

Canopy layer

Emergent layer

Forest floor

Heavily modified by human activityExample: US grasslands barely exist.Mostly has been taken over by agriculture.So Biomes defined by potential, not actual plants & animals

BiomesBiomes

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Defined by climate of region

Combination of temperature & rainfall most important factors.

Biomes cold

hot

dry wet

tundra

taiga

dese

rt

gras

slan

d

deci

duou

s

rain

fore

st

Questions

1. Another name for the grassland biome is:

2. The area used as the basis for defining a biome is:

3. Water in the soil in tundra regions:

4. In which of these biomes would you expect to find the fewest trees?

5. Which of these biomes is likely to have the largest percentage of its area covered by water?

6. Grassland climates:

7. Rich understory vegetation:

8. The spatial extent of each biome is primarily determined by:

Questions

9. Gould argues that the gravel deposits studied by Buckland as evidence of "Noah's flood”

10.Gould uses Buckland (in The Freezing of Noah) to show that a good scientist, when a theory they have proposed is shown to be wrong,:

Questions