2.

4 Biomes, zonation, and

succession
Page 44-45, 64-74
 ● Climate determines the type of biome
in a given area although individual
ecosystems may vary due to many
local abiotic and biotic factors

Significant ● Succession leads to climax

communities that may vary due to

ideas
random events and interactions over
time. This leads to a pattern of
alternative stable states for a
given ecosystem

● Ecosystem stability, succession, and

biodiversity are intrinsically
linked.
Learning intentions:
To describe biomes, zonation and succession and show examples.
Overview: Biomes

Plenary
Zonation

10 mins 20 mins 30 mins 35 mins 10 mins

Biomes in Succession
Detail
This affects the temperatures on various parts of earth.

Areas near the equator will have higher average temperatures.

Introduction to Biomes
● A biome is a group of ecosystems that share
similar climatic conditions and therefore similar
patterns of vegetation.
● The key abiotic factors that define biomes are:
1. Rainfall
2. Temperature
3. Insolation

Biomes are grouped into five major classes

1. Aquatic
2. Grassland
3. Tundra
4. Forest
5. Desert
Biomes are grouped into five
major classes Desert – hot, coastal and cold.

● Aquatic - which are further subdivided into: ● Forest

○ Freshwater: ponds and lakes, streams and ○ tropical rainforest,
rivers and wetlands such as bogs and ○ temperate forests and
swamps. boreal or taiga.
○ Marine: deep ocean, coral reefs, estuaries
and mangrove swamps.

● Grassland – savanna and ● Tundra – arctic and alpine.

temperate.
Comparing the biomes
Tropical rainforest vs. Temperate forest
largely found between 40 degrees
and 60 degrees N of the equator

lie in a band around the equator within the

tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
(23.5° N and S),
(i) A tropical rainforest

Precip. Range: ________________

Temp. Range:___________________

ii) Tundra

Precip. Range: ________________

Temp. Range:___________________
 O O
Why are rainforests found at 23 and 40-60 ?

Heavy
rainfuall

Heavy
rainfuall
PAGE 6. With reference to the tri-cellular model, summarise what is happening
in terms of air movement and precipitation at the following places:
Tropical rainforest
● constant high temperatures (~ 26 °C)
● High rainfall (over 2500 mm yr –1)
throughout the year
● experience high light levels throughout
the year
● little seasonal variation in sunlight and
temperature* providing an all-year
growing season.
● high levels of photosynthesis and
high rates of NPP throughout the year.
● ~40 per cent of NPP of terrestrial
ecosystems.
*monsoon period can reduce levels of insolation
Have a highly layered
or stratified
structure.

Only about 1 percent of

light hitting the
canopy layer reaches
the floor.
Temperate rainforests
● found in seasonal areas where winters are
cold and summers are warm.
● Two tree types are found in temperate forest:
- Evergreen trees have protection against the
cold winters (thicker leaves or needles) CF -
Coniferous Forests - Alaska, Canada
- Deciduous trees have leaves that would
suffer frost damage, so lose their leaves in winter
TDF - US (Oregon, Vermont) and Europe
● Forests might contain only deciduous trees,
only evergreens, or a mixture of both.
● Rainfall in these biomes is between 500 and
1500 mm yr–1.
What kind of animals live in the rain forest?
TROPICAL TEMPERATE
Grasslands characteristics:
TropicaL Grasslands
● Distribution: The Tropical Grasslands is located around the equator, between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
● Climate: Tropical grasslands have dry and wet seasons that remain warm all the
time.
● Structure: Tropical grasslands have a Different soil and rainfall patterns will
produce different plants. There are many grasses, shrubs, sedges and vines.
Herbivores and Predators (zebras, wildebeests,lions, elephants, giraffes, ostriches,
gazelles, and buffalo.)
● Productivity:The productivity in tropical areas ranging from less than 1 to over 25
t/ha which is strongly related to the number of days without water stress
Temperate Grassland
● Distribution: Temperate grasslands can be found in various regions
north and south of the equator
● Climate:Temperate grasslands have cold winters and warm summers
● Structure:Temperate grassland are dominated by grasses, lacking
trees and large shrubs. Carnivores, like mountain lions and wolves, are
also found in temperate grasslands. Other animals of this region
include: deer, prairie dogs, mice, jack rabbits, skunks, coyotes, snakes
and hawks.
● Productivity:The Grassland covers a broad range of environmental
conditions with an annual aboveground productivity from 50 to 800 g
m −2 that is linearly related to precipitation.
d
e
s
e
r
t
s Deserts are found in bands at latitudes of approximately 30° N and S
They cover 20–30 per cent of the land surface.
 O
WHY ARE DESERTS FOUND AT 30 LATITUDE?
After all
the rain
has fallen
on the
DRY Heavy tropical
AIR rainfuall areas
PAGE 6. With reference to the tri-cellular model, summarise what is happening
in terms of air movement and precipitation at the following places:
Deserts
● characterized by high temperatures at the warmest time of day
(typically 45–49 °C) in early afternoon
● and low precipitation (typically under 250 mm yr–1). Rainfall may
be unevenly distributed.
● The lack of water limits rates of photosynthesis and so rates of
NPP are very low.
● Organisms also have to overcome fluctuations in temperature
(night temperatures, when skies are clear, can be as low as 10 °C,
sometimes as low as 0 °C), which make survival difficult.
Tundra distribution
Tundra characteristics:
● Distribution: The tundra biome is restricted to the high
latitudes of the northern hemisphere in a belt around the Arctic
Ocean.
● Climate: The tundra climate is a transitional climate between
the Subarctic and Ice cap climates. It is a region of rolling to
nearly level terrain almost entirely devoid of trees.
● Structure: Tundra vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs,
sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees
grow in some tundra regions.
● Productivity: From 10-400 g m-2 yr-1, with a mean of 140 g
m-2 yr-1.
Tropical Coral Reefs characteristics:

● Distribution:
● Climate: coral reefs generally are confined to tropical and semi-tropical waters. Many grow
optimally in water temperatures between 23°–29°Celsius
● Structure:A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals.
Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Animals that
live in the coral reef are things such as clown fish, snapper, jellyfish and starfish
● Productivity:Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet, with the
primary producers at the base of the food chain (including corals) supporting their complex
food webs.
Hydrothermal vents: is a fissure on the seafloor from which geothermally
heated water discharges.

● Distribution: Found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are
moving apart at spreading centers, ocean basins, and hotspots.

Found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, at an average depth of 2100 metres. The
most northerly black smokers are a cluster of five named Loki's Castle,on the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway. The world's deepest known black
smokers are located in the Cayman Trough, 5,000 m (3.1 miles) below the ocean's
surface - Wikipedia

● Climate:
● In contrast to the approximately 2 °C (36 °F) ambient water temperature at these depths, water
emerges from these vents at temperatures ranging from 60 °C (140 °F up to as high as 464 °C (867
°F).
 Hydrothermal vents: is a fissure on the seafloor from which geothermally
heated water discharges.

● Structure:
○ Black smokers emit the hottest, darkest
plumes, which are high in sulfur content and
form chimneys up to 18 stories tall, or 55
meters (180 feet).

○ White smokers are lightly colored and rich

in barium, calcium, and silicon. Compared
to black smokers, white smokers usually
emit cooler plumes and form smaller
chimneys. National Geographic
○

● Productivity: very
productive
 Extension Questions (page 5)
4. Precipitation to evaporation
ratios (P/E) influence soil
conditions. Explain why...
a) …a high P/E results in low soil
fertility:
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
b) ...a low P/E results in
salinization of soil:
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
 Effect of climate change on biome distribution
(page 7)
The distribution of
biomes is controlled Increases in carbon
by a combination of dioxide and other
temperature, greenhouse gases This in turn affects
rainfall patterns. These
insolation, and lead to an increase
changes in climate
precipitation. in mean global affect the distribution of
temperature biomes. This topic is
(Chapter 7) explored in more detail
in Chapter 7
 Zonation
A spatial change in response to changing conditions
over distance.
Zonation
1. Arrangement of communities in response to the Model of
changing environmental factors. zonation
Alpine
● Abiotic factors vary on environmental t:
i en re
gradients d
ra atu
G r
t al pe
● Organisms on higher elevations are en tem
m
adapted to withstand lower
i r on sing Pine forest
temperatures. v a
En ecre
D
● Trees and plants on lower elevations
(deciduous forest) outcompete the
slower growing pine trees. Deciduous forest

Tropical rainforest
- Divided into zones
from lower to upper
shore
-Defined by spatial

re of
patterns (Animals

su rs
and Plants)

po ou
ex of h
-Seaweed is perfect
example of distinct

#
zonation
- Some species
more resilient to
water loss found on
upper shore
- Less resilient to
water loss on the
lower shore (Not out
of water for too long)
Zonation of Pacific Rocky Intertidal Zone:
 SUCCESSION
is the predictable change in the vegetation of a community

over time.
 Bare Rock
succession
Colonization by lichens, weathering rock, and production of dead organic material

Growth of moss, further weathering and the beginnings soil

Growth of small plants such as grasses and ferns, further development in soil

Large Herbaceous plants can grow in the deeper and more nutrient rich soil

Climax Community dominated by shrubs and trees

Succession
- Long-term change in vegetation Pioneer Communities
over time in an ecosystem.
The first group of organisms to colonise a bare area of land
Primary succession
Seral Stages
- When an area of bare ground or rock is
Stages in Succession
colonised for the first time
Climax Communities
Secondary Succession
Stable community that is formed at the end of succession
- Takes place after an area of land has been
cleared (slash and burn) and soil is already
present
Examples of colonisation in primary succession :
1) Larvae swim to the island, get carried to the
island by ocean currents

2) Moss is carried onto the island by the wind

3) Seeds were found washed up on the newly formed

shore, species have large seeds that are able to
float

4) Birds may bring seeds over to island by their

feathers or twigs; used for nest making

5) Seeds may also pass through the bird and gets

excreted together with their waste onto the island
 succession

●
For each Row
-Explain Why
Page 70-71
Characteristics of Climax Communities e.g. Forests
● more favourable soil conditions (e.g.greater organic content and
deeper soil)
● better soil structure (therefore greater water retention and
aeration)
● greater biomass
● higher levels of species diversity
● taller and longer-living plant species
● greater community complexity and stability
● greater habitat diversity
● steady-state equilibrium.
Climax communities have a P/R = 1 (P = R)
This relationship can be described as a ratio
(production : respiration ratio or P/R ratio).
● If production is equal to rate of respiration, the
value of P/R is 1.
● Where P/R is greater than 1, biomass
Farmers do not want the P/R ratio to
accumulates. reach 1 because, at that point,
● Where P/R is less than 1, biomass is depleted. community respiration negates the high
● Where P/R = 1 a steady-state community results. rates of gross productivity, which means
that yields are not increased. The wheat
is therefore harvested before P/R = 1.

Fields and woodland both have low

initial productivity, which increases
rapidly as biomass accumulates.
The impact of human activities on succession:
PLAGIOCLIMAX succession is deflected
Community that is produced when a

Example: This in turn affects

● UK used to This inpatterns.
be covered
rainfall turn inaffects
These
● Burning and deforestation of rainfall in
deciduouschanges
woodland,patterns.
climateThese
but clearing
the Amazon forest to make changes
of forestsaffect
for timbre inand
climate of
the distribution
grazing land leads to loss of agriculture affect
have interrupted
biomes. the
Thisdistribution
topic is of
large areas of rainforest. succession biomes.inThis
explored more topic is
detail
● Continued burning and ● inexplored
Now, mostly coveredin
Chapter 7inmore detail
heather,
clearance, and the in Chapter
which is burned every 715 years so
that other climax species will not
establishment of
take over.
grasslands, prevents
succession occurring.
Deforestation in Borneo Figure 2.53 Loss of
primary forest between
1950 and 2005,
and a projection for
forest cover in 2020
based on current
trends.
 R and K strategy
is the type of reproductive strategy an organism displays.
R- Strategists K- strategists
Found in pioneer communities Found in climax communities.
- Short lifespan - Long lifespan
- Many offspring per mating - Few offspring per mating
- Parents don’t care for offspring - Parents take care of offspring
- Mature quickly - Long time to mature
- Ex. fish, frogs, turtles - Ex. birds, humans, elephants
 K- AND R-STRATEGISTS page 121 Davis
and Nagle, ESS

salmon and humans

Factors that influence

survivorship rates include:
● competition for resources
● reproductive strategy
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● adverse
tempusenvironmental
conditions
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consectetur adipiscing elit,
●predator–prey relationships.
sed do eiusmod tempor.

turtles and oysters

 Home LEARNING Answer questions on exercise
book
1. Define the term biome. How does this differ from the term ecosystem?
2. Draw up a table listing the following biomes: tropical rainforest, temperate forest, hot desert,
and tundra. The table should include information about the levels of insolation (sunlight), rainfall
(precipitation), and productivity for each biome.
3. Which biome has the highest productivity? Why? Which has the lowest? Why?
4. What are the differences between succession and zonation? Give examples of each, using named
examples.
5. What changes occur along a succession? What impact do these changes have on biodiversity?
6. What is the P/R ratio? What does it measure? How does the P/R ratio change from early to late
succession?
9. Draw a table with r-strategists in one column and K-strategists in the other. List the characteristics that
apply to each.