Ecology

What is the difference between weather & climate?

Weather is the day to day

condition of Earth’s atmosphere
at a particular time and place.

Climate refers to the average year

after year conditions of
temperature and precipitation in
a particular region.
 What is a climatogram?
A Climatogram is a diagram that summarizes
a region’s climate, including temperature
and precipitation.
 The Major Biomes
• The major biomes are defined by a unique set of abiotic factors
• Each has a characteristic ecological community and each is
defined by its climate (temperature & precipitation)
• It has nothing to do with countries!
Types of Biomes
 Tropical Rainforest

Hot, wet biome with year-

round humidity

Contains Earth’s MOST

diverse species of plants and
animals
 Tundra
A biome that is treeless with a layer of permanently
frozen soil below the surface called permafrost

* Very little
precipitation!
 Taiga/Boreal Forest
* South of the tundra
* Lacks permafrost layer

* Summers are warmer and

longer than the tundra.
 Temperate Grassland

* Mostly grasses and very few trees

* Fertile soil
* Many grazing animals like buffalo & horses
* Also called prairies in the US
 Temperate Grasslands

* These grasses contain oils that make them flammable

* Grass fires help the biome’s grasses grow healthier

after the fire
 Tropical Savanna

Grasses with scattered trees

 Desert

* Annual rate of evaporation exceeds the rate

of precipitation
* Very little rain
* Can have a little variety of animals
 Open Oceans
• Temperature range varies with latitude
and water depth

• Sunlight decreases with water depth

• Water density changes with temperature

and salt content
Rocky Intertidal

• Alternating exposure to direct sunlight

and submergence

• Salinity changes

• Rocky substrate
Estuaries

• Large fluctuations in salinity

• Extreme temperature changes

Freshwater

• Seasonal
fluctuations of
depth and
temperature