Ecology+Page

Here are a few items related to my ecology lesson (Lesson 16). This lesson isn't much more than a reference section/study aid so far.

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Here is a world map that I modelled after a figure in one of my old biology textbooks that shows the world's terrestrial **biomes**. Biomes are a general classification of the climate zones of the world that are defined by the characteristic plants and animals that are best adapted to them. Temperature and rainfall and the seasonal variations in both are the main determining factors of which biome forms in a particular location. Not shown on this map are the various biomes that occur in rivers, lakes, and the oceans. It was quite an ordeal to create this on Scribblemaps and isn't as neat as I'd like it to be, but it serves its purpose. This map works best in full screen mode (click the little square on the upper right corner).


 * Tropical Forests:** are hot and wet throughout the year. There is more diversity of plants and animals here than in any other biome on earth. Almost all life lives near the tops of the largest trees. Typical organisms are monkeys, parrots, frogs, and insects.
 * Savanna and Scrub Forest:** have warm temperatures year round and distinct rainy and dry seasons. Trees are present but often widely scattered. Abundant grasses support large populations of grazing mammals (such as antelope and gazelles) and their predators (such as lions and hyenas).
 * Deserts:** have very little rain throughout the year. Daily temperatures vary widely (from extremely hot in the day to near freezing at night). Both plants and animals are highly adapted to use scarce water efficiently. Typical organisms include camels, rodents, snakes, lizards, and cactus.
 * Chapparal:** has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Large shrubs and small trees are the dominant vegetation. These plants are adapted to tolerate drought and frequent burning.
 * Temperate Deciduous Forest**: Has fairly high rainfall throughout the year, warm summers, and cool to cold winters. Trees shed their leaves in the autumn and grow them back in the spring. Typical organisms include deer, bears, squirrels, and beavers.
 * Temperate Rain Forests:** occur in some mountainous coastal regions. Precipitation carried in from the ocean and trapped by the mountains can be very heavy (comparable to tropical rain forests). The dominant vegetation are typically conifers that can grow to enormous sizes. Undergrowth of ferns and moss are usually very thick.
 * Grasslands:** have lower rainfall than forests but higher rainfall than deserts. Seasonal (summer and winter) temperatures can vary widely. Grasses and forbs are the dominant vegetation; trees are mainly confined to waterways. Typical organisms include bison (formerly), prairie dogs, and coyotes.
 * Coniferous Forests:** sometimes called **taiga**, are dominated by cone-bearing trees (pine, spruce and fir) as well as some cold tolerant deciduous trees such as birch and poplar. These forests occur in high mountain regions as well as in the far northern regions. Summers are short and cool, winters are cold and long. Rainfall is usually less than in deciduous forests but soil drainage is poor, resulting in many marshes, bogs, and lakes.
 * Tundra and Alpine:** These biomes occur in the Arctic regions and on the tops of very high mountains and are quite cold throughout the year. Rainfall is very low, comparable to deserts. Soils are perpetually frozen a short distance below the surface (permafrost). Trees cannot survive the severe climate and permafrost, thus, the dominant vegatation is grasses and mosses. Typical organisms are caribou, wolves, lemmings, and ptarmigans.

And here are links to diagrams of three very important ecosystemic cycles that I made on Creately and that I also based on diagrams found in my old biology textbook. I had wanted to embed these, but Creately wouldn't let me do that, so I'm providing links to the diagrams instead. I'm quite proud of the images that I was able to put into these diagrams. Zoom in to see the diagrams better.

Link to Water Cycle: []

Link to Carbon Cycle: []

Link to Nitrogen Cycle: []

Information on this page was taken from __Life on Earth__ Fourth Edition by Gerald Audesirk, Teresa Audesirk, and Bruce Byers, Pearson Prentice Hall Publishers, 2006, pp. 596-597, 599, and 614. The Audesirks (husband and wife) were my general biology professors at University of Colorado- Denver.