Module 12

Climate and Biomes

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Weather and Climate – The Difference

Weather is the daily condition of the atmosphere.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Climate is the long term weather conditions of a region.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Koppen Climate Classification System:

This system uses average monthly and annual measurements of temperatures and precipitation to place climates into categories.

There are five main groups in the Koppen system.1. Humid tropical climates2. Dry climates3. Humid mid latitude4. Polar5. Highland

Image Credit: arctic.noaa.gov

1. Humid Tropical Climates• Location: Generally found along the southeast

coasts of continents.• They are between 20 degrees and 40 degrees

between the equator.• Temperatures: Range between 50 degrees

and 95 degrees.• Seasons: Long hot summers and short mild

winters.• Rainfall: Average 48 inches per year.

Image Credit: NASA.gov

2. Dry Climates• Location: Scattered throughout the continents. Most are

near middle latitude but cold deserts are found at higher latitudes.

• Dry climates cover 12% of the continents.• Dry Climates are subcategorized by hot and cold deserts.• Temperatures: Extreme range from freezing to 120

degrees.• Rainfall: Less than 20 inches per year.

Image Credit: NASA.gov

3. Humid Mid Latitude• Seasons: Hot muggy summers, frequent

thunderstorms. Mild winters.• Location: 30 degrees to 50 degrees latitude, mainly

on the eastern and western borders of continents.• Rainfall: Heavy precipitation during the mild winters.

Image Credit: srh.noaa.gov

4. Polar• Temperatures do not get above 50 degrees even in the

summer months.• Northern landmasses of North America, Eurasia, Antarctic

and nearby islands.• Vegetation consists of mosses, lichens and scrubby trees

Image Credit: alaskafisheries.noaa.gov

5. Highland or Alpine Climate• As air rises it gets colder. No month has a

temperature above 50 degrees.• Location: Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Alps,

Sierra Nevada, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and Andes.

Image Credit: srh.noaa.gov

What is the biosphere and how is it organized?

Biosphere – Area of the earth where life exists; extends from oceans depths to a few kilometers above land.

fc.nps.org

Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors

• Abiotic factors are NON LIVING components of an environment.

• Examples are: Sunlight, air, water and minerals.

• They interact with living things to create an ecosystem.

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• Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem.

• Examples are: Animals, Fungi, Plants, and Bacteria.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Biotic and abiotic factors determine biome classification by the amount of such factors as:

•Temperature•Rainfall•Altitude•Type of plants•Latitude•Type of animals

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Biodiversity: What does it really mean? ↑ ↗(Life) (Variety)

Image Credit: aris.ormansu.gov.tr

Each living thing has an important role in an ecosystem.

Image Credit: nsf.gov

Even the lowly and maligned mosquito is an important food source and many species depend on it.

Image Credit: nsf.gov

The more biodiversity in an ecosystem, the healthier that ecosystem is.

Image Credit: scq.ubc.ca

Biomes – An extensive area of similar climate and vegetation; there are six terrestrial biomes and three aquatic biomes on Earth.

Photo Credit: blueplanetbiomes.org

Ecosystem •A physically distinct, self supporting unit of interacting organisms and their environment. Ex. Forest or pond

Photo Credit: kidsgeo.com

Communities and Populations •Communities – all the ecosystem’s interacting biotic factors.• Communities may be broken down into smaller units called populations.

Photo Credit: nefsc.noaa.gov

Populations – A group of individuals that belong to the same species and occupy the same area and share common resources.

Photo Credit: teara.govt.nz

b. A community may have 1000’s of populations (tropical rainforest) or relatively few (tundra)

Image Credit: noaa.gov

Biomes of North Carolina

Globally, North Carolina is in the TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST biome.

However, North Carolina is further divided into three “sub” biomes.

1. Coastal Plains2. Piedmont3. Mountains

Image Credit: secretary.state.nc.us

Photo Credit: science.nationalgeographic.com

1. Coastal Plains • Climate: Humid Sub Tropical• Geography: Flat, covers 45 percent of the

state. Mostly wetlands.• Plants: Adapted to wet periods; Bald Cypress,

Venus Fly Traps, Pines.• Soil: Sandy to salt marsh.• Animals: Wide variety including American

Alligator and Black Bear.

Photo Credit: nps.gov Photo Credit: sarracenia.com

The Piedmont•Made from the collision of the North American Plate, a volcanic arc, and the African Plate.•The piedmont is defined by rolling hills, and clay soils. This region once produced the most clay brick in the country. •Climate is humid subtropical.•Plants are pines, deciduous trees.•Animals include mammals, reptiles, amphibians etc.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.netImage Credit: columbus.k12.nc.us Image Credit: gpnc.org

3. Mountains• Elevations from 1500 to 6400 feet.• Climate is humid continental.• Plants are many species of firs, spruce, pines and

hardwoods.• Animals include Black Bear, Elk, Mountain Lion,

reptiles and amphibians.• There is only one native species of fish, the Brook

Trout. All other species have been introduced.

Photo Credit: animals.nationalgeographic.comPhoto Credit: nps.gov

Photo Credit: dnr.state.oh.us

Invasive Species• Alien or Invasive species are organisms that have

been introduced from their native region. • They have no natural predators which allows them

to reproduce and spread. • This threatens biodiversity because these invasive

species take over the habitats of native species.

Image Credit: nps.gov

Invasive species in North Carolina include:

Fish species such as Northern Snakehead, Asian Carp, White Amur Carp, Koi, goldfish, and several snail species compete with native fish for food and space leading to a reduction in the native aquatic species.

Image Credit: wvdnr.gov

Image Credit: charlottesierraclub.org

Kudzu is a native vine species originally from Japan. It was used in the 1930’s by the U.S. government to control erosion and sedimentation caused by construction projects.

Kudzu is now taking over forests and natural habitats in the Southeast.

Efforts to control or kill it have been unsuccessful because of its extensive root system.

Several species of land planarians are large terrestrial flatworms that are predatory on earthworms. They were probably introduced by importing and transplanting ornamental plants from Southeast Asia.

Photo Credit: projectnoah.org

Fire Ants were introduced by accident from Argentina by international shipping through contaminated soil. They probably entered into the U.S. at Mobile, Alababma and quickly spread because of favorable conditions and no natural predators.

Photo Credit: vtnews.vt.edu

• Invasive species are killing native species in our state by encroaching on their habitats.

• There are hundreds of invasive species in the US ranging from insects that are killing forests to pythons in the everglades.

To learn more about invasive species and how you can help, check out the website: http://www.invasive.org/eastern/

Image Credit: usgs.gov

The End