Deserts and Grasslands: Temperature, Precipitation, and Consumer-Producer Relationships, Slides of Environmental science

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BIOMES

DESERTS

DESERT BIOME

FLORA

• Wax coated leaves, deep roots

to tap into groundwater,

shallow roots to collect water,

and drop leaves to survive in

dormant state during dry

spells.

• Store biomass in seeds and

remain inac9ve during dry

periods.

• Shortly aSer rain, seeds

germinate, grow, bloom,

produce new seed, and die.

FAUNA

• Hide in cool burrows or rocky

crevices by day & come out at

night

• Physical adapta9ons for

conserving water. Insects and

rep9les have thick outer

coverings and dry feces, dry

urine.

• Spiders get water from dew

and the food they eat

• Become dormant during

periods of heat

TROPICAL DESERT

Fig. 5-­‐12a, p. 109

Tropical Desert

Mean monthly temperature ( ° C) Mean monthly precipitation (mm)

Month

Freezing point

• High temps all year & liCle rain (1 or 2 months per year.)
• Few plants with windblown surface sand.
• Example: Sahara in Africa

POLAR DESERT

Fig. 5-­‐12c, p. 109

Polar Desert

Mean monthly precipitation (mm)

Month

Freezing point Mean monthly temperature (°C)

• Winters are cold, summers hot.
• Precipita9on low.
• Example: Gobi in China

TEMPERATE DESERT

FOOD WEB

Fig. 5-­‐13, p. 110 Producer to primary consumer Primary to secondary consumer Secondary to higher-­‐level consumer All producers and consumers to decomposers Kangaroo rat Diamondback raLlesnake Fungi Bacteria Darkling Beetle Roadrunner Prickly pear cactus Agave Gambel's Quail Collared lizard Jack rabbit Yucca Red-­‐tailed hawk

GRASSLANDS

GRASSLANDS AND

CHAPARRAL BIOMES

• Located between 55 N and 30 S
• Grasslands are regions with enough average annual precipita9on to

allow grass to grow. Precipita9on is erra9c and fires prevent large

stands of trees. Most found in interiors of con9nents.

• Grasslands (prairies) occur in areas too moist for desert and too dry for

forests. The cold winters and hot dry summers have deep and fer9le soil

that make them ideal for growing crops and grazing caCle.

• Savannas are tropical grasslands with scaCered tree and herds of

hoofed animals.

• Chaparral has a moderate climate but its dense thickets of spiny shrubs

are subject to periodic fires.

• The cold winters and hot dry summers have deep and fer9le soil that

make them ideal for growing crops and grazing caCle.

TROPICAL GRASSLAND

Fig. 5-­‐14a, p. 112

Tropical grassland (savanna)

Mean monthly temperature ( ° C) Mean monthly precipitation (mm)

Month

Freezing point

Savanna: Warm temps year around, prolonged dry season, a lot of rain remainder

of the year. Largest in Africa. Provide grazing and browsing for hoofed animals.

Herbivores have evolved for ea9ng habits that minimize compe99on between

species for vegeta9on.

High temps, low to moderate precip, prolonged dry seasons. Occur on

either side of the equator beyond borders of tropical rainforests.

Fig. 5-­‐15, p. 113

Golden eagle

Pronghorn

antelope

Grasshopper

Prairie

Coneflower

Fungi

Bacteria

Prairie

dog

Blue stem

grass

Grasshopper

sparrow

Coyote

Producer to primary consumer Primary to secondary consumer Secondary to higher-­‐level consumer All producers and consumers to decomposers

POLAR GRASSLAND

Fig. 5-­‐14c, p. 112

Polar grassland (arctic tundra)

Mean monthly temperature ( ° C) Mean monthly precipitation (mm)

Month

Freezing point

Polar grasslands or tundras occur south of the arc9c polar ice cap. Cold, frigid winds,

covered with ice and snow, winters are long and dark. Precip is rare and is mostly snow.

One effect of extreme cold is permafrost: frozen layer of soil. Water near the surface

thaws but permafrost soil layer stays frozen preven9ng liquid water at surface from

seeping into the ground. Soil on upper level remains soggy and forms shallow lakes,

marshes, and wetlands Due to slow cold decomposi9on, soil is low in organic maCer.

HUMAN IMACT

• Conversion of savanna and

temperate grasslands to

cropland

• Release of CO2 to

atmosphere from burning

and conversion to cropland

• Overgrazing of tropical and

temperate grassland by

livestock

• Damage to fragile arc9c

tundra by oil produc9on, air

and water pollu9on, and

vehicles. – long 9me to

recover.

Fig. 5-­‐27, p. 123

Oil producWon and off-­‐road

vehicles in arcWc tundra

Overgrazing by livestock

Release of CO 2 to atmosphere

from grassland burning

Conversion to cropland

Grassland s Natural Capital DegradaWon

FORESTS