Introduction
The biomes are primarily associated with the climate regions of particular areas through our world. To understand and have knowledge of such would benefit in knowing what to adapt to during times of sudden movement from one to another in survival. The climate difference of environment around some of the major biomes originates from contributing factors like amount of sunlight provided. The airflow streams and cycles along with the remaining meteorological affects play a pivotal role in the climate.
Tundra Biome
There are differences among the biomes of earth; the tundra has little growth of plant life due to the colder temperatures. “The Arctic tundra, where the average temperature is 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -6 degrees
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However, with the changes in environment due to human issues including global warming, they often overlap” (BioExpedtion, 2015, para. 2). The taiga biomes have limited growth due to amount of sunlight and the climate affect. The winter generally lasts longer than other areas throughout the world while maintaining cooler temperatures during summertime months. This type of climate is like the alpine tundra in relationship to weather and duration along with botanical life. The taiga is different than the temperate deciduous forest where climate is not as cool and of shorter duration allowing a shift toward the botanical life …show more content…
“Most deserts receive less than 300 mm a year compared to rainforests, which receive over 2,000 mm” (EARTH OBSERVATORY, n.d., para. 6). The lack of rain must restrict the extent of botanical growth rates throughout a large portion of the desert biome. This is something that landscaping companies would have to watch close in areas where it does not flourish vibrantly.
The desert is dangerous for people due to a lack of water along with natural wildlife that adjusted to climate and have adapted well. There is a lot of sand in the desert and powerful winds are able to cause dusty environments for breathing or cleaning. The heat is favorable to many elderly people because of the soothing affect upon sore muscles and bones from age. Although there are some advantages to living in the desert it does not seem to appeal as much the taiga or temperate deciduous forest would.
Grasslands
What is a biome? Biomes are major life zones characterized by vegetation type or by the physical environment. Climate plays a role in determining the nature and location of Earth’s biomes. Texas has 10 different ecosystems with lots of diversity. Minnesota has 4 different ecosystems which are also quite diverse. Regardless of the size of the biomes or the number of biomes in each state, they are all important not just to the locate environment but on a global level because of the life they support. We are going to take a look at the different biomes, comparing climate and rainfall, as well as vegetation fauna.
...arth has always varied from time to time, since the time the earth was formed and it is one of the most unpredictable processes. Though it is a natural process, anthropogenic contributions are also accounted upon heavily these days. According to studies, although the earth is supposed to be experiencing a cooling phase at this time, it is evident from the polar ice caps melting that the earth is warming. The polar ecosystem is hence going through a phase of dynamism more due to external disturbances such as rising temperature and ocean thermal expansion. Therefore the need of the hour is to be aware about the changes in the ecosystem that is occurring and to come together to either prevent or adapt to the changing conditions. Only then can a ecosystem function in a healthy manner with its species diversity and good interaction among themselves and their environment.
The taiga is also known as boreal forest and is mainly distinguishable due to its abundance of carnivorous forests that are primarily made up of conifer or cone-bearing trees (NP, UC Santa Barbara). Three of the four most common conifers are evergreens, namely spruce, fir, and pine. The fourth conifer is the tamarack, also known as the larch, which is a deciduous tree. Other types of deciduous trees that can occasionally be found in the taiga include oak, birch, willow, and alder trees. The taiga does not feature a wide variety of plant life in comparison with other biomes due to its harsh climate; thin, acidic, and nutrient-lacking soil; and rocky terrain.
Even the Antarctic area has a couple of its own arctic regions. The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The average temperature in the tundra area is about –27 degrees. But what is even worse is the long night. At night the lowest temperature recorded was –67.36 degrees.
Tim Dickinson paints this image into one’s head by the end of his article. Looking at global warming as a crisis, he argues that the continuously heating world is intensifying drought and setting the stage for mega fires, even in places like Alaska. According to Dickinson, humans are the main cause of global warming. This creates a dramatic problem, Dickinson explains, because Alaska has a large tundra that is drying out. The tundra is an important biome; it can store vast amounts of carbon dioxide in the ground. When these areas burn because of drought, they release huge amounts of carbon dioxide that is normally hidden under snow (Dickinson). On the other hand, Peter Minorsky writes that global warming can lead to more plant growth. Minorsky’s evidence complicates Dickinson’s ideas. There is even an indication of growth increases in Alaska from aerial photos dating back from 50 years ago to now in his article. He writes that there is already “evidence that many plant species are beginning to invade formerly colder climes as the world’s temperature begun to rise” (Minorsky). This pole ward invasion of plant life, according to Minorsky, obscures Dickinson’s Alaskan example. If there is growth happening, the fiery images seem to burn out, or at least appear as an
His expertise may attract an array of readers, both newcomers and old-timers. It seems that his intended audience might be those who share his love of the desert and also those who want to know more. The essay is quasi-organized like an educational brochure or an expert interview with an inveterate desert denizen. An unintended audience of course might include the fledgling environmental activists who were emerging in the 1960s to fight for the protection of wilderness. Because of its focus on natural history, the article and the anthology, Desert Solitaire, in which it was published, might...
This is a pattern due to the cold water climates. The arid climates are existent mostly in the center of a continent or beneath a continents rain shadow of a large mountain range. The rain shadow is land on a said of a mountain that is very dry because the mountain forces warm air higher into the sky, which cools it and it falls as rain, but only on one side of the mountain. Most of the arid areas or regions do not have regular seasons. An example would be the Sahara Desert which is always hot and dry. Some Arid places do have changes in temperature depending on the latitude and the surrounding climates. This would mean they have two seasons, which would be summer and winter. The temperatures of these locations can reach as high as 130 degrees or as negative as 30 degrees. This temperature also depends on the location at which it is located on the planet. These hot deserts have a poor rate of precipitation due to the lack of water to be evaporated. In order to have an Arid climate there must be less than 10 inches of water which most deserts do. Some of these deserts have less than 10 inches of rain a year.The causes of these poor climates would be the cold currents carrying dry air, so these lands are blasted with dry air most of the
Generally though since climate more or less corresponds vegetation zones, the Tundra is located in Arctic climate areas. Temperature The Tundra suffers from a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area remains barren, save for a few shrubs and lichens. Winters last from 8-10. months and the summers are cool and short.
The biome I have chosen is the temperate rain forest. These types of forest are homes to a few and very amazing species . The temperate rain forest are mainly made of conifer trees. They also receive high rainfall every year. The average amount of rainfall it gets is 140 centimeters, or 55 inches a year. That is a total amount of 4.58333… feet in year-round rainfall.
Climate change has been happening for many years and it continues to do so. It is a significant change in regards to the distribution of weather patterns over a given time frame such as decades or millennia. In recent times, the climate change is called “global warming” and it has been linked to certain human activities (NRC 2010). This shows that climate change is not limited to biotic factors. In a general sense, these changes have the potential to impact populations and ecosystems due to alterations in the water cycle. Climate change impacts includes too little water in some regions while too much water in other regions. Changes in precipitation patterns can influence plant physiology and thereby affect the rates of photosynthesis. Such patterns include drought in which warmer temperatures increase evaporative stress on a plant and increased rain or frequency of storms can influence water uptake by plants. Under both conditions, there is a change in photosynthetic rates. Photosynthesis allows the plant to accumulate carbon, grow and produce biomass (Niu et al. 2008). Therefore, a change in photosynthetic rates can be either beneficial or harmful to a plant. The effects of altered precipitation patterns on photosynthetic rates is significant to the scientific field because it gives insight on the shifts in plant community composition and how it affects the water availability for human and ecosystem uses (Kray et al. 2012). In addition, understanding the connection between water relations and photosynthesis with respect to changes in precipitation patterns could help with management decisions of ecosystems, where climate change indicates alterations in species composition, in water availability for wildlife and in fire regimes (L...
The world’s climate is kept stable and suitable to live in, mainly by rainforests, in a number of ways. They are often known as ‘climate controllers’. They keep the planet cool, as they absorb much of the suns heat, instead of reflecting it back into the atmosphere.
In many parts of the world, ecosystems’ temperatures begin to rise and fall to extreme levels making it very difficult for animals and plants to adapt in time to survive. Climate has never been stable here on Earth. Climate is an important environmental influence on ecosystems. Climate changes the impacts of climate change, and affects ecosystems in a variety of ways. For instance, warming could force species to migrate to higher latitudes or higher elevations where temperatures are more conducive to their survival. Similarly, as sea level rises, saltwater intrusion into a freshwater sys...
...have low fertility due to the predominance of quartz grains. If aridity, topography and hot climatic are compiled with poor soil fertility, vegetation cover becomes rare and traditional agriculture is not suitable. However, specific vegetation, which tolerates water shortage and other environmental stresses, could grow in this region. Among the natural vegetation of the region are Acacia and Tamarix Spp. Local Bedouins depend on natural vegetation as a food and energy resource as well as for medical purposes. Their animals also depend on this natural flora for grazing. In addition, there are some local attempts for cultivation of some species depending on groundwater, such as the FAO farm (120 south of Marsa Alam). At this farm, olive and Henna are cultivated. However, water scarcity near the farm forced grazing animals to damage cultivated vegetation in this farm.
Nature is something that no one can be 100 percent sure about and changes in any period of time. The earth’s temperature is dependent on the balance of the energy entering and leaving the planet. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), change in the planets orbit can lead to an increase on the climate on the planet. Nature also has an effect on climate change with external events, events that are not on the climate system. Volcanic eruptions and change in solar radiation are two of the external events that cause climate to change on earth. Although these two events cause the climate to change, they only have a short term effect (Canada). Islands and dry place are more common to have an increase in temperature because of the amount of energy that is generated and released back to the atmosphere. As the ozone is breaking down, the amount of solar energy being generated and released to the atmosphere is greater than before, which produces an increase on the world’s climate. Movement of crustal plates is also something that changes the climate on earth. The Northern Hemisphere usually gets warmer than the Southern Hemisphere due to the amount of land mass the Northern Hemisphere has. Around every eleven years, according to CSI, the amount of dark sunspots on the sun decrease from the maximum amount of sunspots to the minimum amount. Scientist call
...of the flora and fauna species are unlikely to have time either to adapt to this warming, or to adjust their ranges to keep pace with the shift in climatic zones.