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False-color composite image of global photoautotroph abundance from Wikimedia Commons

The Biosphere

Large-scale biological communities sharing similar plant growth forms - convergent adaptations to similar physical environments

Terrestrial Biomes

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3A

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Terrestrial Biomes

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3.5

Map from Holt et al. (2013) Science

Terrestrial Zoogeographic Regions

Published as “an update of Wallace’s zoogeographic regions”

World Wildlife Fund team identified 14 terrestrial biomes

Biomes & Biogeographic Realms

Map from Olson et al. (2001) Bioscience

Ecoregions

… and 867 distinct ecoregions

Map from Olson et al. (2001) Bioscience

Dominant plants = broad-leaved evergreen trees

Also epiphytes, lianas, palms, and generally sparse understory

More-or-less continuous growing season

Contain ~50% of Earth’s species in ~11% of terrestrial veg. cover

Tropical Rainforests

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3A

E.g., scatter-hoarding of seeds by rodents

Tropical Rainforests

Photo of agouti and Astrocaryum palm fruits by Christian Ziegler; Figure from Jansen et al. (2012) PNAS

Tropical Seasonal Forests & Savannas

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3B

Tropical dry forestsThorn woodlandsTropical savannas

Resource availability, fire & large herbivores help determine the balance between grasses vs.

woody species

Pronounced wet / dry seasons

Tropical Seasonal Forests & Savannas

Photo of Pseudomyrmex on Vachellia (formerly Acacia) – Wikimedia Commons; Table – Janzen (1966) Evolution

E.g., protection of plants against herbivores by ants

Hot Deserts

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3C

Sparse populations of plants & animals

Succulent plants are common

Sustained periods of high temp. & low water avail.

Hot Deserts

E.g., large-male advantage in lek-mating tarantula hawks

Photo of Tarantula Hawk and Tarantula – http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/tag/tarantula-hawk; Figure from Alcock (1981) Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology

Temperate Grasslands

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3D

Dominant plants = grasses

Warm, moist summers & cold, dry winters

Some have sufficient rainfall to support woody veg., but fire & grazers maintain grasslands

Soils rich in organic matter

Temperate Grasslands

Large ungulate & marsupial (in Australia) grazers are common

Photos of pronghorn antelope and red kangaroo from Wikimedia Commons

Temperate Shrublands & Woodlands

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3E

Winter rainy season (e.g., Mediterranean-type climates)

Fire is a common feature

Sclerophyllous leaves are common

Temperate Shrublands & Woodlands

Resprouting is common

Photo from http://www.eco.science.ru.nl/plantecology/Estrela/pig_fireecology.html

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3F

Deciduous leaves owing to freezing temperatures

Sufficient rainfall & soil fertility to support tree growth

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Insect populations sometimes outbreak

Photo of tent caterpillars from http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_25948887/minnesota-tent-caterpillar-outbreak-concerns-eased-by-dnr

Temperate Evergreen Forests

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3G

From warm coastal zones to cool maritime climates

Generally on nutrient-poor soils

Northern Hemisphere – needle-leaved conifers

Southern Hemisphere - needle-leaved & broad-leaved

Temperate Evergreen Forests

Photo of British Columbian rainforest from Wikimedia Commons; K. Harms photo of Florida pine savanna

Boreal Forests / Taiga

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3H

Coniferous species

Extreme weather

Permafrost common

Boreal Forests

Immense carbon pools

Photo of Canadian taiga from Wikimedia Commons

Tundra

Cain, Bowman & Hacker (2014), Fig. 3I

Beyond treeline

Dominated by sedges, grasses, forbs & prostrate shrubs

Primarily in the Arctic

Extreme weather

Permafrost common

Tundra

Prey can be seasonally very abundant during short growing season

Photo from http://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/1nh6eo/itap_of_a_few_mosquitoes_in_alaska/

Transition zones between biomes or ecosystems

Ecotones

Photo of lakeside ecotone from Wikimedia Commons

Where the Land Meets the Sea

Estuary – junction of a river & ocean

Photos of Amazon estuary, a mangrove & a salt marsh from Wikimedia Commons

Mangrove – shallow estuaries & mudflats with

salt-tolerant evergreen woody species

Salt Marsh – found on sediments carried to shorelines by rivers

Where the Land Meets the Sea

Photos of a Galapagos sandy / boulder beach & a rocky intertidal shoreline from Wikimedia Commons

Rocky Intertidal – stable substrate alternates between terrestrial &

marine

Beaches / Sandy Shores – unstable substrate limits

opportunities for plants, so limited opportunities for animals

Etc.

Coral Reef – warm, shallow water

Marine Biomes

Seagrass bed – flowering plants on subtidal mud or

fine sand

Photos of coral reef, kelp bed & seagrass bed from Wikimedia Commons

Kelp bed – large brown algae in clear, shallow,

temperate oceans

Marine Biomes

Etc.

Photo of 1700 m deep gray whale fall from Wikimedia Commons; photo of octopus that broods eggs for 4 yr at ~1700 m deep from http://www.newsweek.com/octopus-broods-eggs-record-412-years-then-dies-scientists-report-262157

Deep sea – extreme pressure & temperature; no light, so limited, patchy energy supply

We live in a very different world from the one we inherited from our Pleistocene forebears

Anthropogenic Influence on Planet Earth

Photo (1929) of New York City (previously Temperate Deciduous Forest) from Wikimedia Commons

“Perhaps it’s my natural pessimism, but it seems that an awfully large part of travel these days is to see things while you still can.”

Anthropogenic Influence on Planet Earth

Quote from Bryson (2001, pg. 279) In a Sunburned Country; photo of polar bear from Wikimedia Commons