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General trends of terrestrial
vegetation with climatic variables Vegetation growth (primary productivity)
increases with moistureand temperature
Vegetation stature also increases! !so regions with certain combinations of
moisture and temperature develop
predictable, characteristic types ofvegetation = biomes (study Scitable module)
Seasonality is secondarily important2
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Biome types depend on combination of
temperature and precipitation
From Krebs after R.H. Whittaker
Highest productivity
Lowest productivity
My examples from:
Central America,
Vietnam
Ontario
Colorado
Arizona
Compare version in DB
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Latitude mostlydetermine major terrestrial
biomes; learn DB classification
Deserts near 30 deg N & S
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Additional climate patchiness
overlaid on basic latitudinal belts Temperature: land changes temperature more readily
than water; maritime climates are moderate, continental
climates are extreme; oceans provide thermal inertia
Precipitation: where does atmosphere get laden withmoisture; where does it condense? Evaporation high from warm bodies of water, low from cold Prevailing winds Orogenic precipitation: air forced up mountainsides undergoes
adiabatic cooling, precipitates on upper windward slopes
Rain shadows created on leeward slopes of mountain ranges Seasonality of moisture also important
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Earths tilt (23.5 !" produces
seasonality
Ricklefs Fig. 4.2
Ricklefs Fig. 4.3
Latitudinal patternscomplicated by
distribution of
landmasses
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Where are grapes and cherries grown
in cold climates? Maritime pockets
Door Co.,Wisc.
Niagara& Pelee,
Ontario
North Fork,Long Island
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The driest deserts occur inland of cold-water
upwellings: cold water => dry air
Compare Ricklefs Fig. 4.8Copyright 2013, James Thomson
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Montane rain shadows: Sierras and Rockies
Yellow = grassland (drier), east of RockiesCopyright 2013, James Thomson
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Biomes across elevational gradient:
Arizona mountains
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South-facing side of
Round Mountain, western Colorado
11Valley floor = irrigated hay pasture
Dry sagebrush scrub
Forest only at higher elevations & eastern flank
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North-facing side of
Round Mountain, western Colorado
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Forest across entire face
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Mt. Lemmon transect, AZ: Elevation correlated
with both temperature and precipitation; change of
100 m in elevation equals ~ 150 km of latitude
More info: http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_i/san_pedro/ecoregions/desert_to_skyisland.htm
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Sonoran desert, 712 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Oak grassland, 1338 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Pinyon pine-oak woodland,
1612 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Ponderosa pine, 1916 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Aspen, 2402 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Spruce-fir forest, 2750 m
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Mt. Lemmon transect: Spruce-fir forest, 2750 m
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Core ideas in physiological ecology
Ranges of tolerance(Lecture 1) ultimately limitdistribution
Organisms are complex chemical reactions Reactions occur (enzymes function) best at
optimum temperature and osmotic conditions,
where fitness is maximized
Many mechanisms for homeostasishaveevolved to challenge hostile environments
Maintenance of homeostasis requires energyand is often limited by constraints & tradeoffs
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Two types of range: ranges of
tolerance and geographical ranges Animalsgeographical ranges often correspond to
biomes, i.e.,limited by climate and/or vegetation!
!but sometimes not. Possibilities include: Limited to special habitats (behavioural habitat
selection)
Limited by other organisms (enemies, friends) Transcend biomes (ecological versatility, super
generalists) Not at limits because of recenthistory(e.g.,
limited dispersal)
Next slides: a sample of rangesCopyright 2013, James Thomson
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Limited by habitat: Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana):
broad climate tolerance, narrow habitat range (short-
grass prairie biome, American High Plains)
South Park, Colorado April 2012
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www.ownbyphotography.com
Yellow-rumped warbler
Dendroica coronata
Kirtlands warbler
Dendroica kirtlandii
www.birds.cornell.edu/
Idiosyncratic, species-specific habitat selection behaviour cangreatly influence distributions
Extreme
habitatgeneralist
Paradoxically
extremehabitat
specialist
(cognitive
limitation?)
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Transcending
biomes: broad
temperaturetolerance,
broad habitat
rangeTropicalrainforest,
Sumatra
Boreal forest, Siberia
Tiger,
Panthera tigris
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Range limited not by climate or habitat type but by
other animals: recent coyote expansion due to
humans, extirpation of wolves?
Coyote,Canis latrans
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Animals, size, heat budgets
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Rufous hummingbird Merriam shrewCopyright 2013, James Thomson