More Intriguing Biome Information!
Yash Reddy, Katherine Roy, Jackson Beasley
Data Analysis For Biomes
Two of the most important characteristics of a biome are its temperature and precipitation, which will be analyzed. In tropical rainforests, there is high temperature and high precipitation year-round, as the average temperature is 25 C while the average precipitation is 300 mm. Tropical grasslands/savannas have slight temperature drops and drastic precipitation drops during the months from may to August. These changes in the climate often makes it difficult for plants to grow during these months. Overall, however, the biome has moderately high temperature (25 C) and precipitation (300 mm). Deserts are colder in winter months with temperatures around 10 C, but are much higher in summer months with temperatures around 35 C. Throughout the year, deserts are very dry. Therefore, only certain species of plants can grow effectively within the biome. Temperate grasslands have below freezing temperatures (-10 C) and moderate precipitation (20 mm) during the months of December to February. Both of these measurements increase during the months of June and July, as there is a temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius and a precipitation of about 120 mm. Temperate deciduous forests also have below freezing temperatures in the months of December to February (-10 C). In June and July, the temperature increases to about 20 C. In the winter, the precipitation is about 60 mm, and increases to a high of about 90 mm in June and July. Finally, the temperatures of the Tundra are below freezing from September to March with a low of -30 C during December and January. These temperatures gradually increase to a high of about 8 C in July. The precipitation patterns are extremely similar to the temperature patterns. There is a low precipitation in the winter months (10 mm) and a higher precipitation in July and August (30 mm). Ultimately, in all of the biomes, the precipitation and temperature patterns throughout the year are very similar; they experience increases and decreases during similar periods.
Link Between Ecosystem Stability, Succession, Diversity, and Human Activity
- Ecosystem stability is reached when the ecosystem has the ability to function without alterations even when stressed by any disturbances. This ability is called resistance. Additionally, ecosystem stability is reached when the ecosystem has the ability to recover from disturbances.
- Diverse ecosystems are created through succession. Also, ecosystem stability is a reasonable indicator of ecosystem diversity.
- Human activities such as farming, construction, mining, and burning can drastically decrease many species populations, which leads to decreased diversity.
- As habitats are destroyed by human actions, the resilience and stability of an ecosystem may also decrease.
Similarities and Differences Among Different Biomes
The structure and properties of sand, clay and loam soils, with reference to soil texture models + influence on primary productivity
Soil structure depends on:
Soil texture ( the amount of sand and clay )
dead organic matter
earthworm activity
For optimum structure, variety of pure sizes are required to allow root prevention, free drainage and water storage. Pore spaces over 0.1 mm allow roots growth, oxygen diffusion and water movement whereas pore spaces below 0.5 mm help store water.
Clay:
fertile in temperate locations
in tropical areas clay is permeable and easily penetrated by roots
nutrient deficient / easily leached in tropics
Different soil types have different levels of primary productivity:
sandy soil – low
clay soil – quite low
loam soil – high
Primary productivity of soil depends on:
mineral content
drainage
water-holding capacity
airspaces
biota
- potential to hold organic materials