Our Living
Planet
Chapter 15
Learning Goals
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I can describe the Earth’s climate and how
we are affected by the sun.
I can describe what causes different climate
zones.
I can describe what makes up an organisms
habitat and niche.
I can describe how ecosystems change over
time.
I can differentiate between the different
types of biomes throughout the world.
Climate
 Temperature
range, average annual
precipitation, humidity, and sunshine in an
area
 Major factor in the type of organisms that
can survive
 Affect the structure of food webs and
nutrient flows also
Climate
 Sun
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Earth is the only planet with temps
acceptable for life
 Atmosphere

acts as a thermostat
Regulating temps
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Molecules in atmosphere allow only certain amounts
of radiation to reach the Earth
Holds the heat in also

greenhouse effect
Climate Zones
 Created
by winds, ocean currents, Earth’s
tilt
 Variety of climates through out the Earth
 Vary from pole to pole and coast to coast
 Can also vary with in a small area
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Microclimates
 Varies
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in temperature on a very small scale
Example: temperature differences on
south side vs north side of a building.
Environments
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Ways to describe how and where an
organism lives
Ecosystem - Combination of biotic and
abiotic factors
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Abiotic Factors – physical environmental factors
Non-living
 Ie: soil type, soil acidity, availability of nutrients
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Biotic Factors – biological environmental factors
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All living things with which an organism might
interact
Ecosystem
A
combination of biotic and abiotic
factors that is home to a group of
organisms
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A collection of organisms interacting with
each other and with their physical
environments
Niche vs Habitat
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Niche
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Description of where an organism lives, what it
eats, etc.
Range of physical and biological conditions in
which an organism can survive
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How it rests, what preys on it, when and where it
eats, etc.
Habitat
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Type of surrounding in which a species lives and
thrives
Plant communities and abiotic factors
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Ie: Pine forest, wetland, etc
Environments and Life
 Organisms
everyday
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
interact with their environment
They leave behind wastes, use nutrients,
and require certain things
IE billions of years ago bacteria added the
oxygen that is currently found in the
atmosphere by processing CO2
 All
biotic factors in an environment can
have a profound effect on abiotic ones.
Changes in Ecosystems
 Ecological
Succession – transitions in species
composition in a certain area over time
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Primary succession – plants and animals gradually
invade a region that was lifeless
 Usually
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
bacteria, lichens, and mosses first
Secondary Succession – occurs after a disturbance.
Eventually reach climax community
 Fairly
stable community that does well in the ecosystem.
Terrestrial Biomes
 Based
Largely on
climate
Tundra
 Contain
permafrost – soil
that does not defrost in
the summer
 Bitterly cold
temperatures, little
annual rainfall
 Shallow topsoil, low
growth plants
Taiga
 Coniferous
trees
dominate
 Heavy snowfall in
winter
 Cold winters, mild
summers
Temperate Deciduous Forest
 MICHIGAN!!!
 Cold
winters, warm
summers,
experience all four
seasons
 Deciduous trees
 Can recover after
disturbance
 Moderate rainfall
Temperate Grasslands
 Seasonal
Drought,
occasional fires,
large grazing
mammals
 Experience all four
seasons
 Few large woody
plants
Chapparal
 Dense,
spiny
evergreen shrubs
 Mild rainy winters,
hot dry summers
 Adapted to
periodic fires
(California)
Savanna
 Dominant
Herbivores
are insects (termites,
etc)
 Scattered trees
 Rainy season, and long
dry season, not enough
water to support lots of
large plants
 Fire important
component
 Warm most of the year
 Large grazing animals
Desert
 Sparse
rainfall (less
than 30cm/year)
 Temperature can
vary
 Few plants,
organisms adapted
to little water
Tropical Rain Forest
 Pronounced
vertical
stratification
 Large Trees in
Canopy
 EXTREMELY diverse
 Warm all year, Lots
of rainfall