Substances with which ecosystems have had no prior experience, so adaptive mechanisms that might deal with them are not in place

• Compounds of chlorine, flourine, and carbon
• Absorb UV light and give up 1 chlorine atom
• Cl reacts with ozone and makes O and ClO
• ClO reacts with free O to release another chlorine atom

• A layer of cool, dense air is trapped under a layer of warm air
• Creates smog

Nitrogen and sulfur compounds in the atmosphere combine with water vapor and fall to the earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or fog

• A dry region of little rainfall on the leeward side of mountains
• Air flows over mountain and starts its descent, it warms up
• Warm air can hold more water, so it retains moisture and draws more out of plants and soil

A large region of land characterized by habitat conditions community structure, and endemic species

• Precipitation - less than 10cm of rain per year
• Soil - sandy soil, low in nutrients and very little topsoil
• Plants - succulent plants that have needle shaped leaves
• Animals - snakes, lizards, spiders, roadrunner
• Temperature - humidity is low, suns rays penetrate and heat the groung quickly so its hot during the day and cold at night
• Plants are adapted to growing, flowering and producing seed quick
• Plants are deep rooted
• Found at latitudes about 30° N and S
• Desertification

Dry Shrublands and Woodlands

(Chaparral)

• Percipitation - 25-60cm of rain per year
• Soil - low in nutrients and highly acidic
• Plants - hardened tough evergreen
• Animals - coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions
• Temperature - hot dry summers with periodic fires and cool moist winters
• Found at latitudes between 30° - 40°
• Western or southern coastal region

Precipitation - 25-100cm of rain per year

Soil - very rich in nutrients and deep layer of topsoil

Plants - tall and short grasses and small plants

Animals - bison, wolves, prairie dogs, foxes

Temperature - warm summers and very cold winters

Found in the interior of continents

Also called prairies, steppes, pampas and savannahs

Not enough rain to support trees

• Percipitation - 30-50cm of rain per year
• Soil - compact soil
• Plants - grasses and scattered trees
• Animals - elephants, lions, giraffe
• Temperature - warm year round 24-29°C

• Precipitation - 200-400cm of rainfall per year
• Soil - low in nutrients
• Plants - broad-leaved evergreen trees, ferns, large woody vines and climbing plants, orchids
• Animals - birds, snakes, monkeys, frogs, ants
• Temperature - warm year round 25-29°C
• Located near equator
• One small acre may support 100 species of plants
• Species live at various levels
• Contains more species of organisms than anywhere else

• Precipitation - 70-200cm of rain per year
• Soil - moist and moderate nutrient levels
• Plants - birch, maple, oak, elms, willows
• Animals - deer, foxes, raccoons, squirrels
• Temperature - warm during the summer and cold in the winter
• Trees that lose their leaves annually
• 1/4 of bird species

Coniferous Forest

(Taiga)

• Precipitation - 30-70cm of rain per year, frequent droughts
• Soil - low in nutrients and highly acidic
• Plants - cone bearing trees, pine, fir, spruce
• Animals - moose, bears
• Temperature - warm during the summer and cold in the winter
• Needle shape leaves is adaptation for water loss
• Lies south of the tundra

• Precipitation - 20-60cm of rainfall a year
• Soil - thin moist and nutrient poor
• Plants - mossesm lichens, grasses that survive in soggy soil
• Animals - caribou, reindeer, artic fox
• Temperature - cool in summer and freezing in winter
• Permaforst - permanently frozen ground
• Treeless land
• Long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight

1.  Littoral

2.  Limnetic

3.  Profundal

• Zone of a lake
• All around the shore
• Diversity is greatest
• Water is shallow and well lit

• Zone of a lake
• Open water
• Sunlit water that extends to where photosynthesis takes place

• Zone of a lake
• Open water
• Below depth of photosynthesis
• Bacterial decomposers

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) from the surface moves to deep water and nutrients released by decomposition moves to surface

Upper laye cools becomes denser then sinks.  Dissolved oxygen (DO) moves down and nutrients move up

Nutrient rich and oxygen poor

High rate of primary productivity

1.  Intertidal Zone

2.  Benthic Zone

3.  Pelagic Zone

• Zone of an ocean
• Portion of the shoreline between the high and low tides

• Zone of an ocean
• Includes all sediments and rocks of the ocean bottom
• Starts at continental shelf and extends out

• Zone of an ocean
• Full volume of ocean water
• Divided into 2 zones: neritic and oceanic

• Zone of the Pelagic zone
• All water above continental shelf

• Zone of the Pelagic zone
• Water of the ocean basins past the continental shelf
• Includes photic and aphotic zone
• Most of the photosynthetic activity on earth

• Tree that grows on tropical coasts
• Have propping roots
• Good filter for pollutants