BIOL 2200 Lecture Notes - Dimictic Lake, Upwelling, Intertidal Zone
Document Summary
Temperature and precipitation determine ranges of species and biomes. Whittaker and walter plots summarize climatic data. Plant geographers noticed areas with similar climates and similar looking plants, though often from unrelated families: cactaceae are leaf petioles and euphorb have stem spurs. Climate is the major determinant of plant distribution: the distribution of the sugar maple- this area has the temperature and precipitation regime that the species needs, other maple species have different ecological tolerances and their ranges differ. Hienrich walter"s biome classification was based on climate zones. Whittaker plotted temperature and precipitation data for each biome. Circulation pattern resulting from differential heating: warm moist air rises in the tropics- constant rain. Equator: convergence zone- constant down welling of cool dry air. Any moisture gets moved away to equator very quickly: areas between are variable. Earth"s rotation defects the surface flows in the hadley cells because of. Coreolis force: rotational speed of the earth is highest at the equator.
