LIFESCI 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Ecosystem Services, Biome, Plate Tectonics
Document Summary
Except for the asteroid 66 million years ago, environments are changing more right now that any time in the last 3. 5 billion years. Ecological organization: biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, individual. Ecosystem services: processes in which natural ecosystems help sustain human life. Natural history: description of the habits, behaviors, and interactions of organisms. Environmental science: study of the effects of human activities on the environment. Conservation biology: the science of maintaining and managing biodiversity. Determinants of species distribution (range: abiotic: organisms tend to be adapted so a speci c/limited range of physical conditions, biotic: interactions with other organisms. Niche: range of conditions a species can tolerate, range of resources it can use. Distribution of organisms is determined by present & past conditions: history matters. History and distribution: plate tectonics: gondwana distributions, formation of mountain ranges, large rivers, continental drift, fluctuations in climate, ocean currents and gyres, seasons. Climate patterns: coriolis effect causes wind patterns and ocean currents.
