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Ch. 34 The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments
Taylor - Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections 10th Edition
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 34, Problem 19

In the climograph below, biomes are plotted by their range of annual mean temperature and annual mean precipitation. Identify the following biomes:
Arctic tundra
Coniferous forest
Desert, grassland
Temperate forest,
Tropical forest.
Explain why there are areas in which biomes overlap on this graph.
Climograph showing biomes by mean temperature and precipitation: tundra, forest, desert, grassland.

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1
Examine the climograph provided. Each labeled region (a, b, c, d, e, f) represents a biome based on its range of mean annual temperature (°C) and mean annual precipitation (cm). Identify the biomes by matching their environmental conditions to the graph.
Label 'a' corresponds to the desert biome, characterized by low precipitation (less than 100 cm annually) and high temperatures (up to 30°C). Deserts are typically dry and hot.
Label 'b' corresponds to the grassland biome, which has moderate precipitation (around 100-200 cm annually) and temperatures ranging from 0°C to 30°C. Grasslands are found in regions with seasonal rainfall.
Label 'c' corresponds to the tropical forest biome, which experiences high precipitation (300-400 cm annually) and warm temperatures (above 20°C). Tropical forests are located near the equator and have consistent rainfall.
Biomes overlap on the graph because environmental conditions such as temperature and precipitation can vary within a biome, creating transitional zones. For example, grasslands may share characteristics with deserts or temperate forests depending on local climate variations.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Climograph

A climograph is a graphical representation that displays the relationship between temperature and precipitation in a specific area over a year. It helps in visualizing climate patterns and understanding how these factors influence the distribution of biomes. By plotting mean annual temperature against mean annual precipitation, climographs can illustrate the conditions that define different ecosystems.
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Terrestrial Biomes: Near Equator Example 1

Biome

A biome is a large ecological area on the Earth's surface, characterized by specific climate conditions, flora, and fauna. Examples include tundra, forests, deserts, and grasslands. Each biome has distinct temperature and precipitation ranges that support particular types of vegetation and animal life, which can be identified on a climograph based on their respective climatic conditions.
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Biome Overlap

Biome overlap occurs when different biomes share similar ranges of temperature and precipitation, leading to areas where their characteristics can blend. This can happen due to transitional zones, where environmental conditions are not strictly defined, allowing for a mix of species and ecosystems. Understanding this overlap is crucial for studying biodiversity and ecological interactions within these regions.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
What biome do you live in? Describe your climate and the factors that have produced that climate. What plants and animals are typical of this biome? If you live in an urban or agricultural area, how have human interventions changed the natural biome?
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Textbook Question

Use Figures 34.5C and 34.18 to predict how global warming (rapid increase in Earth's average temperature; see Module 7.14) might affect the water cycle.

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Textbook Question

Aquatic biomes differ in levels of light, nutrients, oxygen, and water movement. These abiotic factors influence the productivity and diversity of freshwater ecosystems.

a. Productivity, roughly defined as photosynthetic output, is high in estuaries, coral reefs, and shallow ponds. Describe the abiotic factors that contribute to high productivity in these ecosystems.

b. How does extra input of nitrogen and phosphorus (for instance, by fertilizer runoff) affect the productivity of lakes and ponds? Is this nutrient input beneficial for the ecosystem? Explain.

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Textbook Question

The North American pronghorn looks and acts like the antelopes of Africa. But the pronghorn is the only survivor of a family of mammals restricted to North America. Propose a hypothesis to explain how these widely separated animals came to be so much alike.

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Textbook Question

In 1954, workers at Michigan State University began spraying the elm trees on campus annually with DDT to kill disease-carrying bark beetles. In the spring of 1955, large numbers of dead robins were found on the campus. Observers thought perhaps the robins died after eating earthworms contaminated by DDT the previous spring. Suggest how scientists could have investigated the scientific validity of this idea.

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