WORKSHEET: THE BIOSPHERE

KEY

1. Global Air Circulation Patterns

A. Climate and Temperature Zones
1. Climate means average weather conditions, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed,
cloud cover, and rainfall, over time.
a. Ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by ozone and oxygen in the upper atmosphere.
b. Clouds, dust, and water vapor in the atmosphere absorb and reflect solar
radiation.
c. Radiation warms the earth’s surface and generates heat that drives the earth’s
weather systems.
2. The sun differentially heats equatorial and polar regions, creating the world’s major
temperature zones.
a. Warm equatorial air rises, cools, releases its moisture, and spreads northward
and southward where it descends at 30o latitudes as very dry air (results in deserts).
b. The air is warmed again and ascends at 60o latitudes; as it moves toward the
poles, regional areas receive varying amounts of rainfall that in turn influence
ecosystems.
3. Seasonal variations in climate result from the earth’s revolution around the sun.
a. The amount of solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface changes in the
Northern and Southern hemispheres; this results in seasonal changes in climate.
b. In temperate regions, organisms respond most to changes in day length and
temperature; in deserts and tropical regions, they respond more to seasonal changes in
rainfall.
4. Latitudinal and seasonal variations in solar heating cause ocean water to warm and cool
on a vast scale.
a. Surface waters tend to move from the equator to the poles, warming the air
above.
b. Currents form because of the earth’s rotation, winds, variations in temperature,
and distribution of land masses.
c. Immense circular water movements in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans influence
the distribution of ecosystems.
B. Harnessing the Sun and Wind
1. Solar-hydrogen energy is an attractive technology because it depends on a renewable
energy source—the sun.

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 2. Photovoltaic cells produce an electric current that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen
gas, which can be used directly as fuel or to produce electricity.
3. Where winds travel faster than 7.5 meters per second, wind turbines are cost-effective
producers of electricity.
4. Because winds do not blow on a regular schedule, wind turbines cannot be the exclusive
source of energy.

2. Air Circulation Patterns and Human Affairs

A. A Fence of Wind, and Ozone Thinning
1. Ozone in the lower stratosphere absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
a. Seasonal ozone thinning occurs over Antarctica.
b. With less ozone, more UV radiation reaches the earth causing more skin cancers,
cataracts, and weakened immune systems.
2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) seem to be the cause—one chlorine atom can convert 10,000
ozone molecules to oxygen.
a. Winds rotate around the poles for most of the winter like a dynamic fence.
b. Chlorine molecules are split apart on “platforms” of ice crystals in fenced-in
clouds.
B. No Wind, Lots of Pollutants, and Smog
1. Thermal inversions can trap pollutants close to the ground.
2. Industrial smog is gray air found in industrial cities that burn fossil fuel.
3. Photochemical smog is brown air found in large cities in warm climates; the key culprit is
nitric oxide.
C. Winds and Acid Rain
1. Burning coal in power plants produces sulfur dioxides.
2. Burning fossil fuels and using nitrogen-rich fertilizers result in nitrogen oxides.
3. Tiny particles of these oxides can fall to the earth in two forms: dry acid deposition or
acid rain.

3. The Ocean, Landforms, and Climates

A. Ocean Currents and Their Effects
1. Ocean water covers almost three-fourths of the earth’s surface.
2. Latitudinal and seasonal variations in solar heating cause ocean water to warm and cool
on a vast scale.
a. Surface waters tend to move from the equator to the poles, warming the air
above.
b. Currents form because of the earth’s rotation, winds, variations in temperature,
and distribution of land masses.
3. Immense circular water movements in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans influence climate
zones and the distribution of ecosystems.
B. Rain Shadows and Monsoons
1. Topography refers to physical features of a region, such as elevation.
2. Mountains, valleys, and other features influence regional climates.
a. The mountains of the western United States cause the winds from the ocean to
rise, cool, and lose their moisture.
b. As the winds descend on the leeward (eastern) slopes, they are devoid of
moisture, causing a rain shadow effect.

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 c. Monsoon rains occur when warm winds pick up ocean moisture and release it
over the cooler landmasses of Asia and Africa.

4. Realms of Biodiversity
A. Plants and animals show a great diversity from one global region to another.
1. Climatic factors determine patterns of vegetation and why unrelated species may have
similar adaptations.
2. Biogeography is the study of the global distribution of species.
B. The earth’s surface has been divided into regions for easier study.
1. Biogeographic realms are very broad land regions with characteristic types of plants and
animals; there are six of these.
2. Biomes are large vegetational subdivisions including all animals and other organisms.
a. Biome distribution corresponds with climate, topography, and soil type.
b. The form of the dominant plants tells us something of the weather conditions.
3. Hot spots and ecoregions are portions of biomes that are vulnerable to species losses and
possible extinction.

5. Moisture-Challenged Biomes
A. Deserts, Natural and Man-Made
1.Most deserts lie between 30o north and south latitudes.
a. Annual rainfall is less than 10 centimeters.
b. Vegetation is scarce, but there is some diversity; day/night temperatures
fluctuate widely.
2. Desertification is the conversion of grasslands and croplands to desert-like conditions.
a. The term also applies when agricultural productivity drops by ten percent or
more.
b. At least 200,000 square kilometers are being converted annually.
c. Large-scale desertification is caused by overgrazing of cattle (nonnative) on
marginal lands.
B. Dry Shrublands, Dry Woodlands, and Grasslands
1. Dry shrublands prevail when rainfall is less than 25–60 cm (for example, the highly
flammable California chaparral).
a. The climate is semiarid.
b. Rains occur during mild winter months; summers are long, hot, and dry; and
dominant plants have tough, evergreen leaves.
2. Dry woodlands occur when rainfall is about 40–100 cm; there are trees but not in dense
forests.
3. Grasslands sweep across much of the interior of continents, in the zones between deserts
and temperate forests.
a. Characteristics include: flat or rolling land, high rates of evaporation, limited
rainfall, grazing and burrowing animals, and few forests.
b. There are two basic types in North America.
1) Shortgrass prairie of the American Midwest is typified by short, drought-resistant
grasses that have been replaced by grains that require irrigation.
2) Tallgrass prairie was originally found in the American West where water was
more plentiful.
c. The African savannas are hot, dry and bear small bushes among the grass.

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6. More Rain, More Trees
A. Broadleaf Forests
1. Evergreen broadleaf forests occur between 20o N and S latitude.
a. Most typical is the tropical rain forest where temperatures, rainfall, and humidity
are all high.
b. Plant growth is luxuriant, with competing vines; there is incredible animal
diversity.
2. Deciduous broadleaf forests are common at temperate latitudes.
a. In the tropical deciduous forest, many trees drop some or all of their leaves during
the pronounced dry season.
b. In the temperate deciduous forests of North America, conditions of temperature and
rainfall do not favor rapid decomposition; thus, nutrients are conserved to provide fertile
soil.
B. Coniferous Forests
1. The typical “tree” in these forests is some variety of evergreen cone-bearer with
needlelike leaves.
2. These forests are found in widely divergent geographic areas.
a. Boreal forests (or taiga) are found in the cool to cold northern regions of North
America, Europe, and Asia; spruce and balsam fir are dominant.
b. Montane coniferous forests extend southward through the great mountain ranges;
fir and pine dominate.
c. Southern pine forests grow in the sandy soil of several Atlantic and Gulf coast
states.

7. Brief Summers and Long, Icy Winters

A. Arctic tundra lies to the north of the boreal forests; it is a vast treeless plain, very cold, with
low moisture; it is characterized by permafrost, which prevents growth of large trees.
B. Alpine tundra occurs at high elevations in mountains throughout the world.

8. Don’t Forget the Soils

A. Soil is a mixture of rock, mineral ions, and organic matter.
1. The size of the rock can range from gravel to sand, silt, and clay.
2. The organic matter, in variable stages of decomposition, is called humus.
B. Soil profiles are defined by the composition of soil from the surface downward.
1. Topsoil has the most humus and is the most vulnerable to weathering.
2. Loam topsoils have the best mix of sand, silt, and clay for agriculture.

9. Freshwater Provinces
A. Lake Ecosystems
1. A lake is a body of standing freshwater produced by geologic processes, as when an
advancing glacier carves a basin in the earth.
a. The littoral zone extends from the shore to where rooted plants stop growing.
b. The limnetic zone includes open, sunlit waters beyond the littoral to a depth
where photosynthesis is no longer significant; plankton life is abundant.
c. The profundal zone is the deep, open water below the depth of light penetration;
detritus sinks from the limnetic and is acted upon by decomposers.

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 2. Seasonal Changes in Lakes
a. In temperate regions, lakes undergo changes in density and temperature.
b. In winter, ice (less dense) forms on the surface over water that is warmer, much
of it at 4o C (greatest density), and heavier.
c. During the spring overturn, warming and winds cause oxygen to be carried
downward and nutrients to the surface.
d. By midsummer, a thermocline between the upper warmer layers and lower cooler
layers prevents vertical warming.
e. During autumn, the upper layers cool and sink causing a fall overturn.
3. Trophic Nature of Lakes
a. Glaciers carve out basins, which become filled with water to form lakes.
b. Interactions of soils, basin shape, and climate produce a continuum of trophic
structure.
c. Oligotrophic lakes are deep, nutrient-poor, and low in primary productivity.
d. Eutrophic lakes are shallow and nutrient-rich often due to agricultural and urban
runoff wastes.
B. Stream Ecosystems
1. Streams start out as freshwater springs or seeps.
2. Three kinds of habitats form along a continuum from head waters to river’s end.
a. Riffles are shallow, turbulent stretches where water flows swiftly over sand and
rock.
b. In pools, deep water flows slowly over a smooth, sandy or muddy bottom.
c. Runs are fast-flowing waters with a smooth surface and a bottom of bedrock or
rock and sand.
3. Several factors affect streams.
a. Average flow and temperature are influenced by geography, altitude, and forest
shade.
b. Volume and temperature vary with rainfall, snow melt, drought, and the
seasons.
c. Chemistry and pollution of the water depend on materials leached into, or added
to, the stream.
d. Streams erode their valleys and participate in cycles of erosion and redeposition
of sediments and nutrients.

10. Life at Land’s End

A. Wetlands and the Intertidal Zone
1. Estuaries are partially enclosed regions where fresh and saltwater meet.
a. Estuaries are incredibly productive feeding and breeding grounds for many
animals.
b. Many estuaries are declining because of upstream diversion of the freshwater
that is necessary for their maintenance.
2. “Mangrove” refers to forests in sheltered regions along tropical coasts.
a. Ocean waves cannot reach these regions, so anaerobic sediments and mud
accumulate.
b. Salt-tolerant plants with shallow, spreading roots abound here.
c. The net primary productivity of mangrove wetlands depends on the volume and
flow rate of the water moving in and out with the tides.

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 B. Rocky and Sandy Coastlines
1. The inhabitants of the intertidal-zone are alternately exposed and submerged; existence is
difficult.
2. Rocky shores have three vertically arranged zones.
a. The upper littoral is submerged only during the highest possible lunar tide; it is
sparsely populated.
b. The mid-littoral is submerged during the regular tide and exposed at the lowest
tide of the day.
c. The lower littoral is exposed only during the lowest lunar tide.
3. Sandy and muddy shores are rather unstable stretches of loose sediments; detrital food
webs occur; and invertebrates are plentiful.
C. Coral Reefs
1. Coral reefs are wave-resistant formations that consist of accumulated remains of marine
organisms.
2. Corals, dinoflagellates, fishes, algae, and any many other organisms live in a delicate
balance.

11. Coral Bleaching

A. Coral reefs are vast underwater complexes.
1. Dinoflagellates live in the coral polyps, providing oxygen and recycling of nutrients.
2. When corals are stressed, however, they expel their symbionts.
B. When corals die, only the hardened chambers remain.
1. This is called coral bleaching.
2. It is on the rise all over the world, partly due to higher sea surface temperatures.

12. The Open Ocean

A. The world ocean has two vast provinces.
1. The benthic province includes all the sediments and rocky formations of the ocean bottom;
its zones begin with the continental shelf and extend downward to the deep-sea trenches.
2. The pelagic province includes the entire volume of ocean water and is subdivided into two
zones.
a. The neritic zone constitutes the relatively shallow water overlying the continental
shelves.
b. The oceanic zone is the water over the ocean basins; photosynthetic activity is
restricted to the surface; and deeper food webs are dependent on marine snow—bits of
organic matter that float downward.
B. Surprising Diversity
1. Phytoplankton are the beginning of ocean food webs.
a. Organic remains and wastes enter the detrital webs.
b. As much as 70 percent of the productivity may be from microscopic
ultraplankton.
2. Deeper ocean is too dark for photosynthesis.
a. There, food webs start with marine snow, tiny bits of organic matter that drift
down from communities above.
b. Also, a number of species migrate upward to feed at night and move to the lower
depths the next day.
3. Hydrothermal vent ecosystems occur on the ocean floor.

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 a. Here, very cold water at the ocean bottom seeps into fissures, is heated, and then
spewed forth mixed with minerals.
b. Chemoautotrophic bacteria provide the starting point for complex communities
of tube worms, crustaceans, clams, and fishes.
C. Upwelling and Downwelling
1. Upwelling is the upward movement of deep, nutrient-rich water along the margins of
continents.
a. Under the influence of northern winds and the earth’s rotation, water along the
western coasts of the Northern Hemisphere move westward where cold, deep water
moves in vertically to replace it.
b. At places where currents stir the ocean water and circulate nutrients, primary
productivity increases.
2. Every three to seven years, the warm surface waters of the western equatorial Pacific
move eastward to the coasts of South and Central America to cause “downwelling”—a
phenomenon known as El Niño, which can affect weather patterns over land.

13. Applying Knowledge of the Biosphere

A. An El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is defined as changes in sea surface temperatures
and in the air circulation patterns in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.
1. Between ENSOs, the warm waters and heavy rains move westward; during an ENSO,
prevailing winds “drag” surface waters eastward.
2. This results in global repercussions on weather.
B. The 1997–1998 El Niño episode caused a huge decrease in the populations of ocean
photosynthesizers.
1. At the same time, the number of cases of cholera in Peru increased dramatically.
2. But where was the bacterial cause, Vibrio cholerae, reservoired between outbreaks?
3. Rita Colwell discovered the answer: copepods, tiny crustaceans that live on
phytoplankton, which increase/decrease with the warming/cooling of the ocean water.

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