Distribution of Organisms (cont.):

Abiotic Factors - Consider Spatial Scale

1. Largest Spatial Scale - Climate: Global temp. moisture regimes

           Temperature

           a. Suns energy

           b. Higher latitude higher less energy/unit area

           c. Total annual insolation 40% less at poles; equator

           d. Temperature differentials control atm. circulation & rainfall

           e. Land/sea control climate extremes

2. Interaction of both temp. & climate critical ecology terr. org.

           i.  Land animals particularly sensitive

           ii. Humidity controls water loss �skin, lungs

           iii. All animals require water excretory system

           iv. Plants effected water in air & soil (nutrient uptake-turgor)

           v. Cells are 85-90% water

           vi. Needed for life itself � exploration other planets focus water

3.  Moisture-Precipitation

           a. Hydrologic cycle

           b. High vs Low Pressure Systems drives Precipitation - Latitude

           c. Warm vs Cold Ocean currents influence Rainfall

d. Global patterns

4. Precipitation counterbalanced by ET (climate diagrams)

           a. Evapotranspiration

           b. ET primarily controlled by temperature

           c. > imp. relationship b/t ET & precip.

           d. Potential ET

5. Physiological Ecology � Tolerance organisms temp & moisture regimes

           a. Two options:

                       i.  Tolerate extremes (acclimate physiologically)

                       ii. Escape via evolutionary adaptation

           b. Effect survival, reproduction, development, interaction org.

                       i. Shelford�s - Law of Tolerance

6. Warm blooded animals limited : Energetics & food availability

a. Example: Contour map Eastern phoebe

7. Terrestrial plants deal with both temperature & moisture extremes

a. Several adaptations moisture loss: Xerophytes

b. efficient water uptake roots

c. reduction water loss stomatal closure

d. reduction water loss small leaves

e. storage of water (succulent-cacti)

f. orient leaves vertically

8. Temp./Moisture gradients - Treelines, Marine communities

9. Tolerance of species not uniform

           a. Individual adaptations

           b. Ecotype: genetic var. w/in sp.

           c. Ecological genetics- Phenotypic vs genotypic components of var.

10. Climate Change - Adaptation important

           a. Investigate effects plant distribution modeling;  Paleoecology