Introduction
The earth is divided climatically and geographically into specific areas where there are similarities in communities of vegetation, organisms and animals. These ecosystems are often referred to as biomes. Differences in biomes usually consists of identifiable plant structures where there is a specific pattern of ecological activity. Biomes are also major types of habitats for different types of organisms and animals.
The following paper will explore two different biomes: Boreal Forest and the Tropical Rainforest. An examination of these two biomes will provide an understanding of how these biomes exists and the various types and forms of processes that acted on it and are acting on it both biologically and through abiotic factors.
Boreal Forest
Named after Boreas, the Greek God of the North Wind, the Boreal Forest Circles the northern globe like an emerald halo. At 1.2 billion acres, Canada’s intact boreal forest stretches from coast to coast and it is the largest intact forest ecosystem remaining on earth (Kurz, Stinson & Rampley, 2008). This unique and protected mosaic of interconnected habitat includes lakes, river valleys, wetlands, peatlands and tundra, at its northern regions (Kurz, Stinson & Rampley, 2008). Its rich soils and permafrost store twice as much carbon per acre as tropical rainforests and are critical in the fight against global warming (Preston, Bhatti, Flanagan & Norris, 2006).
At a time when fresh water supplies are diminishing around the globe, the vast reserves in Canada’s boreal are increasingly important to protect. Wetlands make up nearly one third of the Canadian boreal, an estimated 1.5 million lakes and some of the country’s largest river systems (Soja, et al., 2007). Canada’s largest rive...
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...ainforest, the orangutan finds a home in the tress because of the optimal temperatures offered by the climate and fruits they need for their diet (Bush, Flenley & Gosling, 2007). Finally, the jaguar, which is native to Central American, has become synonymous with the Amazon Rainforest. It has made its home in the forest and hunts for prey during the night (Bush, Flenley & Gosling, 2007).
Conclusion
The Boreal Forest and Tropical Rainforest are two important and crucial biomes on the planet. They are a necessary part of an ecosystem that sustains plant and animal life. In understanding these biomes, it helps researchers and the public become more aware of the delicate balance needed for their continued survival and also, their protection from increasing anthropogenic activities. Given the global impact of these biomes, it is important to understand as much as we can.
Canada is a very large country, with areas of land in various climate regions, and land regions, thus having many ecozones that differentiate from another. The most populated ecozone in Canada is the Mixedwood Plains; the ecozone we are located in, named after the mixedwood forests that are native to the area. The Mixedwood Plains is one of the smallest of the Canadian ecozones, spanning only 175 963 kilometres squared. The Mixedwood Plains is bordered by three of the great lakes on the southern side of the ecozone, and comes up along the St Lawrence river to southern Quebec, and fills the tip of Ontario. It has rolling plains and small rock formations and escarpments. The Mixedwood Plains contains over half of the Canadian population as it contains some of Canada’s largest cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Windsor. The Mixedwood Plains has a relatively temperate climate with summers ranging an average temperature of 18o c – 22oc and winters ranging from -3oc - -110c.[2] Native mammals to the ecozone are black, brown and grizzly bears, grey wolves, coyotes and foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and other small mammals. Avian species include brown sparrow, hawks, crows, cardinals and bluejays. Fish are bass, trout, carp and pike. The Mixedwood Plains is made up of about 40% water, and contains over 20% of the worlds freshwater. One of the major problems in the world today is freshwater shortage. Because we have ample supply, we don’t notice, but much of the world is short on water. There are more water resources, but one of the largest is being quickly polluted and populated by invasive species .
We don’t often stop to consider the impact that simply living our human lives has on the other species that once called our neighbourhoods their home. The Fraser Valley, “one of the most important and complex ecosystems in the country” (Thom, p. 171), has been dramatically altered to make a more convenient landscape for housing and farming. In this process, critical habitat has been destroyed and many species that were once abundant have disappeared from our area (Cuthbert p. 24). Urbanization is ongoing and is thought to be the most significant threat to the incredible biodiversity found throughout British Columbia, and particularly the population-dense Lower Mainland (Harding, p. 355). Biodiversity, the “complex web that sustains life on this planet” (Austin, et al., p. 5), is vital for our survival as humans (Cuthbert p. 74). Any loss of biodiversity affects the entire ecosystem and all organisms within it (Fetene et al., p. 52). In the quest to house the ever-expanding human population, we must also consider habitat conservation and seek to preserve the rich biodiversity found in the Fraser Valley that supports and enriches our lives.
Woodward, S.L. "Boreal Forest (Taiga)." Biomes of the World. N.p., 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Ecosystems are a system involving the interactions between a community of living organisms in a particular area and its nonliving environment. In the tropical forest there are many living and nonliving organisms that interactive for the daily growth and life in the forest. Tropical forest’s cover about seven percent’s of the earth and contains approximately fifty percent of the worlds’ species. Tropical rain forest is and interesting ecosystem, it contains different and a wide variety of species. All the species interact with one another to help sustain way of life.
The Boreal Shield is Canada’s largest ecosystem, and accounts for around 20% of the country’s total land area. At a total of 1.8 million kilometres squared, it is almost as big as Canada’s largest territory (Nunavut-1.9 million kilometres squared), and stretches from Saskatchewan in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east. The Boreal Shield gets its name from the fact that it is part of the immense Canadian Shield, and that the majority of the surface is covered in Boreal forests. The intersection of these two enormous areas has resulted in the creation of the ecozone that many people think of when they imagine Canada.
The Boreal Forest is a lot different than Tundra. It is also called as “Taiga”, and the largest biome in Canada. The Bo...
The ecosystem I have chosen is tropical rainforest. In the following paragraphs, I am going to firstly introduced the structure of tropical rainforest in brief, with the second part of the plant ecology and last the diversity within this ecosystem.
Forest biomes are the most complex ecologic systems in the world, and they cover 1/3 of the land on earth. There are three major types of forest biomes: tropical forests, temperate forests, and boreal forests. The average temperature in tropical forest is around 22° C the year; the temperature in temperate forests varies from -30° C to 30° C; the temperature in boreal forests is very low, there are long winters with average temperature below 0° C. Various trees, vegetation, insects, and mammals can be found in the forest biomes, hence it is easier to survive in tropical and temperate forest biomes.
The monumentous Mackenzie River flows approximately 3oo cubic kilometer of freshwater from Canada’s Northwest Territories and to the Arctic Ocean annually. This river is a part of a basin with tributaries, other rivers, and forests; it is considered to be a climate stabilizer. It is only a significant, intricate member of a network made entirely of other small rivers that run across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Freshwater cycles through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (aka the CAA) and ends up being distributed into the North Atlantic. Essentially, the Mackenzie River is a basin full of permafrost; it is very centered on the cold temperatures. This is a very risky business. As temperatures continue to rise, the permafrost and glaciers around
Tropical rainforests which is located between tropic of Capricorn and tropic of Cancer covered 12% of land surface few thousand years ago. However, today they o...
There are many types of biomes and there is also a good variety of ways to their classification. Rainforest, grassland, marine system, and freshwater system
Thesis: Forests provide the earth with a regulated climate, strong biodiversity, and good nutrient rich soil for plants to strive on.
Biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of flora and fauna across the earth’s landscapes. Biogeography is actually a subset of biology, however physical geographers have made many contributions to the discipline making it a part of Geography as well. The study of biogeography divides the earth’s surface into regions called biomes based on the composition of flora and fauna as a result of current and historical causes. These causes are brought about through evolutionary processes that gave birth to different species and genus, past and current climates and geographic characteristics that would have impacted the movement of flora and fauna (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016). These factors generated distinct differences
A biome, also known as life zones, consists of all plants, animals, and other organisms, as well the physical environment in a particular area. A biome is characterized by its’ plant life, climate, and location. The climate and physical features determine the boundaries of a biome. A biome is made up of many different ecosystems. The ecosystems tend to have the same pants and animals as neighboring biomes around the boundaries. The major biomes are the tundra, taiga, tropical rain forest, temperate forests, desert, grassland, savanna, chaparral, and marine. Each biome has it’s own characteristics such as the tundra.
Tropical rainforests have many species of plants and animals. They are very interesting and many scientists today study it. Rainforests are an important part of our environment and it is important for us to protect it. That’s why we have to stop global warming.