Global Forest Biomes

Question 1

major forest biomes globally
distinguishing features of biomes
latitudinal gradients
biome composition and diversity
seasonality

Question 2

How many global terrestrial biomes are there?

Answer 2

14

Question 3

How many of the terrestrial biomes are forested?

Answer 3

8

Question 4

What defines a biome?

Answer 4

geography and biota

Question 5

What shapes a terrestrial biome?

Answer 5

climate and conditions (temperature, moisture, nutrients, nutrient cycling)

Question 6

How many ecoregions are the biomes subdivided into?

Answer 6

867

Question 7

T or F: biomes and ecoregions have distinct and clear boundaries

Answer 7

false! it’s usually more of a continuum/gradient

Question 8

What are 3 examples of non-forested biomes?

Answer 8

grassland
tundra
deserts

Question 9

What 3 biome types can forests be found in?

Answer 9

boreal
temperate
tropical

Question 10

What are the 2 major factors that influence and shape major vegetation communities and forest types globally?

Answer 10

mean annual temperature and precipitation

Question 11

What 4 factors influence the climate in a region?

Answer 11

latitude
elevation
continentality (coastal v interior)
ocean currents (moderate rainfall)

Question 12

On a local scale, what influences biomes?

Answer 12

geography
geology (parent rock)
soils
location (continentality, elevation, aspect)
historical disturbances (ex. glaciation, volcanoes, floods, fire, disease, forestry, urban development, climate change)

Question 13

Describe the global distribution of the MAT

Answer 13

a gradient from the equator, the warmest being at and around the equator and cools with increasing latitude toward the poles

Question 14

Describe the global distribution of the MAP

Answer 14

generally more near the equator but seasonality exists and
generally more along coast lines

Question 15

What are Whittaker’s 8 biomes?

Answer 15

TR = tropical rain forests
TD = tropical dry forests
AR = arid lands
ME = Mediterranean type
TG = temperate grasslands
TB = temperate broadleaf forests
CF = coniferous forests
AA = Arctic and Alpine (includes TU tundra and AL alpine)

Question 16

When looking at Whittaker’s biome diagram, which biome has highest MAT + MAP?

Answer 16

Tropical rainforests

Question 17

How does latitude influence climate?

Answer 17

the distance from the equator creates gradients of abiotic and biotic conditions (temp + ppt) and creates seasonality

Question 18

How does elevation influence climate?

Answer 18

increasing altitude from sea level creates changes in growing conditions and what biota can grow

temperature and seasonality can differ greatly at different altitudes

Question 19

How does continentality influence climate?

Answer 19

coastal vs inland temperatures and precipitation levels can vary greatly

ex. wet, moderate (little variation) in BC coastal forests vs. dry hot and very cold seasonality in south Okanagan

mountain rainshadows play a large role in this

generally, inland regions have more variability and coasts are more moderate

Question 20

How does ocean currents and temperature influence climate?

Answer 20

ocean currents moderate global weather patterns including ppt and temperature (Gulf Stream)

and can have a variable effect on weather depending on the El Nino or La Nina cycle

Question 21

What major components of a biome do precipitation and temperature act on?

Answer 21

composition
productivity
biodiversity

Question 22

What determines a forest type and extent of the forest?

Answer 22

seasonality of temperature and precipitation

Question 23

generally, how is species richness distributed globally?

Answer 23

a higher richness at equator with a decreasing gradients towards the poles

Question 24

Which biome is the most variable in terms of climate?

Answer 24

alpine

Question 25

where does the Tundra biome exist? what type of vegetation is here?

Answer 25

above 70d N very limited vegetation due to very short growing season and poor soils and slow decomposition rates = low productivity

Question 26

What type of plant families are found in the Tundra?

Answer 26

Ericaceae, Vacciniaceae, Cyperaceae, some trees

Question 27

What 2 distinct regions are included in coniferous forests?

Answer 27

Temperate coniferous and Boreal

Question 28

Where do coniferous forests exist?

Answer 28

50-70d N

Question 29

Which ecosystem types do coniferous forests border on?

Answer 29

tundrat at northern edge temperate grasslands at southern edge

Question 30

how much seasonality do coniferous forests experience?

Answer 30

temperate = moderate Boreal = lots of seasonality in temperature

Question 31

Why does the Boreal forest have lower biodiversity than the temperate coniferous?

Answer 31

Boreal forests may have peat formations (saturated soils) with low decomposition rates or frozen soils (permafrost)

Question 32

Which major factor is limiting in coniferous forests?

Answer 32

temperature

Question 33

What tree species are found in temperate broadleaf forests?

Answer 33

deciduous and some coniferous

Question 34

Which major factor is limiting in T broadleaf forests?

Answer 34

temperature

Question 35

Where do TBLFs exist?

Answer 35

40-50 d N and S

Question 36

How is plant biodiversity related to latitude? explain why

Answer 36

plant biodiversity decreases with increasing latitude latitudes away from the equator experience more seasonality and lower MAT and variations in precipitation = all these contribute to lower productivity

Question 37

How does animal biodiversity change with latitude? explain

Answer 37

richness and endemism decreases with increasing latitude for the same reason as plants, if there's lower PP then the region can't support as much diversity in higher trophic levels

Question 38

How does fungal biodiversity vary with latitude? explain

Answer 38

less studied, but appears to be influenced by ecological function and host species and different roles have different patterns of diversity

Question 39

Temperate vs tropical biomes: where would you expect to find more ectomycorrhizal fungi? why?

Answer 39

temperate because ectomycorrhizal fungi have associations with tree roots, and most commonly, conifers and temperate forests have higher diversity of conifers than tropical

Question 40

Temperate vs tropical biomes: where would you expect to find more endophytic fungi? why?

Answer 40

tropical because endophytic fungi have associations WITHIN plant tissues and tropical biomes have higher density and diversity of plants

Question 41

Temperate vs tropical biomes: where would you expect to find more saprophytic/decomposer fungi? why?

Answer 41

tropical because decomposition rates in tropical >>> temperate = for climatic reasons (warm, wet)

Question 42

Temperate vs tropical biomes: where would you expect to find more fungi from indoor air environments? why?

Answer 42

temperate = less clear why - maybe we spend more time inside because of colder climate?

Question 43

Define NPP

Answer 43

net primary productivity is the amount of carbon fixed from atmospheric CO2 (via photosynthesis) by plants minus the amount of carbon released by plants through respiration NPP = photosynthesis - plant respiration

Question 44

Describe the global trends of NPP

Answer 44

Higher rates of NPP around the equator and decreasing gradient with latitude

Question 45

Which biome has the highest estimated NPP? lowest?

Answer 45

highest = tropical evergreen forests lowest = desert/shrublands

Question 46

How does the seasonal variation in NPP in north temperate and boreal forests compare to that of tropical evergreen forests?

Answer 46

Temperate and boreal forests have peaks of NPP in northern hemisphere summers (April-August) tropical evergreen forests are relatively stable and then have dips in southern winters (April-August)

Question 47

What two major factors have an effect on the NPP of a system?

Answer 47

latitude and seasonality