lecture 14
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What is an ecological niche?
Conditions and resources species need to live It defines the role and position a species has in its environment.
Define the Hutchinsonian niche
• shows the range of environmental condition where species can grow, reproduce and grow • the center is optimal condition • as you move away from the center, its less optimal It is represented as an N-dimensional hypervolume including everything a species needs.
What causes seasons on Earth?
Earth’s tilt This results in varying angles of sunlight, affecting temperature.
how do hadley cells work
• Hadley cells make the places near the equator rainy • Sun shines down on the equator so its hot at the equator • The hot air rises up and it cools as it gets higher in the sky (higher you go, the colder) • As it cools, it makes clouds and rain and this is where rainforest are • It moves away from the equator because the hot air pushes them away • The cool air sinks down again and as it gets closer to the earth’s surface, it heats up again so when they are down on earth, they are dry air masses where deserts are Hot air rises at the equator, cools, and creates clouds and rain.
What is the intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
Where the 2 Hadley cells meet Its movement generates seasons and rainfall in the tropics.
what does temperature depend on
the latitude - latitude is how close or far a place is from the equator
closer you are to the equator/lower latitude
its hotter
farther away you are from equator/higher latitude
its colder
at lower latitude, what are seasons caused by
rainfalls (dry and wet seasons)
at higher latitude, what are seasons caused by
change in temperature
what does the turning of the hadley cells create
• sets up the ferrel cells in the opposite direction • the turning of the ferrel cell also sets up polar cells, same direction as polar and opposite from ferrel
movement of the ITCZ
• changes throughout the year • more the ITCZ moves, more distinct wet and dry seasons
america and ITCZ
• doesnt move much in the americas so it doesnt have that many dry and wet seasons • doesnt move much because theres less land
asia and ITCZ
• moves more in asia so more defined dry and wet seasons • moves more in asia because theres more land
when the ITCZ is ahead
it creates rainy seasons
when the ITCZ is behind
it creates dry seasons
Coriolis effect
• air masses near the equator moves faster • as air masses move away from the equator, it moves in a curved direction
climate and plant growth
• vegetation and their height increases with temperature and moisture
near cold ocean currents:
cold ocean currents = less rain = creates deserts
near warm ocean currents
warm ocean currents = more rain = creates rainforests
temperature variation
• temperature varies more in the north than in the south