An ecosystem is a specific area made up of a community and its abiotic factors. Biomes are a
little more general in nature. That is, you can speak of the Binghamton University Nature
Preserve as an ecosystem. This area, however, is only a part of the much larger Eastern
Deciduous Forest Biome, which is a subset of the Temperate Forest Biomes around the
world. All temperate forests have species that perform functions in similar ways and have
similar adaptations for dealing with their environment, even if the exact species are different
between areas. These functions, relationships, adaptations, etc. are likely different from those
found in another biome type (e.g., tropical rainforest or desert).
The biosphere is all the biomes put together. We must consider the biosphere while talking
about the different biomes because 1) that is the next level on the hierarchy and a functioning
biosphere is the emergent property of the collection of biomes and 2) all the biomes
contribute to the health of the planet. This last idea is what is referred to as Ecosystem
Services – beneficial alteration of the physical components of a system (ecosystem or
biosphere) by living organisms. Ecosystem services can be discussed at the ecosystem level,
or at the biosphere level.
At the ecosystem level, the activity of the organisms provides a benefit to the community. For
example, plants add to the quality of the atmosphere, soil, and water, all of which are needed
and used by the members of their communities. At the biosphere level, different biomes
promote healthy, stable life for the planet. Each biome contributes much in the same way, but
some do more of some services than others do. For example, large, dense tracts of tropical
rainforest contribute to global cooling by providing shade, water cycling
, (evapotranspiration), and by removing greenhouse gasses (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Ultimately, all biomes, regardless of how simple they may seem on the surface, are valuable,
and their preservation is mandatory if we wish to have a healthy planet on which to live.
B. Tropical Rainforest
1. Temperature varies little from month to month
o
2. Average 25-27 C
3. Annual rainfall 2,000-4,000 mm
4. Usually >100 mm per month
5. Where would you expect to find TRF?
Around the equator.
Little sunlight reaches the floor.
C. Savanna
1. Wet season for about half of year
2. Dry season for about half of year
3. Much drier than TRF
4. More variation in temperature than TRF
5. Where would you expect to find savanna?
23.5 degrees N and S latitude of the equator
D. Desert
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