Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees that are located in Africa, South America, and North Australia. Savannas are hot, tropical areas with temperatures averaging from 24oC –29oC (75o F –84o F) and an annual rainfall of 51–127 cm (20–50 in). Savannas have a long dry season and frequent fires. As a result, there are only …
The average winter temperature is 34 °C (29.2 °F) and the average summer temperature is 3 °C to 12 °C (37 °F to 52 °F). Arctic tundra plants have a short growing season of around 50 to 60 days. However, during this period there are almost 24 hours of daylight and plant growth is rapid. …
Chaparral (scrub forest) is situated in California, alongside the Mediterranean Sea, and on the south coast of Australia. Annual rainfall in this biome ranges from 65 cm to 75 cm (25.6 to 29.5 in), with most rain falling in winter. The summer is very dry and many plants are inactive in summer. The chaparral vegetation …
Temperate zone grasslands are found throughout central North America, where they are also known as prairies, and in Eurasia, where they are known as steppes. Temperate grasslands have large annual temperature variations with hot summers and cold winters. Annual temperature variations create specific growing seasons for plants. Plant growth is possible when temperatures are warm …
A food chain is a linear order of organisms in which nutrients and energy flow as one organism eats another. The food chain levels are producers, primary consumers, higher-level consumers, and finally decomposers. These levels are used to describe the structure and dynamics of the ecosystem. There is only one way through a food chain. …
In nature, many species live the same habitat but perform different functions. A “niche” describes the functional characteristics of a species in its habitat. While a species’ habitat is like its ‘address’ (i.e. where it lives), the niche can be thought of as its ‘occupation’ (i.e. species-specific activities and responses). An ecological niche is a …
Conservation strategies are often directed to individual species or for habitats identified as species-rich and therefore tend to assume that most individuals of a particular species have been assigned correctly. Many biologists argue that identifying species is far from straightforward. The biological species concept (BSC), defines species as “…groups of actual or potential interbreeding natural …
A recently established taxonomy approach attempts to identify species solely on the basis of a genetic barcode (also called a DNA barcode) consisting of one or a few DNA sequences. For example, a 648 bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene continues to be developed as a barcode identifier in animals. …
When Benjamin Franklin was postmaster in the US colonies in his day, all letters and postal packages were transported across continents by ships and boats. He received numerous complaints in 1769 about the fact that mail ships from North America en route to Europe arrived much faster than the mail ship going in the opposite …
The seas and oceans are dynamic ecosystems. The oceans are very large bodies of water that form an important part of the hydrosphere. Wind blowing across the sea surface has the greatest influence on the movement of surface waters. Sunlight falling on the sea surface has a very significant impact on seawater temperature. These factors …
