1. Biogeochemical Cycles and the Biosphere

9. 97% of the water in the globe resides in the oceans 22% of precipitation occurs over land, and is greater than losses by evaporation and transpiration The processes of evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation cycle water through ecosystems 78% of precipitation occurs over ocean, which is less than losses by evaporation Water Cycle 97% of the water in the globe resides in the oceans 22% of precipitation occurs over land, and is greater than losses by evaporation and transpiration The processes of evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation cycle water through ecosystems 78% of precipitation occurs over ocean, which is less than losses by evaporation

13. Cannot ignore the human affects on CO2 levels

14. Greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide is the largest single contributer to climate forcing Carbon dioxide contributes about half of total climate forcing from greenhouse gases

22. Inceptisol – weakly developed soils often found in mountains Mollisol – grassland; plentiful organic material

28. Ecosystem = a “major interacting system that involves both organisms and their nonliving environment" (Molles 2002) - who defines ecosystems as having the most complex level of biological organization. Biome = Widespread terrestrial ecosystems. Biomes are major communities of organisms that have a characteristic appearance and that are distributed over a wide land area defined largely by regional variations in climate.

31. Trophic Level – each step in the food chain

32. Succession is the natural transition of plant species from a "pioneer stage" to a "climax community" Beginning Stage Climax Community – End point (equilibrium)

34. Note: Many of the locations of these biomes on the map correspond to patterns of the annual precipitation and annual temperatures --->

48. A study published in 1999 concluded that there are 150 different "ecoregions" in North America alone.