DISC HW 11:21

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University of Wisconsin, Madison *

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Course

152

Subject

Biology

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Uploaded by rileyepsn

Intro Bio 152 – Discussion assignment for week of November 20 th Latitude, aspect, & biomes 1. As you know, Wisconsin is a pretty flat state, topographically. Madison is about 150 m above sea level, which is characteristic of much of southern Wisconsin. Imagine that there is a very tall mountain in southern Wisconsin, Mt. Bucky, which reaches an elevation of 2200 m. a. Describe how temperature would likely change as you went from the base to the top of the mountain, and the types of vegetation you would expect to pass through. Assume Madison’s current annual average temperature is about 10˚C and annual average precipitation is about 80 cm. Also, you can assume that air temperature declines about 6˚C with every 1000 meters of elevation gain at any given latitude – this is comparable to traveling 880 km north for every 1000-meter gain in altitude. I’d expect temperatures to drop as I travel to the top of the mountain and into lower atmospheric pressures. Near the base, I’d expect deciduous tree growth and lush plant life near the base of the mountain, and more sparsely distributed coniferous trees as I scale the mountain. The very top of the mountain would have little to no plant life as it’s ~12° cooler at the top compared to the base, which is not a conducive environment for plant life. b. How do you think climate and vegetation would differ between the south- and north-facing slopes of Mt. Bucky? Be sure to give specific details in your answer. For this question, ignore the rain shadow effect. The south-facing slope would likely have more vegetation due to more direct sunlight hitting that side of the mountain. Moisture content would probably be lower on this side as more of the moisture evaporates in direct sunlight. This would make the North-facing slope more conducive to coniferous plant life as there is more moisture and less sunlight concentration on this side of the mountain. 2. In the previous question, we considered altitude to be an analog of latitude – that is, the progression of biomes you move through as you climb up a mountain is similar to the progression you would go through as you move from lower to higher latitudes. Are altitude and latitude always analogous? Consider the following example and think about when our analogy between altitude and latitude is potentially lacking. At high elevation on a very tall mountain in the tropics (near the equator), the temperature is usually quite low. In an area near the North Pole, the temperature is also usually quite low. Specifically, this tropical mountaintop and region very close to the North Pole have exactly the same mean annual temperature. For each of the three variables below , answer the following questions: (1) Would the variable be the same on the tropical mountaintop and near the North Pole? (2) If different, how would it be different? Be sure to write complete sentences in your answers. The figure below might help you. Page 1 of 4

Be sure to explain your answers fully. Variables a. The amount of incoming solar radiation per unit surface area per year (1) The amount of incoming solar radiation would vary between the tropical mountaintop region and the North Pole. (2) The Tropical Mountaintop region would receive a much higher concentration of solar radiation on average because it’s near the Equator, while the North Pole receives some of the lowest annual solar radiation on Earth since it’s so far from the equator. b. The length of day and night (1) The length of day and night would vary between the tropical mountaintop region and the North Pole. (2) Depending on the time of year, the North Pole would have a much longer night (weeks to months), while the tropical mountaintop region would have nearly even amounts of both (12 hours of day, 12 hours of night). Daytime and nighttime are evenly split in both areas, but in the North Pole these variables last 6 months at a time (6 months day, 6 months night), and in tropical regions near the equator, these variables last 12 hours. c. The annual mean precipitation (1) The annual mean precipitation would vary between the tropical mountaintop region and the North Pole. (2) As seen on the graph above, the polar regions would be expected to have far less annual precipitation than a tropical mountaintop region. The water near the North Pole is generally too cold to evaporate, leaving annual mean precipitation levels very low. On the other hand, tropical mountainous areas can be expected to have precipitation levels in the medium to high range due to increased solar energy near the equator, which increases evaporation and, consequently, precipitation. Niche 3. Let’s consider niches. a. What is a niche? An ecological niche describes an organism and the way it interacts with its environment, specifically what parts of the environment it lives in and how it interacts with other factors that are characteristic of its environment. Page 2 of 4

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