BIOB50H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Heterotroph, Fructose, Plant Cell
8 Oct 2015
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Equator band = highest temps, polar ice caps = lowest temps. Is greatest at the equator too -> some patches of dry desert tho. Temperature & precipitation are the primary drivers of vegetation type, and thus determine biomes. Biomes differ in the amount of biomass (living material) -> more biomass = more productivity: tropical rainforests vs hot deserts = more biomass vs less biomass. Most npp in tropical rainforests -> mostly just from plants. Least npp in deserts bc of low productivity. Marine ecosystems also differ in their total biomass. There is biomass but they"re tiny plankton + huge vertebrates -> not very productive. In 1977 robert ballard + his team reach the hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor for the first time + discover a new ecosystem w/ no light: higher productivity in harsh/toxic environment -> lots of worms/eels/crabs.
