MSC 316 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Terra Preta, Primary Production, Ultisol
25 Oct 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lecture 15
Exam 2 Review
10/25/16
Topics
o Tropical rainforests
o Temperate rainforests
o Grasslands/Savannah
o Minimal information on boreal forests
o Agriculture not covered
Whittaker Diagram
o Temperature and precipitation are major determinants of plant
composition and therefore composition
o Wet to Dry, Hot to Cold
o Temperate Deciduous forests in middle of diagram
o Hot, wet peak = tropical rainforests
o Cold, Dry peak = tundra
o Corner (hot, dry) = desert
Earth Distribution
o Reflection of major planetary winds
o Equatorial region: air rises, creates rain, leads to rainforests
o Subtropical highs: air descends, lacks rain, leads to deserts
o Subpolar lows: air rises, creates rain, leads to temperate forests
o Polar regions: air descends, lacks rain, leads to tundra
Tropical Rainforests
o Occur within 10 degrees of Equator
o Little temperature variation
o Rainfall of 2,000-4,000mm seasonally distributed
Quickly leaches nutrients from soil leading to poor soil quality
Nutrients are in plants and animals but not soil
Rainforest Soils
o Ultisols
Highly weathered, no calcium, red clay representing iron oxide,
very acidic due to plant acids, little nutrients, poor agriculture
potential
o Terra Preta
Patches of this type of soil in Amazon
Anthropogenic soil by early people who added charcoal,
manure, bone, etc to soil and thereby increased nutrient
content
Increased amount of organic matter increased nutrients
Rainforest Canopy
o Vertical layers
o Plants at floor are quick growing and seek light and water
o Fallen trees create light gaps – 1-2% of trees per year
Biodiversity
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