TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM

Group 3 Members:

TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM

 Is an ecosystem that is on land

 It comprises 28% area of the world

 distinguished from aquatic ecosystems by:

-lower availability of water

-the consequent importance of water as a limiting factor

 characterized by greater temperature fluctuations on both a diurnal and seasonal basis

 The availability of light is greater in terrestrial ecosystems than in aquatic ecosystems

because the atmosphere is more transparent inland than in water.

Organisms in Terrestrial Ecosystem

• have adaptations that allow them to obtain water when the entire body is no longer bathed
in that fluid

• means of transporting the water from limited sites of acquisition to the rest of the body

• means of preventing the evaporation of water from body surfaces

• a much less buoyant medium than water

• capable of withstanding the extremes of temperature, wind, and humidity that characterize
terrestrial ecosystems.
The earth surface— the continental land masses have been classified by bio-geographers and
ecologists into following regions :

• `(i) Biogeographic realms

• (ii) Biomes.
•
I. Biogeographic realms
 Palaearctic realm
 Nearctic realm
 Neotropical realm
 Afrotropic realm
 Indomalaya realm
 Australasia realm
II. Biomes
 Tropical rainforests
 Savannas
 Subtropical deserts
 Chaparral
 Temperate grasslands
 Temperate forests
 Boreal forests
 Arctic tundra

What is a Biome?

Biomes are large-scale environments that are distinguished by characteristic temperature ranges
and amounts of precipitation.

Tropical Rainforests

 A hot, moist biome where it rains all year long.

 It is known for its dense canopies of vegetation that form three different layers.

• Top layer or canopy contains giant trees that grow to heights of 75 m (about 250 ft)
or more. This layer of vegetation prevents much of the sunlight from reaching the
ground. Thick, woody vines are also found in the canopy.

• Middle layer or understory is made up of vines, smaller trees, ferns, and palms. A
large number of plants from this level are used as common houseplants. Because of
the small amount of sunlight and rainfall these plants receive, they adapt easily to
home environments.

• Bottom layer or floor of the rainforest is covered with wet leaves and leaf litter. This
material decomposes rapidly in the wet, warm conditions (like a compost pile)
sending nutrients back into the soil. Few plants are found on the floor of the forest
due to the lack of sunlight.

Savanna

 Savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found
between a tropical rainforest and desert biome.

 also known as tropical grasslands

  have warm temperature year round

 Two very different seasons in a savanna

• a very long dry season (winter). In the dry season only an average of about 4
inches of rain falls. Between December and February no rain will fall at all.
Oddly enough, it is actually a little cooler during this dry season. But don't
expect sweater weather; it is still around 70° F.

• and a very wet season (summer) there is lots of rain. . In the afternoons on
the summer savanna the rains pour down for hours. That is because every
day the hot, humid air rises off the ground and collides with cooler air above
and turns into rain.

Plants of the savannas are highly specialized to grow in this environment of long periods of
drought. They have long tap roots that can reach the deep water table, thick bark to resist
annual fires, trunks that can store water, and leaves that drop of during the winter to
conserve water.

Most of the animals on the savanna have long legs or wings to be able to go on long
migrations.

Subtropical deserts

 Subtropical deserts can be hot or cold, but they are all very dry, having very low annual
precipitation.

 In some years, evaporation exceeds precipitation in this very dry biome.

 Subtropical hot deserts may have daytime soil surface temperatures above 60°C (140°F) and
night time temperatures approaching 0°C (32°F).

 The type of vegetation and limited animal diversity of this biome are closely related to the
low and unpredictable precipitation. Very dry deserts lack perennial vegetation that lives
from one year to the next. Characterized by having a number of adaptations that conserve
water, such as deep roots, reduced foliage, and water-storing stems.

Chaparral

 The chaparral biome is a part of each continent and consists of various types of terrain
including mountains and plains.

 characterized by having both forests and grassland.

 It is often confused with the desert biome because they share many similarities such as both
being hot and dry. The chaparral biome receives more rainfall per year than the desert
biome.

 The dry summer makes the chaparral biome sensitive to fires, that is why occasional fires
happen in this type of biome.

 YET! occasional fires in the chaparral biome are helpful because they help balance out the
living organisms and nonliving organisms.

 Majority of the animals are nocturnal, which sleeps during the day and is active/comes out
at night.
Temperate Grasslands

 Is a division of grassland biome characterized by different species of grass, but it can include
flowering plants and wild herbs.

 Temperate grassland biome can further be divided into:

• Prairies are grassland biomes characterized by tall grasses

• Steppes are grassland biomes with shorter grasses.

 This biome experiences long, hot summers depending on the latitude of the temperate
grassland.

 The most rainfall occurs in late spring and early summer where convectional precipitation
takes place. The greater part of this precipitation comes in the form of snow especially in the
temperate grasslands of the northern hemisphere.

Temperate Forests

 The deciduous forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this
area to have four seasons which are:
• Autumn

• Winter

• Spring

• Summer

 They are found between the polar regions and the tropics.

 Many different kinds of trees, shrubs, and herbs grow in deciduous forests.

Boreal Forests

 Taiga biome is derived from the Russian word ‘taiga’ which simply means swampy, moist
forest. Despite that fact that it’s the largest terrestrial biome in the world, it’s a cold and
lonely place, and many people are not familiar with the name.

 Taiga biome, also referred to as boreal forest, coniferous forest or snow forest, is a biome
consisting mainly of coniferous trees such as pines, lurches, and spruces.

 The most part of taiga biome climate is dominated by Arctic air. Uniquely cold winds carry
along extremely cold air from the Arctic Circle to this biome. That is why the average
temperature in the taiga biome is below freezing point for half of the year.

 Precipitation takes place in two forms in the taiga biome: snow and rain.

 Due to the earth’s tilt, the taiga biome faces away from the sun during winter. This means
radiation barely reaches the ground to heat it up.
  Since the climate of taiga biome is extremely cold, there are only a few verities of plants.
Coniferous tree with cones are the most dominant tree species in this biome. There are four
dominant kinds of conifers here; spruce, evergreen, pine, and fir.

Arctic Tundra

 Is a very cold, windy, and treeless biome that’s snow-covered for much of the year.

 It covers one fifth of the Earth

 It’s a layer of permanently frozen soil called permafrost

Permafrost acts as a barrier to tree roots, so no trees can grow above it. It can’t even be
penetrated by water, which is why the soil above permafrost gets very soggy in
summertime, when bogs, lakes, and marshes lie on the land.

 Although arctic tundra ecosystems are wet underfoot in the summer, they actually receive
very little rain, with less than 25 cm falling every year. This makes them as dry as many of
the world’s deserts. Unlike rainfall, wind is plentiful in the Arctic, often blowing across these
stark landscapes at 50-100 km/h and making the cold temperatures here feel even colder.

The Effects of the Humans on the Terrestrial Ecosystem

 changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere
 converting natural landscapes to urban areas
 transporting floral and faunal species far beyond their natural boundaries.

Laws that Protects the Terrestrial Ecosystem

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9147 July 30, 2001 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION AND
PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES AND THEIR HABITATS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES . Title. This act shall be known as the "Wildlife Resources Conservation
and Protection Act."

P.D. 705 Revising Presidential Decree No. 389, Otherwise Known As The Forestry Reform Code Of
The Philippines E.O. 192, S. 1987 Providing For The Reorganization Of The Department Of
Environment, Energy And Natural Resources;

DENR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER DAO 2019-03 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of
Executive Order No. 193, Series of 2015: Expanding and Enhancing the Coverage of the National
Greening Program

DENR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER DAO 2018-21 Adoption of the Lawin Forest and Biodiversity
Protection System as a National Strategy for Forest and Biodiversity Protection in the Philippines

DAO 2018-16 Guidelines in the Processing and Issuance of Permits on the Removal and Relocation
of Trees Affected by DPWH Projects

DAO 2018-09 Amending Section 3 of DENR Administrative Order No. 2003 - 24 Implementing
Republic Act No. 9175 Otherwise Known as Chainsaw Act of 2002
DAO 2018-08 Guidelines for the Implementation of Republic Act No. 9772: "An Act Imposing a
Logging Ban in the Province of Southern Leyte"

JOINT ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER JAO 2018-01 Guidelines on the Registration of Land Conveyances
Confiscated Pursuant to Section 77-A of Presidential Decree No.705, as Amended

R.A. No. 10690 An act regulating the practice of forestry in the Philippines and appropriating funds
therefor, repealing for the purpose republic act numbered six thousand two hundred thirty-nine
(R.A. No. 6239), known as "The Forestry Profession Law"

REPUBLIC ACT No. 3571 AN ACT TO PROHIBIT THE CUTTING, DESTROYING OR INJURING OF PLANTED
OR GROWING TREES, FLOWERING PLANTS AND SHRUBS OR PLANTS OF SCENIC VALUE ALONG
PUBLIC ROADS, IN PLAZAS, PARKS, SCHOOL PREMISES OR IN ANY OTHER PUBLIC GROUND.

Law No. 2468 ratifying the United Nations Convention to combat desertification in those countries
experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa

The Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (the 1972
Stockholm Declaration) (UN Doc. A/CONF/48/14/REV.1 (1972).