Plant Biology - Plant Geography - Quick Guides

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Study GuidePlant Biology–Plant Geography1. Distribution of Vegetation1.1Plants Grow Differently in Different PlacesIf you look around the world, you’ll quickly notice that plants do not grow the same everywhere. Someplaces have thick forests, while others have grasslands or deserts. This happens becausevegetationdepends strongly on climate.

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Study Guide1.2Latitudinal Distribution: From Equator to PolesVegetation is arranged inbroad horizontal bandsaround the Earth. These bands follow lines oflatitude and change as we move away from the equator.•Near theequator, warm temperatures and heavy rainfall supportlush tropical rainforests.•Moving north or south, these forests gradually change intotemperate deciduous forests.•Farther toward the poles, they are replaced byconiferous (taiga) forests.•At the highest latitudes, where it is very cold, trees disappear andarctic tundrais found.Because there is more land in theNorthern Hemispherethan in the Southern Hemisphere, thisbanded pattern is clearer in the north. High mountain ranges on continents can also interrupt thesehorizontal bands.1.3Altitudinal Distribution: Vegetation on MountainsA similar pattern occurs onmountains, but instead of latitude, the change happens withaltitude(height).As you move up a mountain:•Thebaseoften hasdeciduous forests.•Themiddle slopesare usually covered byconiferous forests.•Thetopsof high mountains supporttundra, where trees cannot grow.Even though many environmental factors change with altitude, the vegetation pattern closelyresembles what we see from the equator to the poles.1.4Timberline and LatitudeThetimberlineis the highest elevation where trees can grow. Above this line, only alpine tundraexists.•In thesouthern Rocky Mountains, the timberline is around10,000 feet.•Near theCanadian border, it drops to about6,000 feet.•Farther north, the timberline is even lower.This happens because temperatures become colder at lower elevations as we move toward thepoles.

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Study Guide1.5Why Climate and Vegetation MatchVegetation patterns are not random.Plants can survive only within certain tolerance rangesofenvironmental conditions.Two of the most important factors are:•Temperature•Precipitation (rainfall)When water is available and temperatures are moderate, many plant species can grow. However, asconditions become too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry, fewer plant types can survive.This is why:•Tropical regions haveover 40,000 speciesof vascular plants.•Forests in the southeastern United States have about5,000 species.•The Canadian Arctic supports only around425 species.1.6Understanding the Climate–Vegetation DiagramThe figure shows how different vegetation types are linked tomean annual temperatureandmeanannual precipitation.•Tropical rainforestsoccur in thehottest and wettestregions.•Desertsare found in thehottest and driestareas.•Tundraexists in thecoldest and driestclimates.•Other biomes fall between these extremes.2. Terrestrial Biomes of the World2.1What Are Plant Geography, Communities, Ecosystems, and Biomes?The study of where plants grow and why they grow there is calledplant geography.Scientists group vegetation into different levels based on how large the area is:•Plant community: A group of plants living together.

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