Canada’s Ecozones Unit Three Chapter 13 • Regions with similar ecological characteristics. • Include people and animals that live together. • Areas grouped according to geographic, geologic, landform, soil, vegetation, climate, water, wildlife and human interactions. • A recent concept – First map 1986. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 3 Ecozones • Divisions/groupings based on “systems” – Geologic – Landform – Soil – Vegetation – Climate – Water – Wildlife – Human Factors R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 4 Overview • Changes to one part of the system causes changes and adjustments throughout the system. • e.g. Temperature changes within an ecosystem would affect the growth of plants, which then would have an affect on the animals ability to obtain food. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 5 • 15 Ecozones • All are different/unique due to climate, weather, soil, landforms, vegetation, animals and humans. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 6 Physiographic Regions R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 7 Canadian Ecozones Fifteen Land and Five Marine • Mixed Plains • Hudson Plains • Boreal Shield • Southern Arctic • Atlantic Maritime • Northern Arctic • Prairie • Arctic Cordillera • Boreal Plains _____________________ • Montane Cordillera • Pacific Marine • Pacific Maritime • Arctic Basin Marine • Boreal Cordillera • Arctic Archipelago Marine • Taiga Cordillera • Northwest Atlantic Marine • Taiga Plains • Atlantic Marine • Taiga Shield R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 8 Terrestrial & Maritime Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 9 Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 10 Ecozone Lingo • Mixed – To combine or blend. • Plains – Extensive, level, usually treeless. • Prairie – Treeless grassy plain. • Boreal – Forest areas dominated by conifers: spruce, fir, and pine. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 11 Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 12 Ecozone Lingo • Shield – ancient, stable, interior layer of primarily Precambrian igneous or metamorphic rocks. AKA Continental Shield. • Maritime – close/next to the sea. • Montane – of, growing in, or inhabiting mountain areas. • Cordillera – Extensive/principal mountain ranges of a continent. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 13 Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 14 Ecozone Lingo • Taiga – Subarctic, coniferous forest south of the tundra and dominated by firs and spruces. • Tundra – Treeless area between icecap and tree line of arctic regions with permanently frozen subsoil (permafrost) and supporting low-growing vegetation: lichens, mosses, and stunted shrubs. • Arctic – Region between North Pole and northern timberlines. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 15 Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 16 R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 17 Ecozones R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 18 Ecozone Usefulness • Helps us study how regions/areas develop • Provides a basis for decision-making for sustaining an ecozone (ecosystem) • Requires us to consider broader variables when attempting to change an ecozone • AKA “Bioregion” in US terminology R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 19 Helps us break up information (analysis) about our country/lands to help us bring it all together (synthesis) R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 20 Why Ecozones are useful • Before the Ecozones concept, we compartmentalized regional information into distinct and separate parts. e.g. one for land forms, another for climate data, and yet another for population characteristics, etc. • Ecozone Theory allows us to create a collection of information about the particular place and place it into a single “file folder” of data. • Generally, Ecozones have two characteristics: – 1st They allow us to combine and relate information. e.g. helps us understand why forestry is an important industry in the boreal shield. – 2nd they are constantly changing and will continue to grow and change . R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 21 Ecozone Systems • Landforms – Topography and type. • Climate – Temperature extremes, precipitation, and growing season. • Vegetation – What grows, what dominates? • Soils – Type? Leached, swamp, rock? • Human Activities – Population, GDP, urbanization, manufacturing, agriculture, recreation • Major Cities R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 22 • Ecozones are always changing and growing! R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 23 Ecozones http://www.canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/atlan ticmaritime/atlanticmaritime.htm R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 24 1)a) What is an ecozone? A region based on technological characteristics. 4) What is GDP for ecozone? How much an ecozone produces and makes from it’s resources. R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 25 R.Schroeder Geo Unit 3 - Chapter 13 26.