In general, temperature is an important abiotic factor shaping biomes on land, b
ID: 81405 • Letter: I
Question
In general, temperature is an important abiotic factor shaping biomes on land, but it is less important in the ocean. In the ocean, light is an important abiotic factor but it is less important on land. Explain why these factors differ in importance on land and in the sea. In general, temperature is an important abiotic factor shaping biomes on land, but it is less important in the ocean. In the ocean, light is an important abiotic factor but it is less important on land. Explain why these factors differ in importance on land and in the sea. In general, temperature is an important abiotic factor shaping biomes on land, but it is less important in the ocean. In the ocean, light is an important abiotic factor but it is less important on land. Explain why these factors differ in importance on land and in the sea.Explanation / Answer
Answer:
Water absorbs and stores heat, so the range of temperatures in the ocean is much narrower than on land. Since most of the ocean is within the same narrow temperature range, temperature is not as important a factor in shaping the distribution of life in sea as it is on land.
Temperature is more variable on land, so it has a bigger impact on the distribution of land life. Most of the ocean is without light, but most of the places on land are light for about half of each day. Thus, light is not a major factor in determining where living things can exist on land, but it is an important factor in the sea.