Climate Patterns Zoomed In:Delaware Ecosystems

Maggie Legates, Delaware Geographic AllianceSpring 2013

This teaching resource was produced with support from NOAA, US Dept. of Commerce

Where does Delaware fit in global climate patterns?

• What is the hottest air temperature you remember in Delaware?

• What is the coldest air temperature you remember in Delaware?

• Describe the usual weather in Delaware in July.

• How is July weather different from weather we expect in January? In October? In April?

Delaware’s location helps determine our climate.

Delaware is close to halfway between the equator and the north pole. Places in this latitude band usually have four seasons, or a temperate climate.

Delaware is low in elevation. Places near sea level are usually warmer than places with high elevation.

Delaware is close to the water. Places near oceans and bays are usually warmer in winter and cooler in summer than inland locations.

Within this overall pattern, small differences in physical conditions affect

ecosystems.

• Wind- speed and direction• Water- fresh or salt?• Tidal or stream?• Topography- flat or hilly?• Soil type- sandy, clay,

rocky?

Producersare found where physical conditions meet their needs.

ConsumersAre found where needs for food and shelter are met. This is called habitat.

DecomposersAre found nearly everywhere in a habitat.

Six Delaware Ecosystems You Should Know

• City Lot

• Forest or Woodland

• Tidal marsh/ wetland

• Farmland or pasture

• Meadowland/Farmland

• Cypress Swamp

• Shoreline

City Lot• Physical features: Flat

topography, finely graded soil, very small stones. May have streams or ponds. Lots of concrete and asphalt.

• Organisms: Birds, ants, wasps, mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, weeds and grasses, rats, mice, pigeons, feral cats and dogs, flowers, squirrels, raccoons

Any area within a human settlement where organisms live.

City LotPaved surfaces and buildings make towns and cities warmer, especially in summer.City lots are found in towns and cities all over Delaware.

Forest or WoodlandAn area covered by

trees growing closely

together and forming

a canopy.

An understory of

smaller plants and

shrubs covers the

forest floor

Woodlands are found in all three Delaware counties.

Forest or Woodland

• Physical Conditions: Rocky, moist or sandy soils, fresh or brackish water in streams or ponds; may be flat or hilly

• Organisms: Birds, deer, squirrels, rabbits, beaver, foxes, skunks, grubs, reptiles, insects, deciduous trees, evergreens, vines, shrubs, fungi, lichens

In Delaware, a wide variety of deciduous and evergreen trees exist together.

Tidal marsh/ wetland

An area where grasses and other plants and animals are adapted to continual periods of flooding from the tides and to high salt levels in the water.

Tidal marsh is found near Delaware River and Bay coastline, and bordering inland bays.

Tidal marsh/ wetland

• Physical conditions: Salt water, mucky soil, scattered hummocks, drainage ditches, shallow tidal streams

• Organisms: Muskrats, rodents, fish, waterfowl, reeds and tall grasses, cedar trees

Meadowland or Farmland

• Physical conditions: Loose soil, ridged surface from plowing, fertilizers and chemicals in soils, hedgerows and fences, may be flat or hilly

An area used by people for agriculture. Natural vegetation has been cleared away and replanted with food plants.

Meadowland or Farmland

Plants and animals from local ecosystems must coexist with crops and livestock.

Organisms: Foxes, snakes, birds, insects, groundhogs, rabbits, butterflies, moths, horses, cattle, hogs, crops, weeds and briars, small bushes, berries, trees in yards and hedgerows

Cypress Swamp

Swamps are

woodlands where

rainwater does not

drain away quickly.

Pools of standing

water are the perfect

habitat for cypress

trees, amphibians and

snakes.

Cypress swamps are common in the southeastern United States. The Great Cypress swamp in Sussex County, DE is on the northern edge of their area.

Cypress Swamp

• Physical conditions: Clay and sandy soils, standing water, flat topography

• Cypress trees, evergreen trees, fish, amphibians, water snakes, fungi, insects, waterfowl, egrets

Shoreline • Physical conditions: Sand beaches, dunes, shells, clay, moving salt water, erosion from wind, wave and tidal action

A narrow strip of land on the ocean shore where organisms are adapted to the wave action of salt water, tidal changes in water level, and wind action.

Shoreline• Organisms: Horseshoe

crabs, hermit crabs, shellfish, fish, dolphins, shorebirds. Foxes, cedar and pine trees, low shrubs, grasses live on the dunes.

A beach profile shows how wind and waves affect ecosystems.

Birds are part of all Delaware ecosystems. Match these birds with the ecosystems where they are usually found:

Birds: Ecosystem:• City Lot• Meadowland/Farmland• Cypress Swamp• Shoreline• Forest/ Woodland• Tidal MarshWild goose

Woodpecker

Egret Red- winged Blackbird SeagullPigeon