Final answer:
Continentality affects climate by causing greater temperature extremes in continental interiors due the rapid heating and cooling of land. This is influenced by geographic factors like landmass size and topography, and affects both temperature and precipitation patterns, which are critical for ecosystems and species distributions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Continentality does indeed result in a greater range between maximum and minimum daily and yearly temperatures. This phenomenon is due to the fact that land heats and cools more rapidly than water, leading to more extreme temperatures in continental interiors compared to coastal areas.
The size and position of continents, as well as their topography and proximity to oceans, play a significant role in affecting global precipitation and climate patterns.
central Canada, experience a continental climate with warm summers and cold winters, where the lack of nearby water bodies contributes to the significant temperature swings. On the other hand, coastal communities tend to have more moderate climates due to the heat inertia of water. Furthermore, the position of continents can affect ocean and atmospheric circulation over millions of years, influencing Earth's climate system on a grand scale.
Precipitation and temperature are crucial parameters that dictate the distribution of organisms and the health of ecosystems. For instance, climate change is causing drying trends in various regions and affecting the ranges of species like the sugar maple and the Baltimore oriole. Similarly, in aquatic ecosystems, temperature and pH are critical, influencing the distribution of organisms like eelgrass and plankton as water temperatures rise.