4) Sustaining Ecosystems - TRF Flashcards
what does abiotic mean?
non living parts of an ecosystem
what does biotic mean
living parts of an ecosystem
what is a biome
a large scale ecosystem
what is a carnivore
something that eats meat
what are the circumpolar winds
winds that blow around the poles to move cold air
what is the continental shelf
shallow seas around the edges of continents
what is deforestation
the removal of trees to use the land for something else
what is fauna
animal life
what is flora
plant life
what is herbivore
eats plants and vegetation
what is interdependence
when things rely on each other
what is an omnivore
eats plants and meats
what does temperate mean
not to hot, not too cold climate
what is tundra?
an area that is frozen most of the year but defrosts for some
what is an ecosystem
a unit that includes all the biotic and abiotic parts in an area
what are the three classifications of organisms in an ecosystem
producer, consumer, decomposer
what is a producer
something that uses sun energy to produce food
what is a consumer
an organism that gets energy from eating others
what is a decomposer
gets energy from breaking down materials
what does a food chain show
who eats what
what does a food web show
how different food webs interact
what are the 6 ecosystems
coral reefs grassland tropical rainforest desert polar temperate forest
where are coral reefs found
between 30 degrees north and south of equator
where is grassland found
between the tropics
what are the two types of grassland
temperate and tropical
where are temperate forests found
mid latitudes
between tropics and polar region
where are polar regions found
north and south pole
where is hot desert found
between 15 and 35 degrees north and south of equator
where are TRFs found
around equator, between tropics
what are the two tropics
cancer and capricorn
climate of polar regions (rain, temp, seasons)
very cold, usually less than 10 degrees low rainfall (<500mm) clearly defined seasons
animals in polar regions
relatively few
polar bears, penguins etc
plants in polar region
very few plants
grow slowly and small
climate in hot deserts (rain and temp)
very little rain
extreme temperatures - hot and cold
plants in hot deserts
sparse
adaptation of plants in desert
very long roots to reach water
animals in desert
tend to be small
adapted to overcome extreme temps
lizards, snakes, scorpions
climate of tropical grassland
low rainfall
distinct seasons
moderate temp
climate of temperate grassland
extreme temps
not much rainfall
plants in tropical grassland
consist mostly of shrubs and small plants
adapted to cope with not much rain
plants in temperate grassland
mainly grasses and small plants
animals in tropical grassland
lots of insects
grasshoppers, termites, beetles
animals in temperate grassland
not very many
bison and wild horses
conditions for coral reef
warm, lots of light , shallow, salty water
plants in coral reef
few - grow underwater
algae
animals in coral reefs
25% of marine species live there
fish, turtles, shrimp