52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Flashcards
what determines where species live
climate
what is ecology
study of the interactions between organisms and the living and the nonliving components of their environment
what do interactions of organisms between nonliving and living factors determine
the distribution of organisms and their abundance
what is the benefit of studying interactions between organims for ecologists
they will organize them in a hierarchy that can range from inviduals to the planet
what is organismal ecology
organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges of the environment
what are the types of organismal ecology
physiological, evolutionary, behavioral
what is population ecology
how a population interacts with the living and nonliving things in the environmental factors that can affect population size
- For example: what environmental factors affect the reproductive rate of flamingos
what is population
group of the same species
what is a community
a group of populations
of different species in an area
what is community ecology
examines the specific interactions in a population and their effect on community structure and organization
example: what factors influence the diversity of species that interact at an African lake
what is an ecosystem
community of organisms in an area and the physical factors that they interact with
what does ecosystem ecology emphasize?
energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment
what is a landscape
mosiac of connected ecosystems
what is landscape ecology
exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
example question: to what extent do nutrients from terrestrial ecosystems affect organisms in a lake
what is the biosphere
the global ecosystem and the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes
what is global ecology
exchange of energy and materials influences the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere
earth’s climate is affected by what
latitude
what has the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms on land
climate
what are the four major physical components
temperature, precipitation, sunlight, wind
what are global climate patterns determined by
the solar energy and earth’s movement
what does the warming effect of the sun do to earth? (3 things)
establishes, temp variations, circulation of air, water and the evaporation of water
what else does the sun affect (latitude)
latitudinal variations in climate
what is the angle of impact and what affects it
rays of sunlight hitting the earth the intensity of the sunlight and the light per unit surface area
how is an oblique angle achieved and what is it
when the sun it at a higher altitude; the light energy is not as intense
what do global air circulation and precipitation patterns affect
climate patterns
what does intense sunlight do to water
causes water to evaporate in the tropics and warm wet air to rise and flow from the tropics to the poles
what do rising air masses do
release water which causes high precipitation
what do dry air masses do
create arid climates, near the 30 degree north and south, north and south
what way do cooling trade winds blow
east to west in the tropics
what way do prevailing westerlies blow in temperate zones
west to east in the temperate zones
how does climate vary and what affects climate
seasonally; bodies of water and mountain ranges
what is seasonality at high altitudes caused by
the tilt of Earth’s axis and its annual passing around the sun
seasonal variations in day length, solar radiation, and temp increase toward what
the poles
what do large bodies of water moderate
the climate of nearby land due to the high specific heat of water
what do ocean currents influence
the climate of nearby terrestrial environmentsw
currents flowing toward the equator carry what water
cold water from the poles
currents flowing away from the equator carry what water
warm water toward the poles
what happens to air before it passes over the land
it is cooled or warmed
how does the large body of water influence the climate during the day
air rises over warm land and draws a breeze from the cool water
how does the large body of water influence the climate during the night
land cools at night, air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air from the land back over the water
how do mountains affect warm air
warm moist air cools as it rises up a mountain and releases moisture on the windward side
how do mountains affect cool and dry air?
absorbs the moisture as it descends on the leeward side creating rain shadow
what are the two types of climate patterns
microclimate and macroclimate
characteristics of a microclimate
- localized pattern
- features of environment influence surrounding areas
what are some characteristics of a macroclimate
- global level
- regional level
- landscape level
what are abiotic facotrs
nonliving
what are biotic factors
living
what are some examples of abiotic factors
temp, light, water, nutrients
what has increased climate change
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation
what effect does the burning of fossil fuels have
increased the concentration of greenhouse gases
what is climate change
directional change to the global climate that lasts for decades or more
what is one result of climate change
wind and precipitatoin patterns are shifting and there is more extreme weather present
how can you predit the effects of future climate change
study how species responded to such shifts in the past
how can you determine future geographic range shifts for climate change
determine the location of suitable habitat under different climate scenarios
what is the distribution of terrestrial biomes controlled by
climate and disturbance
what is a biome
large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.
what determines the locations of terrestrial biomes
climate
what is a climograph
plots the annual mean temperature and precipitation
what abiotic factors affect a biome
mean temp, precipitation, a pattern of temp and precipitation through year
what is a terrestrial biome
based on land; named for climatic features and vegetation
what is an ecotone
boundary or a transition between two ecosystems. A common example could be an area of marshland between a river and its riverbank.
what do terrestrial biomes usually do * think of ecotone)
usually mix into each other without any sharp boundaries
how does vertical layering provide
diverse habitats for animals in terrestrial biomes
what does vertical layering consist of
upper canopy, low tree layer, shrub understory, herbaceous, plants, forest floor, root layer
what is disturbance
event such as a storm or fire or human activity that changes a community
what are the major terrestrial biomes
tropical forest, desert, savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland, northern coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, tundra
what is the distribution for tropical forest
equatorial and subequatorial
what is the precipitation in tropical forest
rainall is relatively constant
and in dry forests precipitation is highly seasonal
what is the temperature year-round in tropical rainforest
high year round25-29 degrees celsius with little seasonal variation
animals in tropical forest
diverse
human impact in tropical forest
forests are cutdown and converted to farmland
where are deserts mostly located
near 30 degrees north and south and in the interior of continents
desert precipitation
low and highly variable
temp in the desert
variable seasonally and daily
animals in the desert
nocturnal
plants in the desert
have physical defenses like spines, chemical defenses such as toxins to prevent feeding by animals
what is desiccation
drying out of a living organism
human impact on desert
reduced biodiversity because of urbanization
which biomes are distributed in the equatorial and subequatorial
tropical forests and savanna
precipitation for savanna
seasonal w. dry seasons
savanna temperature
temperature averages 24–29ºC: seasonal
variation
plants in the savanna
fire-adapted and
tolerant of seasonal drought
common animals in savanna
Large herbivores are common, but insects are the
dominant herbivores
human impact on the savanna
Human-induced fires help maintain the savanna, but
cattle ranching and overhunting threaten large mammal populations
location of chaparral biome
midlatitude coastal regions on
several continents
weather in chaparral
- highly seasonal precipitation
- summer is hot, winter and spring are cool
plants in the chaparral
shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs and they are adapted to fire and drought
animals in chapparal
amphibians, birds, other repitiles, insects, browsing mammals
human impact on chaparral
reduced areas bc of agriculture and urbanization
location of temperate grasslands
found on many continents
weather in temperate grassland
precipitation is highly seasonal and winters are cold, summers are hot
plants in temperate grasslands
grasses and forbs are adapted to droughts and fires
animals in temperate grassland
bison,wild
horses, and small burrowers, such as prairie dogs
human impact on grasslands
converted to agricultural land
– Drier grasslands have been transformed to desert
due to the activity of grazers, such as cattle
location of northern coniferous forest
northern
North America and Eurasia and is the largest terrestrial
biome on Earth
what is the largest biome on earth
north coniferous forest
weather and precipitation in coniferous
- precipitation varies
- winters are cold summers may be hot
plants in coniferous
pine, spruce, fir, hemlock
animals in coniferous
moose, brown bears, and Siberian
tigers
what kills most of the coniferous rainforest
insects outbreaks
human impact on coniferous
logging has destroyed homes of multiple species
location of broadleaf forest
primarily at midatitudes in the northern hemisphere
weather in the broadleaf forest
- signicican amounts of precipitation during the fall
- winters are cold and summers are hot and humid
which biomes have vertical layers
tropical forest and temperate broadleaf forest
animals of the broadleaf forest
mammals, birds, insects
human impact on broadleaf forest
heavily settled by humans but they are recoverin
location of tundra biomes
expansive areas of the arctic and exists on high mountaintops
weather and precipitaton in tundra
- precipitation is low
- cold winters, cool sumers
plants in tundra
vegetation is herbaceous
- permafrost restricts growth of plant roots
what is permafrost
permanently frozen layer of soil
animals in tundra
musk oxen, caribou, reindeer bears, wolves, migratory bird
human impact on tundra
human settlement is sparse, tundra has become the focus of oil and mineral extraction
which biome is diverse and covers the most of Earth
aquatic biome
what are aquatic biomes characterized by
physical and chemical environment
example: avg salt concentration in marine biomes is 3% where as in freshwater it is less than 0.1%
what has a major effect on the biosphere and why
oceans because they cover 75% of the surface
what are freshwater biomes influenced by
soil and biotic components
how are aquatic biomes separated
light penetration, temperature, and depth
what is the upper photic zone
sufficient light for photosynthesis
what zone is the photic and aphotic zone made up of
pelagic zone
what is the benthic zone
organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aquatic zones; ocean floor
benthos
communities of organisms in the benthic zone
what is detritus and what is its benefit
dead organic matter and its a source of food
what is the aphotic zone
harbors little life
what is the thermocline
used in oceans and most lakes; the transition layer between the warmer mixed water at the surface and the cooler deep water below and it separates the upper layer from the colder
what is the aphotic zone
little or no sunlight
what is the abyssal zone
deep sea, lacks high plant life bc of the absence of life
what is the pelagic zone
includes the entire ocean water column( free waters in the body of the ocean)
how do communities in aquatic biomes vary
depth, light penetration, distance from shore and the position in the pelagic or benthic zone
where do most organisms live in marine communities
shallow photic zone
what is turnover
when lakes mix their waters in the spring and autumn
what is the effect of turnover
sends o2 water to the bottom and nutrient rich water to the top
