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Biology 1306 > 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere > Flashcards

52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Flashcards

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1
Q

what determines where species live

A

climate

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2
Q

what is ecology

A

study of the interactions between organisms and the living and the nonliving components of their environment

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3
Q

what do interactions of organisms between nonliving and living factors determine

A

the distribution of organisms and their abundance

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4
Q

what is the benefit of studying interactions between organims for ecologists

A

they will organize them in a hierarchy that can range from inviduals to the planet

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5
Q

what is organismal ecology

A

organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges of the environment

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6
Q

what are the types of organismal ecology

A

physiological, evolutionary, behavioral

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7
Q

what is population ecology

A

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

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8
Q

what is population

A

group of the same species

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9
Q

what is a community

A

a group of populations

of different species in an area

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10
Q

what is community ecology

A

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

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11
Q

what is an ecosystem

A

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors that they interact with

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12
Q

what does ecosystem ecology emphasize?

A

energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment

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13
Q

what is a landscape

A

mosiac of connected ecosystems

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14
Q

what is landscape ecology

A

exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
example question: to what extent do nutrients from terrestrial ecosystems affect organisms in a lake

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15
Q

what is the biosphere

A

the global ecosystem and the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes

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16
Q

what is global ecology

A

exchange of energy and materials influences the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

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17
Q

earth’s climate is affected by what

A

latitude

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18
Q

what has the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms on land

A

climate

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19
Q

what are the four major physical components

A

temperature, precipitation, sunlight, wind

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20
Q

what are global climate patterns determined by

A

the solar energy and earth’s movement

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21
Q

what does the warming effect of the sun do to earth? (3 things)

A

establishes, temp variations, circulation of air, water and the evaporation of water

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22
Q

what else does the sun affect (latitude)

A

latitudinal variations in climate

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23
Q

what is the angle of impact and what affects it

A

rays of sunlight hitting the earth the intensity of the sunlight and the light per unit surface area

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24
Q

how is an oblique angle achieved and what is it

A

when the sun it at a higher altitude; the light energy is not as intense

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25
Q

what do global air circulation and precipitation patterns affect

A

climate patterns

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26
Q

what does intense sunlight do to water

A

causes water to evaporate in the tropics and warm wet air to rise and flow from the tropics to the poles

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27
Q

what do rising air masses do

A

release water which causes high precipitation

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28
Q

what do dry air masses do

A

create arid climates, near the 30 degree north and south, north and south

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29
Q

what way do cooling trade winds blow

A

east to west in the tropics

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30
Q

what way do prevailing westerlies blow in temperate zones

A

west to east in the temperate zones

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31
Q

how does climate vary and what affects climate

A

seasonally; bodies of water and mountain ranges

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32
Q

what is seasonality at high altitudes caused by

A

the tilt of Earth’s axis and its annual passing around the sun

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33
Q

seasonal variations in day length, solar radiation, and temp increase toward what

A

the poles

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34
Q

what do large bodies of water moderate

A

the climate of nearby land due to the high specific heat of water

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35
Q

what do ocean currents influence

A

the climate of nearby terrestrial environmentsw

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36
Q

currents flowing toward the equator carry what water

A

cold water from the poles

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37
Q

currents flowing away from the equator carry what water

A

warm water toward the poles

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38
Q

what happens to air before it passes over the land

A

it is cooled or warmed

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39
Q

how does the large body of water influence the climate during the day

A

air rises over warm land and draws a breeze from the cool water

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40
Q

how does the large body of water influence the climate during the night

A

land cools at night, air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air from the land back over the water

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41
Q

how do mountains affect warm air

A

warm moist air cools as it rises up a mountain and releases moisture on the windward side

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42
Q

how do mountains affect cool and dry air?

A

absorbs the moisture as it descends on the leeward side creating rain shadow

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43
Q

what are the two types of climate patterns

A

microclimate and macroclimate

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44
Q

characteristics of a microclimate

A
  • localized pattern

- features of environment influence surrounding areas

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45
Q

what are some characteristics of a macroclimate

A
  • global level
  • regional level
  • landscape level
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46
Q

what are abiotic facotrs

A

nonliving

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47
Q

what are biotic factors

A

living

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48
Q

what are some examples of abiotic factors

A

temp, light, water, nutrients

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49
Q

what has increased climate change

A

burning of fossil fuels and deforestation

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50
Q

what effect does the burning of fossil fuels have

A

increased the concentration of greenhouse gases

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51
Q

what is climate change

A

directional change to the global climate that lasts for decades or more

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52
Q

what is one result of climate change

A

wind and precipitatoin patterns are shifting and there is more extreme weather present

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53
Q

how can you predit the effects of future climate change

A

study how species responded to such shifts in the past

54
Q

how can you determine future geographic range shifts for climate change

A

determine the location of suitable habitat under different climate scenarios

55
Q

what is the distribution of terrestrial biomes controlled by

A

climate and disturbance

56
Q

what is a biome

A

large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.

57
Q

what determines the locations of terrestrial biomes

A

climate

58
Q

what is a climograph

A

plots the annual mean temperature and precipitation

59
Q

what abiotic factors affect a biome

A

mean temp, precipitation, a pattern of temp and precipitation through year

60
Q

what is a terrestrial biome

A

based on land; named for climatic features and vegetation

61
Q

what is an ecotone

A

boundary or a transition between two ecosystems. A common example could be an area of marshland between a river and its riverbank.

62
Q

what do terrestrial biomes usually do * think of ecotone)

A

usually mix into each other without any sharp boundaries

63
Q

how does vertical layering provide

A

diverse habitats for animals in terrestrial biomes

64
Q

what does vertical layering consist of

A

upper canopy, low tree layer, shrub understory, herbaceous, plants, forest floor, root layer

65
Q

what is disturbance

A

event such as a storm or fire or human activity that changes a community

66
Q

what are the major terrestrial biomes

A

tropical forest, desert, savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland, northern coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, tundra

67
Q

what is the distribution for tropical forest

A

equatorial and subequatorial

68
Q

what is the precipitation in tropical forest

A

rainall is relatively constant

and in dry forests precipitation is highly seasonal

69
Q

what is the temperature year-round in tropical rainforest

A

high year round25-29 degrees celsius with little seasonal variation

70
Q

animals in tropical forest

A

diverse

71
Q

human impact in tropical forest

A

forests are cutdown and converted to farmland

72
Q

where are deserts mostly located

A

near 30 degrees north and south and in the interior of continents

73
Q

desert precipitation

A

low and highly variable

74
Q

temp in the desert

A

variable seasonally and daily

75
Q

animals in the desert

A

nocturnal

76
Q

plants in the desert

A

have physical defenses like spines, chemical defenses such as toxins to prevent feeding by animals

77
Q

what is desiccation

A

drying out of a living organism

78
Q

human impact on desert

A

reduced biodiversity because of urbanization

79
Q

which biomes are distributed in the equatorial and subequatorial

A

tropical forests and savanna

80
Q

precipitation for savanna

A

seasonal w. dry seasons

81
Q

savanna temperature

A

temperature averages 24–29ºC: seasonal

variation

82
Q

plants in the savanna

A

fire-adapted and

tolerant of seasonal drought

83
Q

common animals in savanna

A

Large herbivores are common, but insects are the

dominant herbivores

84
Q

human impact on the savanna

A

Human-induced fires help maintain the savanna, but

cattle ranching and overhunting threaten large mammal populations

85
Q

location of chaparral biome

A

midlatitude coastal regions on

several continents

86
Q

weather in chaparral

A
  • highly seasonal precipitation

- summer is hot, winter and spring are cool

87
Q

plants in the chaparral

A

shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs and they are adapted to fire and drought

88
Q

animals in chapparal

A

amphibians, birds, other repitiles, insects, browsing mammals

89
Q

human impact on chaparral

A

reduced areas bc of agriculture and urbanization

90
Q

location of temperate grasslands

A

found on many continents

91
Q

weather in temperate grassland

A

precipitation is highly seasonal and winters are cold, summers are hot

92
Q

plants in temperate grasslands

A

grasses and forbs are adapted to droughts and fires

93
Q

animals in temperate grassland

A

bison,wild

horses, and small burrowers, such as prairie dogs

94
Q

human impact on grasslands

A

converted to agricultural land
– Drier grasslands have been transformed to desert
due to the activity of grazers, such as cattle

95
Q

location of northern coniferous forest

A

northern
North America and Eurasia and is the largest terrestrial
biome on Earth

96
Q

what is the largest biome on earth

A

north coniferous forest

97
Q

weather and precipitation in coniferous

A
  • precipitation varies

- winters are cold summers may be hot

98
Q

plants in coniferous

A

pine, spruce, fir, hemlock

99
Q

animals in coniferous

A

moose, brown bears, and Siberian

tigers

100
Q

what kills most of the coniferous rainforest

A

insects outbreaks

101
Q

human impact on coniferous

A

logging has destroyed homes of multiple species

102
Q

location of broadleaf forest

A

primarily at midatitudes in the northern hemisphere

103
Q

weather in the broadleaf forest

A
  • signicican amounts of precipitation during the fall

- winters are cold and summers are hot and humid

104
Q

which biomes have vertical layers

A

tropical forest and temperate broadleaf forest

105
Q

animals of the broadleaf forest

A

mammals, birds, insects

106
Q

human impact on broadleaf forest

A

heavily settled by humans but they are recoverin

107
Q

location of tundra biomes

A

expansive areas of the arctic and exists on high mountaintops

108
Q

weather and precipitaton in tundra

A
  • precipitation is low

- cold winters, cool sumers

109
Q

plants in tundra

A

vegetation is herbaceous

- permafrost restricts growth of plant roots

110
Q

what is permafrost

A

permanently frozen layer of soil

111
Q

animals in tundra

A

musk oxen, caribou, reindeer bears, wolves, migratory bird

112
Q

human impact on tundra

A

human settlement is sparse, tundra has become the focus of oil and mineral extraction

113
Q

which biome is diverse and covers the most of Earth

A

aquatic biome

114
Q

what are aquatic biomes characterized by

A

physical and chemical environment

example: avg salt concentration in marine biomes is 3% where as in freshwater it is less than 0.1%

115
Q

what has a major effect on the biosphere and why

A

oceans because they cover 75% of the surface

116
Q

what are freshwater biomes influenced by

A

soil and biotic components

117
Q

how are aquatic biomes separated

A

light penetration, temperature, and depth

118
Q

what is the upper photic zone

A

sufficient light for photosynthesis

119
Q

what zone is the photic and aphotic zone made up of

A

pelagic zone

120
Q

what is the benthic zone

A

organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aquatic zones; ocean floor

121
Q

benthos

A

communities of organisms in the benthic zone

122
Q

what is detritus and what is its benefit

A

dead organic matter and its a source of food

123
Q

what is the aphotic zone

A

harbors little life

124
Q

what is the thermocline

A

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

125
Q

what is the aphotic zone

A

little or no sunlight

126
Q

what is the abyssal zone

A

deep sea, lacks high plant life bc of the absence of life

127
Q

what is the pelagic zone

A

includes the entire ocean water column( free waters in the body of the ocean)

128
Q

how do communities in aquatic biomes vary

A

depth, light penetration, distance from shore and the position in the pelagic or benthic zone

129
Q

where do most organisms live in marine communities

A

shallow photic zone

130
Q

what is turnover

A

when lakes mix their waters in the spring and autumn

131
Q

what is the effect of turnover

A

sends o2 water to the bottom and nutrient rich water to the top

Biology 1306 (15 decks)

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