B4.1 - Adaptations to Environment Flashcards
adaptations to environment
What is a habitat?
A habitat is the environment in which a community, species, population, or organism usually lives.
How can habitats be described?
Habitats can be described in terms of geographic locations or the type of ecosystem.
What is a limiting factor in ecology?
A limiting factor is a component of an ecosystem that limits the distribution or numbers of a population.
What are examples of abiotic conditions?
Examples include light intensity, temperature, soil pH, humidity, wind speed, salinity, turbidity, and atmospheric gas concentrations.
What is the law of tolerance?
The survival rate of a species begins to drop as they are exposed to the extremes of a specific limiting factor.
What are the three regions of species distribution in response to a limiting factor?
- Optimal zone 2. Zones of stress 3. Zones of intolerance
What is a transect?
A transect is a straight line along an abiotic gradient used to assess species distribution.
What is a kite graph?
A kite graph represents changes in species distribution, where the relative width indicates the abundance of an organism.
What conditions are required for coral reef formation?
Coral reefs require specific conditions such as water depth, salinity, water clarity, pH, and temperature.
What defines a biome?
A biome is a geographical area with a particular climate that maintains a specific community of animals and plants.
What is convergent evolution?
Convergent evolution occurs when different species independently develop similar characteristics due to similar selection pressures.
What adaptations do marram grasses have?
Marram grasses have horizontal underground stems, deep root systems, and curled leaves to reduce exposure to air.
How do mangroves adapt to their environment?
Mangroves have aerial root systems for oxygen intake and can sequester salts to minimize osmotic disruptions.
What are xerophytes?
Xerophytes are plants adapted to desert conditions, typically low-growing with reduced leaves to minimize transpiration.
What characterizes tropical rainforests?
Tropical rainforests have dense vegetation, high biodiversity, and compete for sunlight.
What factors affect biome distribution?
Temperature and rainfall are the main factors affecting biome distribution.
What is Whittaker’s Climograph?
Whittaker’s Climograph visually displays biome distribution based on average temperature and annual rainfall.
What are the types of biomes?
Types of biomes include desert, grassland, tropical and temperate forest, taiga, and tundra.
What are the characteristics of deserts?
Deserts experience extreme temperatures, very low precipitation, and support a small number of well-adapted species.
What defines grasslands?
Grasslands have moderate temperatures and rainfall, with grasses dominating due to insufficient rainfall for tree growth.
What are the characteristics of temperate forests?
Temperate forests have moderate temperatures, seasonal trends, and high productivity due to fertile soil.
What defines tropical forests?
Tropical forests have high annual rainfall, consistently warm temperatures, and nutrient-poor soil.
What are boreal forests (taiga)?
Boreal forests are cold with low precipitation, dominated by conifers, and support small numbers of well-adapted species.
What characterizes tundras?
Tundras are extremely cold with minimal rainfall, low productivity, and few species that are often migratory.
