BIOLOGY - 34.1 - 34.8 *Open-ended questions*

Question 1

List the biotic and abiotic factors shown in Figure 34.1D

Answer 1

The biotic factors include all the animals and plants (blue poppies and grasses). Abiotic factors include the soil, temperature, and precipitation

Question 2

Why are birds and mammals found In Himalayan alpine meadows, but non-bird reptiles and amphibians are not?

Answer 2

As ectotherms, reptiles other than birds and amphibians do not have adaptations that enable them to withstand the cold temperatures of the alpine habitat

Question 3

What causes summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer 3

Because of the fixed angle of Earth’s axis relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun during the portion of the annual orbit that corresponds to the summer months

Question 4

Oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has polluted estuaries in Louisiana. Why does this pollution affect other animals in addition to those that live permanently in the estuaries?

Answer 4

Many species, including fishes and waterfowl, visit estuaries to feed or reproduce.

Question 5

Why does sewage cause algal blooms in lakes?

Answer 5

The sewage adds nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates, that stimulate growth of algae

Question 6

As global temperatures continue to rise, which biome will most likely replace arctic tundra?

Answer 6

Northern coniferous forest