Biology Chapter 4 Flashcards
What factors cause climate?
The trapping of heat in Earth’s atmosphere, latitude, the transport of heat by winds and ocean currents, and the amount of precipitation
How is weather different from climate?
Weather is day-to-day conditions while climate is conditions over time.
What is considered to be the world’s insulating blanket?
The atmosphere
What is the greenhouse effect?
When heat is retained by a layer of greenhouse gases.
What are the two main greenhouse gases?
Carbon dioxide and methane
How does latitude affect climate?
The degrees of latitude have different angles of heating.
List the three main climate zones from coldest to warmest.
Polar zone, temperate zone, tropical zone
What force drives winds and ocean currents?
The unequal heating of Earth.
What is the process in which water rises toward the surface in warmer regions called?
Upwelling
What is the difference between something that is biotic and abiotic?
Biotic is living, abiotic is nonliving
What is a niche?
The conditions that an organism lives in
True or false: No two species can occupy the same niche.
True
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
The idea that competition results in a survival and a death
What is predation?
When organisms consume other organisms
What is symbiosis?
When two species live close to each other
What are the three types of symbiotic relationships? Briefly describe each one.
Mutualism- both species benefit
Commensalism- one benefits, one remains neutral
Parasitism- one benefits, the other is harmed
What is the organism that a parasite lives on called?
A host
What is ecological succession?
A series of predictable changes in a community
What is primary succession?
Succession on an area with no soil
What is the first species to occupy an area when primary succession begins called?
Pioneer species
What is secondary succession?
When a community is changed but soil is not removed
What factors can cause succession?
Natural disasters, human activity, and climate change
What is a biome?
A complex of terrestrial communities that covers a large area and is characterized by certain conditions
What does a climate diagram summarize?
Average temperature and precipitation
What is a microclimate?
The climate in a small area that differs from the area around it
How are biomes defined?
A unique set of abiotic factors, a characteristic ecological community, and a defined climate
