Biomes, Zonation and Succession

Question 1

What is a biome?

Answer 1

A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climactic conditions which can be classified into five categories.

Question 2

What are the five categories of biomes?

Answer 2

forest, aquatic, grassland, desert and tundra

Question 3

What are characteristic features of biomes?

Answer 3

Their limiting factors, productivity and biodiversity.

Question 4

What are the main factors governing the distribution of biomes?

Answer 4

Insolation, precipitation and temperature.

Also terrain and geography (slope aspect and altitude) is important.

Question 5

What is the biosphere?

Answer 5

The part of the earth that is inhabited by organisms.

Question 6

What is zonation?

Answer 6

Zonation refers to changes in community along an environmental gradient due to factors such as changes in altitude, latitude, tidal level or distance from shore.

Question 7

What is succession?

Answer 7

How an ecosystem changes over time.

Question 8

What is primary succession?

Answer 8

Succession on a bare, inorganic surface.

Question 9

Stages of primary succession:

Answer 9

Colonization 
Establishment
Competition
Stabilization
Climax community

Question 10

Describe colonization

Answer 10

Pioneers arrive, usually r selected
Simple soil (windblown).

Question 11

Describe establishment

Answer 11

Species diversity increases
Invertebrate species arrive
Soil and water holding capacity increases

Question 12

Describe competition

Answer 12

K selected species arrive

New species come, r selected species die

Question 13

Describe stabilization

Answer 13

Fewer new species

Complex food webs established

Question 14

Describe climax community

Answer 14

Steady state

Dynamic Equilibrium

Question 15

What changes occur over succession?

Answer 15

Size of organisms increase
Energy flow becomes more complex
Food chains lengthen and complicate
Soil depth, water holding capacity, mineral content and cycling increase
Biodiversity increases and slightly falls
NPP and GPP rise and fall

Question 16

Characteristics of r selected species?

Answer 16

R selected better adapted to pioneer communities
Short lives
Small
Many children

Question 17

Characteristics of k selected species?

Answer 17

Better adapted to climax communities
Large
Longer lives
Fewer offspring

Question 18

Define climax community:

Answer 18

A climax community is the final stage of succession, remaining relatively unchanged until destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference.

Question 19

Define secondary succession:

Answer 19

succession started by an event such as a forest fire that reduces an already established ecosystem such as a forrest to a smaller population of species.