Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Biology II > ch. 52 > Flashcards

ch. 52 Flashcards

1
Q

ecology

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

levels of organization

A
  • organisms
  • populations
  • communities
  • ecosystems
  • biomes
  • biosphere
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

organismal ecology

A

studies how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what does organismal ecology include

A

physiological and behavioral ecology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

population ecology

A

focuses on factors affecting population size over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

population

A

group of individuals of the same species living in an area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

community ecology

A

examines effect of interspecific interactions of community structure and organization

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

community

A

group of populations of different species in an area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

ecosystem ecology

A

emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

ecosystem

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

landscape (or seascape)

A

mosaic of connected ecosystems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

landscape ecology

A

focuses on exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

biosphere

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

global ecology

A

examines influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what constitutes a climate

A

long-term prevailing weather conditions in an area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what does climate consist of

A
  • temperature
  • precipitation
  • sunlight
  • wind
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what are global climate patterns determined by

A

solar energy and earth’s movement in space

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what does the warming effect of the sun establish

A
  • temperature variations
  • circulation of air and water
  • evaporation of water
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what causes latitudinal variations in climate

A

warming effects of sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what affects sunlight intensity

A

angle at which sunlight hits earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

intensity

A

amount of heat and light per unit of surface area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

where is the intensity of sunlight the strongest

A

in the tropics - strikes earth most directly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

wet air masses circulation and tropics

A
  • water evaporates in tropics, and warm/wet air masses flow from tropics to poles
  • rising air masses release water and cause high precipitation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what do dry air masses create

A

arid climates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what creates predictable global wind patterns

A

air flowing close to earth’s surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

where do cooling trade winds blow

A

from east to west in the tropics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

where do prevailing westerlies blow

A

from west to east in temperate zones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

what seasonal variations increase steadily toward the poles

A
  • day length
  • solar radiation
  • temperature increase
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

what is seasonality at high latitudes caused by

A
  • tilt of earth’s axis of rotation
  • annual passage around the sun
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

what do regions at 20 N and 20 S latitudes have

A

wet and dry seasons due to the changing angle of the sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

what are ocean currents altered by

A

seasonal changes in wind patterns

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

what do altered ocean currents cause

A

upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from deep ocean layers
- stimulates population growth of phytoplankton and organisms that feed on them

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

what do ocean currents influence

A

the climate of nearby terrestrial environments

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

how do large bodies of water moderate the climate of nearby land

A
  • day: air rises over warm land and draws a breeze from the cooler water
  • night: air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air from land back over water, which is replaced by warm air from offshore
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

how do mountains influence air flow over land and affect climate

A
  • warm air cools as it rises up a mountain and releases moisture on the windward side
  • cool, dry air absorbs moisture from the land as it descends and creates a “rain shadow” on the leeward side
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

what is the temperature drop for each 1,000 m increase

A

6 degrees celsius

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

microclimate

A

very fine, localized patterns in climate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

what is every environment characterized by differences in

A

abiotic and biotic factors

39
Q

abiotic factors

A

nonliving attributes such as temperature, light, water, and nutrients

40
Q

biotic factors

A

other organisms that are part of an individual’s environment

41
Q

climate change

A

directional change to the global climate lasting 3 decades or more

42
Q

what have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

A
  • burning of fossil fuels
  • deforestation
43
Q

what does climate change effect

A
  • wind and precipitation patterns
  • global temperature
  • frequency of extreme weather events
44
Q

how to predict effects of future global climate change

A

study how species responded to changes in the past

45
Q

what have geographic ranges of many species have shifted in response to what?

A

climate change

46
Q

what happens to species that have trouble dispersing or face a shortage of suitable habitat?

A

could have smaller ranges or become extinct

47
Q

biomes

A

major life zones characterized by vegetation type (terrestrial biomes) or physical environment (aquatic biomes)

48
Q

how are terrestrial biomes separated

A

usually grade into each other without sharp boundaries

49
Q

ecotone

A

area of intergradation of terrestrial biomes - may be wide or narrow

50
Q

what is an important feature of terrestrial biomes

A

vertical layering

51
Q

vertical layering in forest

A
  • upper canopy
  • low-tree layer
  • shrub understory
  • ground layer of herbaceous plants
  • forest floor
  • root layer
52
Q

disturbance

A

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

53
Q

intermediate disturbance hypothesis

A

need just right amount of disturbance to have high biodiversity

54
Q

what are terrestrial biomes characterized by

A
  • distribution
  • precipitation
  • temperature
  • plants
  • animals
55
Q

tropical forest

A
  • distribution is in equatorial and subequatorial regions
  • temperature high year-round with little seasonal variation
56
Q

tropical rain forest precipitation

A

rainfall relatively constant

57
Q

tropical dry forest precipitation

A

precipitation highly seasonal

58
Q

desert

A
  • occur in bands near 30 north and south of equator and in interior of continents
  • may be hot or cold
59
Q

desert plant adaptations

A

heat and desiccation tolerance, water storage, reduced leaf surface area

60
Q

desert animals

A

many nocturnal and have adaptations for water conservation

61
Q

savanna

A
  • huge ecotone
  • grassland dotted with trees
  • less precipitation than a forest, and more than on a grassland
62
Q

dominant plant species of savanna

A
  • fire-adapted
  • tolerant of seasonal drought
  • grasses and forbs make up most of ground cover
63
Q

animal species in savanna

A
  • large herbivores common
  • insects dominant herbivores
64
Q

forb

A

herbaceous plant that’s not a grass or grass-like plant

65
Q

herbaceous plant

A

one that doesn’t develop a toddy stem and so dies back to the ground after one growing season
- annual or perennial

66
Q

what are grasses

A

graminoids

67
Q

chaparral

A
  • precipitation highly seasonal with rainy winters and dry summers
  • summer hot, fall/winter/spring cool
68
Q

plants in chaparral

A

shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs
- many adapted to fire/drought

69
Q

animals in chaparral

A

amphibians, birds, reptiles, insects, browsing mammals, diversity of small mammals

70
Q

temperate grassland

A
  • found on many continents
  • precipitation highly seasonal
  • winters cold and dry
  • summers hot
71
Q

dominant plants of temperature grassland

A
  • grasses and forbs
  • adapted to droughts and fire
72
Q

animals in temperate grasslands

A
  • large grazers such as bison/wild horses
  • small burrowers such as prairie dogs
73
Q

northern coniferous forest (taiga)

A
  • North America and Eurasia
74
Q

largest terrestrial biome on earth

A

northern coniferous forest

75
Q

plants in northern coniferous forest

A

pine, spruce, fir, hemlock

76
Q

temperate broadleaf forest

A

vertical layers (closed canopy, understory trees, shrub layer, herb layer)

77
Q

dominant plants of temperate broadleaf forest

A
  • deciduous trees in the northern hemisphere
  • evergreen eucalyptus australia
78
Q

tundra

A
  • covers expansive areas of the arctic
  • annual precipitation lower in arctic tundra than in alpine tundra
  • winters cold
  • summers cool
79
Q

where does alpine tundra exist

A

on high mountaintops at all latitudes

80
Q

vegetation of tundra

A

herbaceous (mosses, grasses, forbs, drawf shrubs, trees, lichen)

81
Q

permafrost

A

permanently frozen layer of soil, restricts the growth of plant roots

82
Q

mammals in tundra

A

musk, oxen, caribou, reindeer, bears, wolves, and foxes, migratory bird species

83
Q

largest marine biome

A

oceans - 75% of earth’s surface

84
Q

how are many aquatic biomes are stratified into zones defined?

A
  • light penetration
  • temperature
  • depth
85
Q

upper photic zone of aquatic biomes

A

sufficient life for photosynthesis

86
Q

aphonic zone of aquatic biomes

A

receives little light

87
Q

pelagic zone

A

photic and aphotic zones

88
Q

abyssal zone

A

located in aphasic zone with a depth of 2-6,000 m

89
Q

benthic zone

A

organic and inorganic sediment at bottom of all aquatic zones

90
Q

benthos

A

communities of organisms in the benthic zone

91
Q

detritus

A

dead organic matter that falls from the productive surface water and is an important sources of food

92
Q

thermocline

A

temperature boundary that separates the warm upper layer from the cold deeper water

93
Q

turnover

A

semiannual mixing of water of lakes
- mixes oxygenated water from surface with nutrient-rich water from bottom

Biology II (43 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions