Ch 52 Flashcards
the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment, which determine the distributions of organisms and their abundance
ecology
the global ecosystem, the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems
biosphere
examines the influence of energy and materials on organisms across the biosphere
global ecology
mosaic of connected ecosystems
landscape or seascapes
focuses on the exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
landscapes ecology
is the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact
ecosystems
emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components
ecosystem ecology
is a group of populations of different species in an area
community
deals with the whole array of interacting species in a community
community ecology
is a group of individuals of the same species living in an area
population
focuses on factors affecting population size over time
population ecology
studies how an organism’s structure, physiology, and (for animals) behavior meet environmental challenges
includes physiological, evolutionary, and behavioral ecology
organismal ecology
the long term prevailing weather conditions in an area constitutes its
climate
four major abiotic components of climate are
temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind
consists of patterns on the global, regional, and landscape, level
macroclimate
consists of very fine patterns, such as those encountered by the community of organisms underneath a fallen log
microclimate
plots the temperature and precipitation in a region
climograph
the area of integration, an _____, may be wide or narrow
ecotone
vertical layering is an important feature; in a forest it might consist of an upper ______, low tree layer, shrub understory, ground layer, forest floor, and root layer
canopy
an event such as a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community
disturbance
rainfall is relatively constant
tropical rain forest
precipitation is highly seasonal
tropical dry forests
occur in bands near 30 degree north and south of the equator, and in the interior of continents
deserts
-precipitation is seasonal
-equatorial and subequatorial regions
-common inhabitats: insects and mammals such as wildebeests, zebras, lions, and hyenas
savanna
-occurs in midlatitude coastals regions on several continents
-dominated by shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs
amphibians, birds and other reptiles, insects, small mammals, and browsing mammals
chaparral
-are found on many continents
-winters are cold and dry; summers are hot and wet
-native mammals include large grazers such as bison and wild horses and small burrowers such as prairie dogs
temperate grasslands
-spans northern north america and eurasia and is the largest terrestrial biome on earth
-conifers such as pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock dominate
-migratory and resident birds and large mammals such as moose, brown bears, and siberian tigers
northern coniferous forest or taiga
-is found at mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere, w smaller areas in chile, south africa, australia, and new zealend
-mammals, birds, and insects make use of all vertical layers in the forest
temperate broadleaf forest
-covers expansive areas of the arctic; alpine tundra exists on high mountaintops at all latitudes
-precipitation are cold in arctic tundra and higher in alpine tundra
tundra
-permanently frozen layer of soil, prevents water infiltration
-vegetation is herbaceous and supports birds, grazers, and their predators
-mammals include musk oxen, caribou, reindeer, bears, wolves, and foxes
permafrost
