Chapter 3 Biology Flashcards
Ecology
The scientific study of interactions among organisms, populations and communities and their interactions with the environment.
What are the levels of organization?
Individual, population, community, ecosystem, biomes, biosphere
How do you gather ecological data?
LOTS of observation and experimentation, the natural environment is hard to manipulate
Biotic factor
Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
Abiotic factor
Any nonliving part of the environment, such as sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind or water currents, and soil types.
Biosphere
A thick skin of life that covers the earth, it includes all parts of earth in which life exists
What does the word ecology come from?
“oikos” meaning house
What do humans need to survive?
A healthy ecological system for essential needs like drinking water, healthy soil
What are the 3 main approaches for ecology?
Observation, experimentation, and modeling
What are abiotic factors influenced by?
Organisms
Weather
Day to day conditions of the Earth’s atmosphere
Climate
long term patterns of temperature and precipitation over many years
Microclimate
The climate of a very small or restricted area, especially when this differs from the climate of the surrounding area
What are some examples of microclimates?
Moss - cool/moist environment, found on trees typically
Green house effect
The process in which certain gasses(carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth’s atmosphere as heat
What does the green house effect do for the earth?
It retains heat and maintains a fairly moderate temperature range in the atmosphere
What does H2O do in the greenhouse effect?
It adds a lot of energy to raise temperature, and takes away a lot of energy to lower the temperature
What does temperature reflect?
How fast molecules are moving
Why is it hard to get H2O molecules moving really fast?
Because they stick to eachother
What enhances the greenhouse effect?
Manmade changes
How is earth’s average temperature determined?
By the balance between the amount of heat that stays in the atmosphere and the amount of heat that is lost to space
Where does climate come from?
Solar energy coming from sunlight striking the earth’s surface
What is climate defined by?
Patterns and averages of temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind over many years
Global Winds
Patterns caused by uneven heating of earth’s atmosphere
Where do seasons occur?
In temperate regions, because there is differential sunlight at different times of the year
What causes global wind patterns?
Warm air rising and cool air sinking because earth is spinning on its axis
Which is more predictable, weather or climate
Climate - weather changes rapidly and is much harder to predict
How is the global climate system powered and shaped?
By the total amount of solar power retained in the atmosphere as heat, and by unequal distribution of that heat between the equator and the poles
What are the 3 main climate zones?
Tropical, temperate, and polar
What does solar energy result in?
Seasons
What occurs when there is an unequal distribution of heat?
Wind and ocean currents
How are ocean currents formed?
By patterns of warming and cooling, winds, and the location of the continents
How is regional climate shaped?
By latitude, the transport of heat and moisture by winds and ocean currents, and by geographical features like mountain ranges, vast bodies of water, and ocean currents.
What do changes in climate impact?
The atmosphere and hydrosphere
What causes a climate change?
Changes in solar energy, variations, in earth’s orbit, meteorite impacts, mountain building, and volcanic activity
What are abiotic factors in aquatic ecosystems
Water depth, currents, and nutrient availibility
What are the layers of marine ecosystems?
Interdial zone, coastal ocean, open ocean, photic zone, aphotic, benthic zone
What are the 3 main freshwater ecosystem
Rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and freshwater wetlands
Estuary
A wetland that forms where a river meets the sea
What happens to salinity in estuaries during different seasons?
It varies
Biome
A group of ecosystems that share the same climates and typical organisms
Humus
A rich material found in soil, formed from decaying laves and other organic matter
How many biomes are there
10 - Tropical rain forest, tropical dry forest, tropical grassland, desert, temperate grassland, temperate woodland and shrubland, temperate forest, northwestern carnivorous forest, boreal forest/tundra, and tundra
How are biomes described?
In terms of abiotic factors such as climate and soil type, and biotic factors such as plant and animal life
How are biomes summarized?
On a climate diagram
How are biomes today
There are not many left, because 75% of all land has been altered by humans
How are marine ecosystems described
By salinity, depth, temperature, flow rate, and concentrations of dissolved nutrients
What are the 3 main types of aquatic ecosystems?
Marine, freshwater, and estuaries
How do fish use estuaries?
They are used for spawning and nursery grounds for many ecologically and commercially important fish and shellfish
