Chapter 3.3 Flashcards
What are the distribution of animals affected by?
Abiotic factors
What is Climate?
The average weather conditions in a particular region over a period of time
What is climate determined by?
Temperature and rainfall
What does the unequal heating of earths atmosphere produce?
Global air and water movements that interact with physical features to produce patterns of rainfall
(Trade winds and ocean currents)
What does the pattern of precipitation influence?
the type of soil that forms in different regions
What two factors determine the types and abundance of plants that survive?
The unequal heating of the atmosphere and the pattern precipitation
what do photosynthetic organisms determine?
The variety and population sizes of animals, fungi, and non-photosynthetic species
What are biomes?
Very large ecological areas on the earth’s surface
What do biomes include?
A particular mix of plants and animals and other organisms that are adapted to living in a particular environment
When does terrestrial life increase?
When temperature and the amount of precipitation increase
What is within a biome?
Different habitats
What is a habitat?
A place or area with a particular set of characteristics, both biotic or abiotic
What is the Range of a population or species?
The geographical area where the population or species is found
What is the limit of species range determined by?
Its habitat requirements
Why is it possible for species to share the same range or habitat?
Because of their ecological niche
What is an ecological niche?
The role that a species members play in a community and its total range of biotic and abiotic requirements
What is controlled by limiting factors?
The growth, survival, and distribution of populations
What are Limiting Factors?
Abiotic and biotic conditions that limit the number of individuals in a population
How are populations controlled by abiotic factors?
Population can be controlled by things like soil, moisture, humidity, etc.
What are the 3 biotic limiting factors?
Competition
Predators
Parasites
How does competition limit populations?
This happens when the availability for nutrients is limited and individuals must compete for them. This causes the number of births and deaths to decrease
What is intraspecific competition?
When members of the same population compete with each other for a limited resource
What is predation?
A biotic interaction that involves the consumption of one organism by another
What is parasitism?
An interaction in which one organism (The prey) derives its nourishment from another organism (The host)
What is the most common way for scientists to estimate the size of a population?
By taking samples and calculating the average
How do scientists use Transects to estimate population?
A very long rectangle with a starting point and random direction are chosen. The occurrence of any individual is marked
What do ecologists like to use Quadrats for?
For finding the population of organisms that tend to stay in one spot all their lives
How do Quadrats work?
Several locations that are the same size are randomly chosen. then the number of species is counted. The density is found by calculating the average number and dividing by the size of the quadrat
How can organisms be sampled?
Using transects or quadrats
