Chapter 4

Question 0

What is an ecological niche?

Answer 0

An ecological niche is an organisms role in an ecosystem.

Question 1

What is an ecotone?

Answer 1

An ecotone is a transition area between two ecosystems. It has a combination of species from the bordering ecosystems.

Question 2

What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?

Answer 2

The difference is that a habitat is where organisms live and a niche is the organism’s role in an ecosystem.

Question 3

What is an invasive species?

Answer 3

An invasive species is a species that is not native to an ecosystem.

Question 4

What is a biome?

Answer 4

A biome is a large geographical region with a specific climate, plants and animals.

Question 5

What are the four types of terrestrial biomes in Canada?

Answer 5

1. Tundra
2. Taiga
3. Deciduous forest
4. Grassland

Question 6

What are the zones of a lake?

Answer 6

1. Littoral
2. Limnetic
3. Profundal
4. Benthic

Question 7

Out of all the terrestrial biomes, which one gets the most precipitation per year?

Answer 7

Deciduous forest

Question 8

What are the four factors affecting terrestrial ecosystems?

Answer 8

1. Soil
2. Available water
3. Temperature
4. Sunlight

Question 9

What are the different layers of soil?

Answer 9

Litter, topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.

Question 10

What are the factors affecting aquatic ecosystems?

Answer 10

Chemical environment, temperature and sunlight, water pressure, and seasonal variations.

Question 11

What are the four main factors that limit populations and communities?

Answer 11

1. Biotic potential
2. Limiting factors
3. Carrying capacity
4. Limits of tolerance

Question 12

How is biotic potential regulated?

Answer 12

Biotic potential is regulated by four factors:

1. Birth potential
2. Capacity for survival
3. Breeding frequency
4. Length of productive life

Question 13

Explain the three forestry practices.

Answer 13

1. Slash and burn: clearing a forest by cutting down trees and burning the debris
2. Clear cutting: removing all trees in an area for use in timber or pulp. This is also used to stop diseases from spreading all over a forest.
3. Selective cutting: only certain trees are harvested in an area. This is best for preserving an ecosystem.

Question 14

What are prescribed burns?

Answer 14

Prescribed burns are controlled fires set intentionally in a designated areas. Mostly used to burn dead material to revive an ecosystem.

Question 15

What are the two kinds of lakes, and how are they different?

Answer 15

The two kinds of lakes are oligotrophic and eutrophic. The difference between them is that oligotrophic lakes are deep, cold, and have low nutrient levels. Eutrophic lakes are shallow, warm, and have high nutrient levels.

Question 16

What is eutrophication?

Answer 16

Eutrophication is when oligotrophic lakes become eutrophic overtime, and eutrophic lakes eventually fill in and become dry land.

Question 17

What are the indicators of water quality?

Answer 17

Bacteria, dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand (BOD).

Question 18

What is watershed?

Answer 18

Watershed is an area of land that drains toward a lake.

Question 19

What is the difference between density-independent and density-dependent factors?

Answer 19

The difference is the density-independent factors affect members of a population regardless of population density and density-dependent factors affect a population because of the density of the population.

Question 21

List examples of density-independent and density-dependent factors.

Answer 21

Density-independent: flood, fire, pesticides, climate change, destruction of habitat, and drought.
Density-dependent: food shortage, disease, introduction of an exotic species, increased predation, and competition for water and resources.

Question 22

What is the difference between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems?

Answer 22

The difference between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems is that aquatic ecosystems have a more stable climate that doesn’t change much and terrestrial ecosystems have a climate that changes constantly. Also, terrestrial ecosystems don’t have as much water as aquatic ecosystems do.