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Biology 106 > Chapter 51 > Flashcards

Chapter 51 Flashcards

0
Q

The study of the interactions between organisms and their environments

A

ecology

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1
Q

All regions of Earth’s crust, waters, and atmosphere that sustain life

A

biosphere

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2
Q

“biological”, often in reference to living components of the environment

A

biotic

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3
Q

“nonbiological”, often in reference to physical factors in the environment

A

abiotic

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4
Q

The component of the biosphere that encompasses all the water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, and polar ice caps

A

hydrosphere

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5
Q

The component of the biosphere that includes the rocks, sediments, and soils of the crust

A

lithosphere

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6
Q

The component of the biosphere that includes the gases and airborne particles enveloping the planet

A

atmosphere

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7
Q

An ecological discipline in which researchers study the genetic, biochemical, physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations of organisms to their abiotic environments

A

organismal ecology

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8
Q

The ecological discipline that focuses on how a population’s size and other characteristics change in space and time

A

population ecology

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9
Q

The ecological discipline that examines groups of populations occuring together in one area

A

community ecology

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10
Q

An ecological discipline that explores the cycling of nutrients and the flow of energy between the biotic components of an ecological community and the abiotic environment

A

ecosystem ecology

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11
Q

Why are studies of ecosystems more “inclusive” than studies of populations?

A

Studies of ecosystems are more “inclusive” than studies of populations because ecosystems include the populations of many different species

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12
Q

In what ways are mathematical models useful in ecological research?

A

Mathematical models are useful in ecological research because they help scientists formalize hypotheses about the relationships between variables and because they allow researchers to simulate the effects of changing variables before investing time and resources in experiments or observational studies

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13
Q

The latitudes between 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

A

tropics

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14
Q

A decrease in temperature without the actual loss of heat energy, occuring in air masses that expand as they rise in the atmosphere

A

adiabatic cooling

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15
Q

Climate not moderated by the distant ocean

A

continental climate

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16
Q

Climate temperature by ocean winds

A

maritime climate

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17
Q

A wind pattern that brings seasonally heavy rains to a region by blowing moistureladen air from the sea to the land

A

monsoon cycles

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18
Q

An area of reduced precipitation on the leeward side of a mountain

A

rain shadow

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19
Q

The abiotic conditions immediately surrounding an organism

A

microclimate

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20
Q

How does Earth’s spherical shape influence temperature and air movements at different latitudes?

A

Because of Earth’s spherical shape, sunlight striking the planet’s surface is more concentrated near the equator than at the poles. As a result, temperatures are higher at low latitudes. The concentrated sunlight near the equator heats the atmosphere, causing air masses near the equator to rise, establishing 3 circulation cells in the Northern Hemisphere and 3 in the Southern Hemisphere.

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21
Q

What causes seasonality of the climate in the temperate zone?

A

Earth’s fixed tilt on its axis causes seasonal variation in the amount of sunlight striking the temperate zone as the planet orbits the sun

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22
Q

Why do dry conditions occur at 30 degrees N and S latitude

A

Dry conditions prevail at 30 degrees N and S latitudes because sinking air masses warm as they descend, causing them to absorb water form the land

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23
Q

Describe how mountain influence local precipitation?

A

Mountains affect local precipitation because rising air masses on the windward side of a mountain cool adiabatically and release moisture. When the air masses descend on the leeward side of a mountain, they warm and absorb moisture, causing a rain shadow.

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24
Q

How does the behavior of Anolis lizards in the Dominican Republic change over altitude?

A

Anolis lizard in the Dominican Republic bask more frequently at high elevation that they do at low elevation

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25
Q

What effect is global warming likely to have on the geographical distribution of organisms?

A

Global warming will likely cause the geographical distribution of species to shift or expand to higher latitudes and to higher elevations

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26
Q

A large scale vegetation type and its associated microorganisms, fungi, and animals

A

biome

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27
Q

A graph that portrays the particular combination of temperature and rainfall conditions where each terrestrial biome occurs

A

climograph

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28
Q

Any forest that grows between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, a region characterized by high temperatures and rainfall and thin, nutrient-poor topsoil
such as rainforest, deciduous forest, and montaneforest

A

tropical forests

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29
Q

A dense tropical forest biome that grows where some rain falls every month, mean annual rainfall exceeds 250 cm, mean annual temperature is at least 25 degrees C, and humidity is above 80%

A

tropical rainforests

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30
Q

The weather conditions prevailing over an extended period of time

A

climate

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31
Q

A tropical forest biome that occurs where winter drought reduces photosynthesis and most trees drop their leaves seasonally; found at low to middle altitudes at temperate latitudes with warm summers, cold winters, and annual precipitation between 75 and 250 cm

A

tropical deciduous forests

32
Q

A tropical forest biome of short trees which are frequently enveloped in mist; also known as a “cloud forest”

A

tropical montane forests

33
Q

A biome comprising grasslands with few trees which grows in areas adjacent to tropical deciduous forests

A

savanna

34
Q

A forested biome that grows at the arid borders of true savanna where large mammals are less abundant

A

thorn forests

35
Q

a sparsely vegetated biome that forms where rainfall averages less than 25 cm per year

A

Deserts

36
Q

A biome comprising a scrubby mix of short trees and shrubs that dominates coastal land between 30 degrees and 40 degrees latitude, where winters are cool and wet and summers hot and dry

A

chaparral

37
Q

A non-forested biome that stretches across the interiors of most continents where winters are cold and snowy and summers are warm and fairly dry

A

temperate grasslands

38
Q

A biome that is a circumpolar expanse of evergreen coniferous trees in Europe, Asia, and North America; “swamp forest”

A

boreal forest/ taiga

39
Q

A coniferous forest biome supported by heavy rain and fog, which grows where winters are mild and wet and the summers are cool

A

temperate forest

40
Q

A treeless biome that stretches from the boreal forests to the polar ice cap in Europe, Asia, and North America

A

arctic tundra

41
Q

perpetually frozen ground below the topsoil

A

permafrost

42
Q

A biome that occurs on high mountaintops throughout the world in which dominant plants form cushions and mats

A

alpine tundra

43
Q

Which terrestrial biomes occur in habitats that receive the most rainfall?

A

Tropical rainforest and temperate rainforest are the terrestrial biomes that receive the most rainfall

44
Q

Which terrestrial biomes are renewed by periodic fires?

A

Savannas, chaparral, and temperate grasslands are renewed by periodic fires

45
Q

Which terrestrial biomes have the tallest vegetation? Which ones have the shortest?

A

Tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests have the tallest vegetation. arctic and alpine tundra have the shortest vegetation

46
Q

In which terrestrial biomes are the trees usually evergreen?

A

Trees are usually evergreen in tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and taiga

47
Q

A highly productive ecotone often at the border between a freshwater biome and a terrestrial biome

A

wetlands

48
Q

Surface water of a lake or ocean that sunlight penetrates

A

photic zone

49
Q

Deeper water of a lake or ocean where sunlight does not penetrate

A

aphotic zone

50
Q

The shallow, sunlit water near the shore of a lake or pond

A

littoral zone

51
Q

The sunlit, open water in a lake beyond the zone where plants rooted in the bottom can grow

A

limnetic zone

52
Q

The perpetually dark layer below the limnetic zone in a lake

A

profundal zone

53
Q

The mixing of surface water with deep water in a lake or pond, causing oxygen at the surface to move to the bottom, and nutrients from the button to move to the surface

A

spring overturn

54
Q

The top layer of the limnetic zone in a lake

A

epilimnion

55
Q

The deep water of the profundal zone of a lake

A

hypolimnion

56
Q

The narrow depth range in a lake where water temperature changes abruptly at the boundary between the epilimnion and the hypolimnion

A

thermocline

57
Q

A process in which winds mix the water in a lake vertically, equalizing the concentrations of dissolved gases and nutrients at all depths

A

autumn overturn

58
Q

A lake that is poor in nutrients and organic matter, but rich in oxygen

A

Oligotrophic lakes

59
Q

A lake that is rich in nutrients and organic matter

A

eutrophic lakes

60
Q

How does the availability of dissolved oxygen vary from the headwaters of a stream to the mouth of a river?

A

Dissolved oxygen is usually high in the headwaters of a stream, gradually diminishing as water flows into a river

61
Q

What factors cause the seasonal overturns in lakes?

A

The factors that cause seasonal overturns in lakes include seasonal changes in environmental temperature, variations in wind velocity, and the fact that water is densest at 4 degrees C

62
Q

Why are oligotrophic lakes better for recreational purposes that eutrophic lakes?

A

Oligotrophic lakes are better than eutrophic lakes for recreational purposes because the water in oligotrophic lakes in clear, whereas the water in eutrophic lakes in often clogged with strands of algae cyanobacteria

63
Q

The open water in the oceans

A

pelagic province

64
Q

The bottom sediments in the ocean

A

benthic province

65
Q

The shallow water of the oceans above the continental shelves

A

neritic zone

66
Q

The deep ocean water beyond the continental shelves

A

oceanic zone

67
Q

The shoreline that is alternately submerged and exposed by tides

A

intertidal zone

68
Q

The bottom sediments that lie permanently below deep ocean water

A

abyssal zone

69
Q

A coastal habitat where tidal seawater mixes with fresh water from rivers, streams, and runoff

A

Estuaries

70
Q

A tidal wetland dominated by emergent grasses and reeds

A

salt marshes

71
Q

A structure made from the hard skeletons of coral animals or polyps; found largely in tropical and subtropical marine environments

A

coral reefs

72
Q

Animals that can actively swim against water currents

A

nekton

73
Q

species living in and on the bottom sediments of the ocean

A

benthos

74
Q

What is the difference between the benthic and pelagic provinces of the ocean?

A

The benthic province of the ocean includes all the bottom sediments. The pelagic province includes all of the water

75
Q

Which marine environments experience the largest fluctuations in salinity (salt concentration) over time?

A

Estuaries experience the largest fluctuations in salinity over time

76
Q

Which marine regions receive abundant energy input from sunlight?

A

Estuaries, the intertidal zone, and the upper layer of the oceanic pelagic zone receive substantial energy inputs from sunlight

77
Q

What is the source of nutrients and energy for the benthos of the oceanic zone?

A

The benthos of the oceanic zone receives nutrients and energy from the detritus sinking from the upper layers of water

78
Q

What organisms are responsible for the synthesis of organic compounds in hydrothermal vent and cold seep communities, and how do they differ from those in the photic zone?

A

Chemoautotrophic bacteria are the primary producers of hydrothermal vent communities and cold seep communities. Unlike photosynthetic organisms of the photic zone, they use hydrogen sulfide and other molecules, instead of sunlight, as an energy source for their chemosynthetic activity

Biology 106 (9 decks)

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