Chapter 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Flashcards
What is ecology?
The study of the relationships among organisms and the environment
Ecologists study ecology in a hierarchy. What are the components of the hierarchy?
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Biosphere
What is organism ecology?
Study of the organism’s behavior, structure, and physiology.
What is population?
A population consists of interbreeding organisms of one species occupying the same area at the same time
What is community?
A community includes all populations, representing multiple species in the same region.
What is ecosystem?
An ecosystem is the biotic (living) community plus the abiotic (no living) environment.
What is the biosphere?
The biosphere is all parts of the planet where life exists
Who said “Climate is what we expect; weather is what we get”?
Mark Twain
What do weather and climate involve?
The physical properties of the troposphere
- temperature, pressure, humidity, cloudiness and wind.
What is weather?
Specific atmospheric conditions over short time periods within small geographic areas
What is climate?
Patterns of atmospheric conditions across large geographic regions over long period of time
Why are the temperatures coldest at the poles of the earth?
The earth’s surface is curved, meaning that the sun’s rays are spread over a greater surface area with increasing distance from the equator.
What accounts for the different seasons of earth?
The tilt of the earth’s axis (two hemispheres)
All regions of the earth are experiencing 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. What part of the earth is facing the sun?
The equator (Neither poles are facing the earth)
The Northern Hemisphere has the shortest day and longest night; the Southern Hemisphere has the longest day and shortest night. Which Hemisphere is tilting towards the sun?
The Southern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere has the longest day and shortest night; the Southern Hemisphere has the shortest day and longest night. Which Hemisphere is tilting towards the sun?
The Northern Hemisphere
Which months of the year does the equator face the sun?
March and September
Which month of the year does the Northern Hemisphere face the sun?
June
Which month of the year does the Southern Hemisphere face the sun?
December
Why are some areas of the Earth moist and others are dry?
Air circulation
Why is the air around the equator typically warm and moist?
The equator receives the most heat from the sun and evaporates the water, forming clouds rang release abundant rain.
What latitude does dry air descend around?
30° latitude
(Absorbs moisture from the land)
(Desserts here)
What are the air conditions like at 60° latitude?
The air mass has warmed and absorbed enough moisture from the land to rise and cause precipitation (England)
Where does cold, dry air descend?
At the poles
________ also influence climate. Most precipitation falls on the _______ side.
Mountains; upwind
What are biomes?
Ecosystems with distinctive communities of life
What are the two main factors that determine the dominant plants in each biome?
Temperature and moisture
List the 8 different biomes.
- Tropical forest
- Savanna
- Desert
- Chaparral
- Temperate grassland
- Temperate forest
- Northern coniferous forest
- Tundra
Describe the life in tropical rainforests.
- high temperature all year around
- trees that grow above a cloud canopy
- shrubs and herbs, broadleaf evergreens
- succulent plants
Diverse animals!
- mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, arthropods
Describe the life in a Savanna.
- warm all year around
- scattered trees, a lot of grass
- fires common
- grass grows rapidly in rain
Animals
- large plant eating mammals
Describe the life in the Desert.
- some deserts are hot 50°C
- some deserts are cold -30°C
- always dry
- succulent cacti, rooted shrubs
Animals
- snakes, lizards, ants, beetles, rodents
Describe the life in the Chaparral.
- moist cool winters
- dry summers 30°C
- shrubs, small trees
Animals
- mammals, deers, goats, amphibians
Describe the life in the Temperate Grasslands.
- cold dry winters
- wet hot summers
- many grass and forbs
Animals
- grazing mammals, bison, wild horses
Where Bambi’s mother died!
Describe the life in the Temperate (Broadleaf) Forests.
- cool winters
- hot humid summers
- a lot of precipitation
- dominated by deciduous trees
- distinct vertical layers of trees
Animals
- mammals that hibernate, birds
Describe the life in the Northern Coniferous Forest.
Largest terrestrial biome!
- long cold winters
- hot summers
- cone bearing coniferous trees
Animals
- birds, mammals, bears, moose, Like in Brother Bear!
Describe the life in the Tundra.
Arctic!
- long cold winters
- cool summers
- herbs, mosses, grasses, forbs
Animals
- grazing oxen, caribou, reindeer, bears, wolves
List the 8 different aquatic biomes.
- Intertidal zone
- Ocean pelagic zone
- Coral reefs
- Marine benthic zone
- Lakes
- Wetlands
- Estuaries
- Streams and rivers
Describe the life in the Intertidal Zone.
- ocean meets land
- shore is pounded by waves during high tide
- bottom is exposed to sun and dry winds during low tide
Describe the life in the Oceanic Pelagic Zone.
- ocean blue waters
- covers 70% of the earth
- phytoplankton and zooplankton are dominant
- free swimming animals
Describe the life in the Coral Reefs.
- formed from calcium carbonate skeletons of corals
- corals require a solid substrate for attachment
- unicellular algae lives in a mutualistic relationship with the coral
Describe the life in the Marine Benthic Zones.
- seafloor below the surface waters of the coastal (neritic) zone and offshore the pelagic zone
- organisms here in the deep (abyssal) benthic zone are adapted to cold water and high pressure
Describe the life in Lakes.
- Oligotrophic lakes are nutrient poor and oxygen rich
- Eutrophic lakes are nutrient rich and oxygen poor
- rooted and floating plants live in shallow littoral zone
Describe the life in the Wetlands.
- land surface saturated with water
Swamps - wetlands with trees
Marshes - wetlands w/o trees
Bogs and Fens - waterlogged soils
Nutrient poor.
Water is shallow enough for sunlight penetration; high productivity.
How are the bogs fed?
Precipitation
How are fens fed?
Groundwater
Describe the life in the Estuaries.
Transition b/w river and ocean!
- saltiness ranging from freshwater to ocean water
- most productive areas on earth
Threats:
- landfills
- nutrient pollution
- lack of freshwater inflow
- intro of nonnative species
Describe the life in the Streams and Rivers.
Most prominent characteristic is current!
- diversity of fishes and invertebrates
Threat:
Damming and flood controls impair the natural functioning of the streams and rivers
Label the different zones of a lake.
- Littoral
- Photic
- Aphotic
- Pelagic
- Benthic
Label the different zones of the marine environement.
- Intertidal
- Neritic
- Oceanic
- Photic
- Benthic
- Pelagic
- Aphotic
- Abyssal
