Ecology and Biosphere Flashcards
what are the different levels ecologist work at?
organismal, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, global
what is organismal ecology?
study of individual organism
what is population ecology?
study of population or a group of individuals ( factors effecting factors)
what is community ecolody?
study of populations of different species and their interactions
what is ecosystem ecology?
study of communities of organisms and affects of abiotic factors
What is biogeography?
distribution of living things and the abiotic (non-living) factors that affect their distribution
What are some examples of abiotic factors?
temperature, rainfall, latitude and elevation, seasonality, bodies of water
what role does latitude play in climate determination?
the closer you get to the equator the hotter the climate is and vice versa.
how does seasonal variation affect sunlight intensity?
the earth tilts on its axis, thus in the summer the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun and away from sun in the winter
what do ocean currents do to influence the climate?
Large bodies of water moderate terrestrial climate
what is an ecotone?
places where biomes blend into each other
what are the characteristics of tropical forests?
constant rainfall, high temperatures, vertically layer plant life, great diversity of animal life
what are the characteristics of a desert?
very dry, temperature range from -30 to 50 C, low widely scattered vegetation, nocturnal animals
what are the characteristics of savanna ?
grasslands and scattered trees, dry season last up to 9 months, fires to control vegetation, large herbivores
what are the characteristics of a chaparral?
highly distributed, dry summers, winter is cool and summer is warm, shrubs and small tress, goats and deer, birds and insects
what are the characteristics of temperate grasslands?
rainfall seasonal with wetter summers and dryer winters, cold winters and hot summers, grasses are dominate and survive drought and fire
what are the characteristics of northern coniferous forest?
largest terrestrial biome on earth across north america and eurasia, moderate rainfull, cone bearing trees, diverse animal life
what are the characteristics of a tundra?
artic and antartic regions about 20% of the earth’s surface, mosses, grasses, shrubs, permafrost restricts plan growth, caribou, wolves and fox
what are the characteristics of temperate broadleaf forest?
rainfall all season, vertical plant canopy with one or two layers of understory trees, many mammals and birds
what are aquatics biomes?
they are characterized by physical and chemical environment, marine biomes known by 3% salt conc. and fresh are known by less than 0.1 salt conc.
Explain the ocean’s importance
makes up largest marine biome covering 75% if the plant, evaporation from oceans causes most rainfall, algae and photosynthetic bacteria produce oxygen and consume co2
what are lakes
standing bodies of water, ponds to great lakes, can be thousands of feet deep
What are oligotrophic lakes?
nutrient poor and oxygen rich, have less surface area to depth, larger limnetic zone
What are eutrophic lakes?
nutrient rich and oxygen poor, more surface area to depth, larger littoral zone
what are wetlands?
-area filled and surrounded by water at least some of the time and supports life adapted to water saturation,
-they are high in organic production by plants and high decomposition by microbes
-natural water treatment as nutrients and chemical pollutants are filtered
what is a riverine?
wetlands develop in shallows along streams and rivers
what is a fringe?
wetlands develop along coast of lakes and oceans where water flows back and forth due to tides and flooding
characteristics and importance of streams and rivers
speed and volume flow
-headwater streams are usually cold, clear, fast, and turbulent
-downstreams are usually slower warmer and more turbid
-chemical composition depends on substrate stream runs through
what are estuaries?
an area of transition between a river and the sea
what are the importances of estuaries?
very productive biome especially for fish, shellfish and crustaceans, as well as organisms important to the food chain
what is the intertidal zone?
submerges through out the day and exposed by the tides, the upper part gets exposed longer than bottom, also has high oxygen and nutrient levels
what is the oceanic pelagic zone?
vast realm of ocean blue water and are constantly mixed by wind currents, it also covers 70% of earth’s surface
what are some characteristics of a coral reef?
calcium carbonate skeletons of coral, it is a shallow photic zone of sable marine environments, best reefs on windward side of island
what is the marine benthic zone?
it is the seafloor of the neritic and pelagic zones, no sunlight, vary from shallow near coastal areas to deep benthic and abyssal zones
