P1.2 Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
All the biotic and abiotic parts of an area.
What is the role of a producer in an ecosystem?
Uses sunlight to produce food by photosynthesis.
What is the function of a consumer in an ecosystem?
Gets energy by eating other organisms.
How does a decomposer obtain energy?
By breaking down dead material.
Describe the nutrient cycle.
Dead material decomposes and releases nutrients, which are taken up by plants that may be eaten. When the plants or consumers die, the nutrients are returned to the soil.
What happens if a producer declines in an ecosystem?
Consumers that eat it also decline.
What occurs if a consumer declines in an ecosystem?
The producer thrives.
What are the major types of ecosystems? List them.
- Polar
- Tundra
- Taiga
- Temperate deciduous forest
- Grassland
- Hot desert
- Tropical rainforest
Describe the polar ecosystem.
Around the poles, cold, icy, dry, with little vegetation, dark for many months.
What defines the tundra ecosystem?
60+ degrees, layer of permanently frozen ground called permafrost, cold, small vegetation.
What is characteristic of the taiga ecosystem?
50-60 degrees, winters cold and dry, summers mild and moist, coniferous trees.
Describe the temperate deciduous forest ecosystem.
Mid latitudes, four distinct seasons, warm summers, mild winters, lots of rain.
What characterizes grassland ecosystems?
- Savannah: found between tropics, dry and wet seasons, low rainfall, some trees.
- Temperate: found at higher latitudes, varied temperatures and less rain, no trees.
What is the climate like in a hot desert ecosystem?
15-35 degrees, little rain, hot during the day, cold at night, shrubs and cacti.
Describe the tropical rainforest ecosystem.
Around the equator, hot and wet all year, dense canopies form distinct layers.
What is the climate characteristic of rainforests?
Same all year round, temperatures vary little, rains lots and every day.
What type of trees are most common in rainforests?
Evergreen and very tall.
How do epiphytes obtain nutrients?
From moisture in the air.
Why is rainforest soil not very fertile?
Rain washes nutrients away.
What adaptation allows trees to grow tall?
To reach light.
What is a significant animal adaptation in rainforests?
Monkeys have tails and strong limbs for climbing.
What are the four layers of the rainforest canopy?
Emergent, main, under, and shrub layer.
Name one product that tropical rainforests provide.
Coffee, rubber, cacao, or medicines.
What is selective logging?
Only some valuable trees are felled, which is less damaging.
Fill in the blank: Ecotourism minimizes damage to the _______.
[environment].
What is a conservation swap?
Paying off debt for definite conservation.
True or False: Deserts have high biodiversity.
False.
What adaptation do many desert plants have for water storage?
Waxy stems and thick stems.
What is desertification?
The degradation of land, making it less productive and drier.
Name one cause of desertification.
Climate change, human activities like overgrazing, or overcultivation.
What is one method to reduce the risk of desertification?
Water management or tree planting.
What adaptation do nocturnal animals have in deserts?
Stay cool by sleeping through the day.
How do animals minimize water loss in deserts?
By making sweat and urine concentrated.
What is the role of roots in desert plants?
To absorb rainfall, either deep or wide.
What is the purpose of using appropriate technology in desert management?
To build easily maintainable structures like sand fences.
What are buttress roots in rainforest trees used for?
To support the tall trunks.
What is the role of animals in biotic interdependence?
Animals spread seeds in dung helping plants reproduce.
What type of animals primarily inhabit deserts?
Small and nocturnal mammals.
Fill in the blank: Rainforests absorb CO2 and reduce the _______.
[greenhouse effect].
