Unit 1 Flashcards
environment
all living and non-living things around us (abiotic & biotic factors)
environmental science
study of how natural world affects us, and we affect it
natural resources
substances and energy sources we take from Earth to survive
renewable
replaced quickly, such as wind or sunlight
non-renewable
replaced slowly, so it can be depleted (e.g. fossil fuels)
ecosystem services
agricultural revolution
industrial revolution
ecological footprint
overshoot
science
variables
independent variables
dependent variables
hypothesis format
prediction format
data
data analysis
descriptive statistical tests
manipulative experiment
natural experiment
paradigm
paradigm shift
organism
individual living thing
population
a group of individuals of species that live in a particular area
community
a set of populations of different species living together in a particular area
ecosystem
a functional system consisting of a community
landscape
a geographical region including an array of ecosystems
biosphere
the sum total of living things on the Earth & the areas they inhibit
biome
major regional complex of similar communities. mainly determined by temperature & precipatation
number of biomes
10 terrestrial biomes exist
Terrestrial Biomes
Diff in temp & Percipitation predict type
Tropical
23.5 north and 23.5 south latitudes
Temperate
Between 23.5 and 60 north and south latitudes (THINK MODERATE)
Arctic & SubArctic
Above 60 north latitude
Where are there no Biomes and why?
Antartica has no biomes, too cold for rain —> no plants
Terrestrial Biomes and elevation
Elevation also affects climate
Each 1000’ increase lowers temp by 4 degrees
Mountains can enable cool-loving biomes to exist at hotter latitudes
Rain Shadow
Dry climate created downwind of a mountain b/c most moisture condenses on it upwind side (no precipatation on downwind side of mountain)
Climate diagram
graph depicting seasonal changes in temp and precipitation
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Less dense & diverse than rainforest - not as much rain means they have less diversity
deciduous
loses leaves
temperate grassland
looks like praire
less precipitation, considerably colder
we artificially water these and turn them into agriculture land
temperate rainforest
considerably more rain
lot of mass & density
bit hotter temps in summer
Tropical rainforest
insane amt of rain, only slight differences across
not as fertiles bc the rain washes nutrients
not much temp variation
Pelagic zone
Layer b/w water surface and lake & ocean floor
includes photic zone
Tropical Dry Forest
temp is consistent but precipitation changes seasonally
very bare with distinct wet/dry seasons & w/ or w/o leaves
Australia
savanna
Africa, S Africa, India
grasslands, clusters of trees
clear wet/dry seasons
consistent temp
Desert
Egypt
no rain
temps varies seasonally
trees can not grow
Tundra
low levels of precipitation
temps vary seasonally
trees can not grow
Boreal Forest
moderate precipitation, allowing trees to grow
temps vary seasonally
Chaparral
Moderate precipitation when cooler, low precipitation when hotter
Marine Ecosystems 3 zone
Photic
Pelagic
Benthic
Photic zone
well lit top layer
mostly algae because of sunlight
Benthic zone
Lake/ocean floor
are photic, pelagic and benthic zones biomes?
no, b/c no change it climate & precipitation
Intertidal zones
ecosystems where ocean meets land - high and low tides
tides
periodic rising and falling of ocean due to gravitational poll of sun and moon
usually 6 hours apart from high and low tides
are tide pools are biomes
no there are differences in species but not climate/precipitation
Estuaries (coastal ecosystems)
area where a river flows into an ocean mixing fresh and salt water
Coastal Ecosystems (3 zones)
Inertidal, Estaries, Salt Marshes
Open Ocean Ecosystems
Zooplankton
phytoplankton
Zooplankton
animal
Phytoplankton
plant
Phytoplankton are most abundant in what level?
top level photic layer meaining other species as well
well lit waters that are nutrient rich due to upwelling
Upwelling
all of the nutrients go up to the photic layer instead of bottom of ocean (down dwelling)
attract more species to top layer
Downwelling
All nutrients go to the bottom of the ocean
Aquatic Biomes (3 in ocean)
raingrove forest
kelp forest
coral reef
Raingrove forest
salt tolerant trees that can live in changing water levels
unique roots curve up for oxygen and down for support
Kelp forest
Large dense brown algae growing from floor of continental shelves
along temperate coasts
Coral reef
mass of calcium carbonate from skeletons of dead corals
attach to rock or reef and capture food with stinging tentacles
also get nourishment from symbiotic algae
corals
Tiny colonial invertebrate animals
coral reefs outside of tropics
few coral species thrive in waters outside of the tropics
little is known about them
some reefs are now being protected
BioChemical Cycles are
Nutrient cycles that move water and nutrients through ecosystems
Reservoir
pool that holds nutrients
Resiance time?
length of time that nutrients remain in reservoir
source
releases more materials than it accepts
sink
accepts more materials than it releases
flux
rate at which materials move between reservoirs
Hydrologic cycle involves
water cycle
movement of water b/w sources & sinks
evaporation
conversion of water from liquid to gas
transpiration
release of water vapor from plant leaves
precipitation
condensed water vapor that fall from the atmosphere
ground water
water stored underground (usually in aquafors)
water table
upper limit of an aquafor
human affect the water cycle by
dam rivers-reservoirs
remove vegetation- no transpiration
withdraw groundwater
pollute atmosphere- acid rain
Carbon Cycle involves
movement of carbon between sources and sinks
Where is carbon stored?
in sedimentary rocks and oceans
Plants pull this out of the air and use it to produce sugars:
Carbon dioxide
When some sugars build new plant growth it is called
Gross Primary Production (GPP)
When plants and animals and some decomposers burn other sugars for energy, they
release carbon dioxide
how do humans shift carbon to the atmosphere?
burning fossil fuels & decreasing surface vegetation
Nitrogen cycle involves
movement of nitrogen between sources and sinks
what fraction of the earth is nitrogen?
3/4 - most of the earth is nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
converts atmospheric Nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3)
fixes the Nitrogen - something plant can use
Nitrification
converts water soluble ions of Ammonia (NH4 +) into nitrates (NO3)& nitrites (NO2) that plants can absorb
Denitrification
converts nitrates (NO3) in soil or water back to N2
Humans affect Nitrogen Cycle by/through
Nitrogen fertiliaers
destroying wetlands
increased soil erosion
Phosphorus cycle
phmovement of phosphorus b/w sources and sinks
stored in rocks and sediments mostly
small particles can release phosphate ions (PO4) when dissolved in water
is phosphorus in the atmosphere?
no
Phosphorus limits
plant growth the most in undisturbed ecosystems
where is phosphorus released?
from works by weathering
small particles can release phosphorus ions (PO4) where?
in water
aquatic organisms take up phosphate ions directly from
surrounding water
Increased precipitation leads to
Increased diversity
all molecules in living things contain:
carbon
