Unit 1

Question 1

Tundra

Answer 1

Cold, dry
short growing season often when poles are tilted towards the sun
has a layer of permafrost under the soil, preventing deep roots
upper levels thaw and make pools that are good for insects

Question 2

Boreal Forest/Taiga

Answer 2

Cold, ???
Constrained by temperature and decomposition rate
has mostly coniferous trees (ex spruce, trees with needles)

Question 3

Temperate Rainforest

Answer 3

mild temperatures, high precipitation
often coastal which regulates temperatures & provides water
mostly trees with needles, slow decomposition, low ferns
12 month growing season

Question 4

Temperate Seasonal Forest

Answer 4

Warm summers, cold winters & high precip.
mostly deciduous/broadleaf tress
warm summers, fast decomposition and falling leaves makes soil fertile and has higher NPP/plant growth
often used for agriculture

Question 5

Woodland/Shrubland

Answer 5

hot/dry summers, mild/rainy winters
12 month growing season but rapid precipitation/temp changes constrains plants
often has wildfire/droughts, thus plants regrow quickly/ sprout seeds after high temperatures
soil is low in nutrients, but is used for deep rooted plants/animal grazing

Question 6

Temperate Grassland/Cold Desert

Answer 6

hot summers cold winters, very dry
wildfires are extremely common, thus plants favor deep roots and fewer trees
more rain means higher grass, less rain means lower
with little enough rain the grassland becomes a cold desert
long growing season and fast decomposition, rich soil
good for agriculture

Question 7

Tropical Rainforest

Answer 7

warm and wet
these conditions make decomposition extremely fast but due to lush vegetation the nutrients in soil are soaked up quickly
lots of biodiversity and 3 layers of vegetation
tall trees, short trees, epiphytes, and vines all around

Question 8

Tropical Seasonal Forest/savanna

Answer 8

warm temperatures, distinct wet and dry seasons
deciduous trees, drop leaves in dry winters
longer dry seasons for savannas
fires and grazing discourage small plants
warm temp, high decomposition makes fertile soil but the soil is rarely used since few plants
used for agriculture and grazing

Question 9

Desert

Answer 9

hot temperatures and extremely dry
often have cacti and succulents
leaves are small, spines, or nonexistent to prevent water loss
photosynthesis occurs in the stem where the water is, so plants can keep doing it in dry seasons
when rain falls, many plants grow reproduce and die within a few months
others stay alive but have growth spurts when it rains (perennial)

Question 10

Streams & Rivers (Lotic Systems)
What are their 3 zones?

Answer 10

1. Source Zone: shallow, clear, fast flowing streams. High dissolved oxygen content, low NPP
2. Transition Zone: Wider stream bed, warmer water, slower stream velocity, high turbidity. Lower DO, higher NPP
3. Floodplain Zone: widest streambed, warmest water, highest turbidity. Lowest Do and highest NPP because lots of biomass

Question 11

Ponds and Lakes (Lentic Systems)
What are their 6 zones?

Answer 11

1. Oligotrophic: deep, steep banks fed by ice and snow melt. low nutrients, low NPP
2. Eutrophic: shallow with high turbidity. High nutrients, high NPP
3. Littoral zone: lots of light, with biodiversity and rooted plants. High NPP
4. Limnetic zone: light, but does not reach the bottom (free floating plants). Low nutrient levels, low NPP
5. Profundal zone: low light, low nutrients, low NPP
6. Benthic zone: no light with lots of nutrients but low NPP. mostly decomposers live here and is in the sediment

Question 12

Inland Wetlands

Answer 12

Areas of land that are covered in water year round or seasonally. High productivity due to high nutrients and sunlight, LOTS of biodiversity
critically important because they recharge groundwater, prevent flooding, maintain biodiversity and so much more

Question 13

Open Ocean
What are the 5 Zones?

Answer 13

Intertidal: lots of nutrients, high biodiversity, shallow water
Coastal: lots of nutrients with rooted plants and high productivity. Very similar to littoral zone
Euphotic (photic zone): lots of sun, low biodiversity. Similar to the limnetic zone
Bathyal (disphotic zone): low light, low NPP and below the Euphotic zone. Similar to the profundal zone
Abyssal (aphotic zone): no light, little productivity. Similar to benthic zone

Question 14

Salt Marshes and Estuaries

Answer 14

high nutrient levels +sunlight = high NPP. has brackish water and is one of the main habitats for mangroves which are very important

Question 15

Intertidal Zones (ocean)

Answer 15

narrow bands on coastlines between high and low tide marks. Hard to survive because there is lots of water then no water at all. usually sandy and rocky, with intensely specialized species

Question 16

Coral Reefs

Answer 16

occur in warm, shallow water. often start in low nutrient areas then increase the content, as well as biodiversity and NPP. (coral is a symbiote with polyps and algae)

Question 17

Hydrologic Cycle

Answer 17

primary agent for dissolving and transporting chemical agents for living organisms. ocean contains the most water, after that is ice caps and glaciers. you kinda know the cycle already so not writing it out

Question 18

Carbon Cycle

Answer 18

photosynthesis, respiration, exchange, sedimentation, burial, extraction, combustion

Question 19

carbon cycle: Photosynthesis/respiration

Answer 19

producers take in CO2 from the atmosphere and store it. when they die or get eaten, the carbon is passed on

Question 20

Carbon Cycle: Exchange, sedimentation and burial

Answer 20

the atmosphere and ocean exchange CO2 at an equal rate. in the ocean, algae take in the carbon and put it in the food web. the carbon also interacts with calcium in the water, precipitates out as calcium carbonate, and forms limestone. Over the years, lots of carbon has been amassed in this part of the cycle

Question 21

Carbon Cycle: extraction and combustion

Answer 21

extracting fossil fuels formed by sedimentation, and burned turning the carbon into gaseous CO2 (this is mostly a human process)

Question 22

Nitrogen Cycle

Answer 22

Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur
Often a limiting resource to plants, used for building proteins n stuff

Question 23

Nitrogen Cycle: nitrogen fixation

Answer 23

Usually done by bacteria, but sometimes can occur with combustion like lightning. Turns N2 gas from the atmosphere into NH3 (ammonia) and that gets converted to NH4+ (ammonium)

Question 24

Nitrogen Cycle: nitrification

Answer 24

Also done by special bacteria, converts NH4 into NO2- (nitrite) to NO3- (nitrate)

Question 25

Nitrogen Cycle: assimilation

Answer 25

producers taking nitrogen in in one of its usable forms. When consumers feed on producers, the nitrogen is transferred to them

Question 26

Nitrogen Cycle: mineralization

Answer 26

when organisms die, decomposers like fungi and bacteria break down the matter. They turn it into waste and inorganic compounds, one of which being ammonium which can then go through nitrification again

Question 27

Nitrogen Cycle: denitrification

Answer 27

bacteria turn compounds like nitrate and turn it into gaseous N2O and then eventually N2, which is put into the atmosphere and the cycle restarts

Question 28

Phosphorous cycle

Answer 28

is a limiting nutrient with no gaseous phase

Question 29

Phosphorous Cycle: Assimilation and Mineralization

Answer 29

producers take in nitrogen, are eaten, organisms die, fungi and bacteria break it down into inorganic compounds again

Question 30

Phosphorous Cycle: sedimentation, geological uplift and weathering

Answer 30

P is not very soluble, so it precipitates out of water as sediment. Geological uplift eventually brings the phosphorus to the surface and is weathered naturally. held in soil for organic use

Question 31

Ca, Mg, K, S cycles

Answer 31

all important to plant growth; never in a gaseous phase and form positive ions. These ions are attracted to negative particles like the ones in clay, and become part of soil. Leaching of these nutrients constrains plant growth. Found in limestone and marble, so soil is often found above these rocks

Question 32

Primary Productivity

Answer 32

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds through photosynthesis over a unit of time” depends on the amount of plant matter in a given area, and is a rate of change

Question 33

GPP vs NPP

Answer 33

GPP = the total rate of photosynthesis in an area
NPP = the amount of energy stored AFTER taxes paid to respiration (GPP- respiration rate = NPP)

Question 34

Competition

Answer 34

occurs when there is a shared limited resource
Interspecific competition: competition between different species
Intraspecific competition: competition between different organisms of same species