Unit 1 - The Living World Flashcards
biosphere
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms
- another name for earth
biome
an area that shares a combination of average yearly temp. and precipitation (climate)
ex: (tropical rainforest)
ecosystem
all living and nonliving things in an area
(plants, animals, rocks, soil, water, air)
community
all living organisms in an area
population
group of individuals of same species
individual
one organism
symbiosis
close and long term interaction between two species in an ecosystem
mutualism
relationship that benefits both organisms
ex: coral reef
commensalism
relationship that benefits one organism and doesn’t bother the other
ex: bird nests in trees
parasitism
parasites use a host organism for energy, often without killing the host and often living inside the host
ex: mosquitoes, tapeworms
predator
an organism that preys on others
prey
an animal that is hunted or killed for food
competition
sharing a limited environmental resource
interspecific competition
members of different species compete for same resources
intraspecific competition
members of the same species compete for resources
resource partitioning
different species using the same resource in diff. ways; evolving to occupy different habitats or feeding at a different time to reduce direct competition
temporal partitioning
using resources at different times
ex: wolves and coyote hunting at diff times of day
why do biomes exist in predictable patterns on earth
latitudes (distance from the eq.) determines temperature and precipitation
rainforest
- receive the most rain of all the biomes
- warm all year and must stay frost free
- tropical are found closer to the equator
- temperate are further north near coastal areas
grasslands
located between temperate forests at high latitudes and deserts at subtropical latitudes
- great plains of NA
- south of SA
- central eurasia
coniferous forest
- canada, europe, russia, and usa
- cold, long, snowy winters, and warm, humid, summers
- well defined seasons
temperate deciduous forest
- hot summers and cold winters
- eastern US, canada, europe, china, japan
- shrubs, perennial herbs, mosses
- go through four seasons
deserts
- receive least amount of rain of all biomes
- cacti, small bushes, short grasses
- north and south of equator
tundras
- almost no trees due to short growing season and permafrost; lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, shrubs
- below the north pole, extending across NA, Europe, Russia
- coldest of the biomes
shrubland
- summers are hot and dry
- winters are cool and moist
- 30° and 40° N&S latitude
- plants have adapted to fire caused by frequent lightning that occurs in summers
terrestrial biomes are defined by
annual temperatures and precipitation
tropic of cancer and capricorn
23.5° N & S
location of suppressed upwelling characteristic of the occurrence of el nino
left of south america
country with taiga
North America
country with desert
Africa and US
country with tropical rainforest
south america
country with temperate grassland
north america, europe