Unit 2 Sac 2 Flashcards
Individual organism change
Individual plants and animals constantly grow, develop, reproduce, die and decompose
Three levels of change
-Individual Organisms
-Community
-Large scale
Community Change
One type of community can succeed another type. Natural changes in plant communities are often referred to as ‘plant succession’ and result in climax vegetation. In most of
Victoria, climax vegetation is dominated by fire-adapted eucalypts
Large Scale Change
Climatic change and movement in the Earth’s crust can cause large-scale natural changes to occur. Some abiotic factors can result in sudden change (such as floods, cyclones,
earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis) but more often changes happen slowly, such as the
weathering of rocks and soils
Climax Vegetation
Vegetation that establishes itself in
an area over a long time in the absence of any major disturbances
Short term change
- Day to night
- Solar influences such as seasons
- Lunar Influences such as tidal flow
- Flood and drought
Long term change
- Migration
- Primary and secondary succession
- Climate change
Nocturnal
Animals and plants that are active at
night
Diurnal
Animals and plants that are active
during the day
Diorhythm
Cyclic pattern of changes in activity of
living organisms
Circadian Rhythms
A 24-hour cycle in the physiological
processes of living organisms
Intertidal Zone
Area of foreshore and seabed exposed to air at low tide and
submerged at high tide (i.e. the area
between low-tide and high-tide marks)
Impervious Surfaces
Areas that have been covered
by any material that impedes the
infiltration of water into the soil
El Nino
Extensive warming of the central and
eastern tropical Pacific, associated
with an increased probability of drier
conditions
Migration
A species that moves from one location to another in response
to changes in habitat
Immigration
The movement of people into another country or region to
which they are not native in order to
settle there
Emigration
Leaving one’s country or region
with the intent to settle permanently
in another
Succession
The process of change in the
species structure of an ecological
community over time
Primary Succesion
When a community is established where it has never been
before
Climax Community
The development of vegetation in an area over time that has reached a steady state
Secondary Succession
When a community that develops over time is similar to the
original community
Greenhouse Gas
A gas in an atmosphere that
absorbs and emits radiation; examples include carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and
ozone
Tectonic
In geology, relates to the structure of
the Earth’s crust and the forces and
movements that take place within it
Deliniations
Indicating the exact position of a border or boundary
Position and Aspects
Geographical location and the
direction facing of a location
Conflict
A serious disagreement or
argument, typically a protracted
one; a serious incompatibility
between two or more opinions or
interests
Sustainable development
Development which meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations
