Unit B Ecosystems And Evolution Flashcards
Evolution
A species changing over time to either adapt to the ecosystem or to better survival.
Behavioural adaptations
How an organism adapts it’s behaviour to better survive.
Embryology
The study of embryos to f
Determine how organisms being life.
Habitat
An area with a particular set of characteristics both biotic and abiotic.
Indicator species
A species that is easily affected by ecosystem changes. Example frogs
Natural selection
An ecosystem naturally getting rid of species or individual organisms that have bad characteristics to survive.
Niche
A role that members play in a community
What are the main biomes in Canada?
Tundra- cold and snowy.
Taiga- mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees.
Deciduous forest- leaves that fall with the season.
Grass land- fields of different species of grass
Facts about taiga
Northern and central Alberta
Changeable weather
Precipitation- 50- 250
Soil contains some water and is acidic
Grassland facts
Central Alberta
Sunlight and warmer temperatures
Precipitation-25-100
Rich fertile soil
Deciduous forest facts
Central Alberta
Sunlight and warmer temperatures
Rich fertile soil
Precipitation-75-250
What causes horizontal stratification?
Sunlight penetration causes horizontal stratification
What are the layers of horizontal stratification?
Littoral zone- extends from shoreline out to where the sun penetrates the bottom.
Limnetic zone- extends from littoral zone and is the open water zone. It extends downward to a depth at which there is still enough light for photosynthesis
Profundal zone- is the area below the Limnetic zone. No sunlight reaches this area.
Benthic zone- the ground/ the soil.
What are the levels of soil?
Litter- partially decomposed organic matter.
Topsoil- composed of rock particles and minerals.
Subsoil- composed of rock particles and minerals.
Bedrock- solid rock layer.
What causes vertical stratification and what does it change?
It is caused by temperature change which changes the density of water.
What are the different layers of lake turnover in summer?
Epilimnion- 22C
Thermocline- the middle layer
Hypolimnion- bottom layer 6C
What are different layers of lake turn over in autumn?
Warm and cool water will mix restoring oxygen in the bottom of the lake.
What are the layers of lake turnover in winter?
Ice
0C
Thermocline
4C
What are the layers of lake turnover in spring?
The bottom layer of water is the warmest and will rise to the top. The top layer will sink.
What are the abiotic factors affecting aquatic ecosystems?
Oxygen concentration Temperature Carbon dioxide pH Alkalinity Hardness Rate of water flow Turbidity Ice thickness Salinity Pressure
What are the biotic factors affecting aquatic ecosystems?
Succession- transition in species composition over time.
Eutrophication- the amount of nutrients
Index species- the species present in the highest population density.
What is binomial nomenclature?
Is a method that is used to name organisms by using two names- the genus name and the species name.
What is a homologous structure?
They have similar origin but different uses in different species.
What is an analogous structure?
Is a similar in function and appearance but not in origin.
What scientific evidence exists to support the theory of evolution?
There is direct evidence- fossils and bones. Indirect evidence- shows links between existing forms and their ancestors
By the levels of classification how can you tell two organisms are similar to other organisms
By their name. Starting at Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
What are some of Darwin’s theory’s of evolution?
Suggested that the world used to be one land mass because the same species with different adaptions around the world. He observed fossils of ancestors that looks like current species
