Unit I: Intro to Ecology Flashcards
Terrestrial biomes
ecological community of plants, animals, and other organisms that is adapted to a characteristic set of environmental condition
Tropical wet forests
- Temperature: warm/hot and stable
- Precipitation: high
- Dominant vegetation: broad-leafed, evergreen plants
- High diversity
- Lack of seasonality
Savanna (tropical grassland)
- Temperature: warm/hot and stable
- Precipitation: low, extensive dry season
- Dominant vegetation: grasses
- Tropical regions with low rainfall
Subtropical deserts
- Temperature: warm/hot
– Often with some variation over year, and large difference between day and night - Precipitation: very low
- Dominant vegetation: plants adapted to low water availability
– E.g., drought tolerant, deep roots, seeds can stay dormant for long periods - Typically between 15-30o N/S of equator
Rain shadow deserts
West: moisture-laden are blows onshore from Pacific Ocean
Air rises over mountains and cools; rain falls
East: dry air creates desert condition
Chaparral
- Temperature: warm
- Precipitation: low, mostly winter
- Dominant vegetation: shrubs adapted to periodic fires
– Some species produce seeds that germinate only after fire
– Ash from fire supplies nutrients - Coastal southern California and Mediterranean
Temperate grasslands
- Temperature: seasonal, warm/cool
- Precipitation: low, seasonal
- Dominant vegetation: grasses
- Mid-lattitudes
- Soils often “deep” and rich in organic matter, but cold winter temps and frozen water creates defined growing season
Temperate forests
- Temperature: seasonal, warm/cool
- Precipitation: low/moderate
- Dominant vegetation: deciduous trees
- Mid latitudes
- Soils often rich in organic matter due to leaf litter, but cold winter temps and frozen water creates defined growing season
Where does seasonality occur?
mid-high latitudes
Boreal forests (tiaga)
- Temperature: seasonal, cool-cold
- Precipitation: low
- Dominant vegetation: cold-tolerant conifers
- Soils have lower nutrient availability than temperate biomes because needles drop less frequently and decompose slower
- Little water evaporation due to cold temps
Arctic tundra
- Temperature: seasonal, cold
- Precipitation: low
- Dominant vegetation: low to ground plants, lichens, mosses
- Since temps are low throughout year:
– Soils may remain frozen year-round (permafrost)
– Slow decay of dead organic matter
Permafrost
Ground frozen for extended time periods
– Usually > 2 years
– High latitudes (tundra and parts of boreal forest) and altitudes
– Prevents tree root growth
What habitat are determined by salinity?
- Salt water
- coral reed
- kelp forests - Fresh water
- lakes and ponds
- rivers and streams
- wetlands - Both
- estuaries
Stenohaline
tolerate narrow range of salinity
Euryhaline
tolerate large changes in salinity
What type of blood is saltwater fish?
Blood is hypotonic: lower amount of salts compared to surrounding water
- expected to lose water by osmosis
- concentration urine
What type of freshwater fish?
Blood is hypertonic: greater amount of salts compared to surrounding water
- expected to gain water by osmosis
- dilute urine
Coral reef
Ocean ridges formed by marine invertebrates living in warm, shallow waters within the photic zone
- marine invertebrate cryptofauna
- host colorful zooxanthellae algae
- coral bleaching
Kelp
- Marine, multicellular brown algae
- Temperate and high latitudes
- Buoyant, but anchored with holdfasts
- High productivity, diverse communities
Wetlands: Rivers and Streams
Fast flowing streams:
– Greater potential for erosion
– Maintains cooler temperatures longer
– Poses challenges for organisms to not be swept away
– more oxygen (better aerated)
Wetlands: Marshes and Swamps
Higher water flow:
– More oxygen and nutrients
– Greater productivity
Wetlands: Bogs
Little or no water flow
– Oxygen and nutrient poor
– Together with low temps, low decomposition
aquatic biome
a biome that occurs in water; includes both ocean and freshwater biomes
pelagic realm
open ocean waters that are not close to the bottom or near the shore
benthic realm
part of the ocean that extends along the ocean bottom from the shoreline to the deepest parts of the ocean floor
hint: B for “benthic”, B for “bottom”
photic zone
portion of the ocean that light can penetrate
hint: “photo” means light
aphotic zone
part of the ocean where NO light penetrates
intertidal zone
part of the ocean that is closest to land; parts extend above the water at low tide
neritic zone
part of the ocean that extends from low tide to the edge of the continental shelf
abyssal zone
deepest part of the ocean at depths of 4000 m or greater
