2.4 Biomes

Question 1

Biome

Answer 1

Group of ecosystems that share the same climate conditions and before similar vegetation patterns

Question 2

3 abiotic factors of a biome

Answer 2

Rainfall, temperature, and sunlight

Question 3

5 major groups of biomes

Answer 3

Aquatic, forest, grassland, desert, tundra

Question 4

Aquatic biomes

Answer 4

Predominant presence of water; diverse ecosystems such as freshwater (lakes, rivers), marine (ocean, seas), estuarine environments, each supporting a unique array of flora and fauna adopted to aquatic life

Question 5

2 different aquatic biomes

Answer 5

Freshwater biome: low concentration of salt, temperature varies ability of light to penetrate water determines photosynthesis
Marine biome: abiotic factors determine level of photosynthesis

Question 6

Forest biomes

Answer 6

Extensive tree cover, varying species composition, distinct ecological conditions; major types include tropical rainforests, temperate deciduous forests, boreal forests, each exhibiting unique flor, fauna, climate patterns and are shaped by the prevailing environmental factors ithin their specific geographical regions

Question 7

2 different forest biomes

Answer 7

Temperate forest: seasonal areas, temperature between -30 and 30 degrees Celsius, rainfall between 500 and 1800 mm, lower NPP than rain forest
Tropical Rainforest: most ecologically rich biome on earth, 27+ degrees Celsius, 5000 mm rainfall per year, greater NPP

Question 8

Grassland biomes

Answer 8

Dry but some rain, few trees

Question 9

3 grassland biomes

Answer 9

Prairies: most humid grassland, greatest NPP, soil is ich of nutrients, usually located close to a river
Steppers: lower rainfall, grass tends to be shorter
Savannah: warmer and driest type of grassland, experiences droughts sometime during the year

Question 10

Desert biomes

Answer 10

Dry area with less than 250 mm precipitation per year

Question 11

Different types of deserts

Answer 11

Arid, semi arid, coastal, cold

Question 12

Tundra biome

Answer 12

Very cold (as low as -50 degrees Celsius), low rainfall, soil is permanently frozen (permafrost)

Question 13

Difference between tundra and desert

Answer 13

In a desert the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of precipitation

Question 14

Succession

Answer 14

Long term process when the population in an area changes over time

Question 15

Primary succession

Answer 15

Area of bare ground of rock is colonised for the first time

Question 16

Pioneer succession

Answer 16

First troop of organisms to colonise a bare area of land

Question 17

Seral stages

Answer 17

Stages of succession

Question 18

Climax community

Answer 18

Stable community at the end of a succession

Question 19

secondary succession

Answer 19

New succession takes place after an area as been cleared

Question 20

Zonation

Answer 20

Arrangement or distribution of organisms changes over time

Question 21

Early stages of succession

Answer 21

GPP is low, NPP is high, PR Ration (ratio between production and respiration) is greater than 1, simple food chains, simple community, many strategists (r)

Question 22

Late stages of succession

Answer 22

GPP is high, NPP is decreasing, PR ration approaches , complex food webs, complex community, many strategists (k)

Question 23

Productivity in different stages of succession

Answer 23

In primary succession, productivity starts low with pioneer species, like lichens or bare substrates, gradually increasing through the establishment of grasses and herbaceous plans, ultimately, reaching high productivity with the dominance of trees in the climax stage, in secondary succession, early colonisers contribute to moderate productivity leading to a transition through mid successional stages to late successional stages with high productivity and mature forest ecosystems

Question 24

K Strategists

Answer 24

Organisms that produce few offspring’s but care for them a long period, lives longer, low rate of productivity

Question 25

R strategists

Answer 25

Organisms that produce a large amount of offspring but does not care for them as much, do not live as long, high rate of productivity

Question 26

Factors that affect a climax community

Answer 26

Physical, chemical, and biological factors of the soil such as water, organic content, texture and PH

Question 27

Deflected succession

Answer 27

A succession interrupted by human activities