52 - An Introduction to Biology and the Biosphere

Question 1

What is ecology?

Answer 1

The scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment.

These interactions occur at a hierachy of scales that ecologists study, from single organisms to the globe.

Question 2

What has the most significant influrence on the distribution of organisms on land and in the oceans?

Answer 2

Climate, which is defined as the long term, prevailing weather conditions in a given area.

Question 3

What are the four factors that are particularily important components of climate?

Answer 3

• Temperature
• Precipitation
• Sunlight
• Wind

Question 4

Name the six differnt levels in the biological hierachy, from lowest to highest.

Answer 4

1. Organismal ecology
2. Population ecology
3. Community ecology
4. Ecosystem ecology
5. Landscape ecology
6. Global ecology

Question 5

What is organismal ecology?

Answer 5

Organismal ecology, which includes the subdisciplines of physiological, evolutionary and behavioral ecology is concerned with how an organism’s structure, physiology and behavior meet the challenges posed by it’s environment.

Question 6

What is population ecology?

Answer 6

A population is a group of the same species living in an area. Population ecology analyzes factors that affect population size and how and why it changes through time.

Question 7

What is community ecology?

Answer 7

A community is a group of populations of different species in an area. Community ecology examines how interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community structure and organization.

Question 8

What is ecosystem ecology?

Answer 8

An ecosystem is the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which those organisms interact. Ecosystem ecology emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment.

Question 9

What is landscape ecology?

Answer 9

A landscape (or seascape) is a mosaic of connected ecosystems. Research in landscape ecology focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems.

Question 10

What is global ecology?

Answer 10

The biosphere is the global ecosystem - the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes. Global ecology examines how the regional exchange of energy and materials influrences the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere.

Question 11

Why is there latitudal variation in sunlight intensity?

Answer 11

Because sunlight strikes the tropics most directly, more heat and light per unit of surface area are delivered there. At higher latitudes, sunlight strikes the Earth at an oblique angle, and thus the light energy is more diffuse on the Earth’s surface.

Question 12

How are global air and precipitation patterns interlinked?

Question 13

What is macroclimate?

Answer 13

Climate patterns on the global, regional and landscape level.

Question 14

What is microclimate?

Answer 14

Very fine, localized climate patterns, such as those encountered by the community of organisms that live in the microhabitat beneath a fallen log.

Question 15

What two factors largely determine global climate patterns?

Answer 15

The input of solar energy and Earth’s movement in space. The sun warms the Earth’s atmosphere, land and water. This warming establishes the temperature variations, cycles of air and water movement, and evaporation of water that cause dramatic latitudal varations in climate.

Question 16

Name three factors that can affect climate regionally or locally.

Answer 16

• Seasonal variation
• Large bodies of water
• Mountain ranges

Question 17

Seasonality question

Question 18

Bodies of water question

Question 19

Mountains question

Question 20

microclimate question

Question 21

Abiotic and biotic question

Question 22

Climate change question - changing geographic range of species.

Question 23

What is a biome?

Answer 23

A major life zone, characterized by vegetation type (terrestrial biomes) or by the physical environment (in aquatic biomes).

Question 24

What controls the structure and distribution of terrestrial biomes?

Answer 24

Climate and disturbance.

Question 25

What is a climograph?

Answer 25

A plot of the annual mean temperature and precipitation in a particular region.

Question 26

Why is it just as important to consider the pattern of climatic variation, as the average climate when determining biome?

Answer 26

Because the entire pattern might not occur within the time span the average climate is measured, which will lead to a faulty conclusion.

For example, some areas may receive regular precipitation throughout the year, whereas other areas may have distinctive wet and dry seasons. A similar phenomenon may occur for temperature. In addition, other abiotic characteristics, such as the type of bedrock in an area, may greatly affect mineral nutrient availability and soul structure, which in turn affect the kind of vegetation that can grow.

Question 27

What is an ecotone?

Answer 27

The area of intergradiation, in which terrestrial biomes (usually) grade into one another without sharp boundaries.

Question 28

Is the species composition the same in biomes of the same type, in different areas?

Answer 28

No, it’s not. Although there might be convergent evolution of some animals and plants that face similar environmental challenges and some homologous features as a result of common ancestry, it should be impossible that the same species composition should exist on seperate continents due to the long seperation and resulting evolutionary divergence of the species.

Question 29

Biomes are _______ (static/dynamic?) and _______ rather than ______ tends to be the rule.

Answer 29

Biomes are dynamic and disturbance rather than stability tends to be the rule.

Question 30

What is a disturbance in ecological terms?

Answer 30

An event, such as a storm, a fire or a human activity, that changes a community, removing organisms from it and altering resource availability.

Question 31

Is disturbance important for the vitality and diversity of terrestrial biomes? Explain.

Answer 31

Yes, it is. In many biomes, even the dominant plants depend on periodic disturbance to survive. As a result of disturbances, biomes often exhibit extensive patchiness, with several different communities.

Question 32

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome tropical forest.

Answer 32

Distribution: equatorial and subequatorial regions.

Precipitation: 150 to 200 cm anually in dry forests. 200 to 400 cm anually in rainforests.

Temperature: little seasonal variation, averaging 25 - 29 degrees.

Plants: the forest is vertically layered (5-6 layers in rainforests, fewer in dry forests), and the competition for sunlight intense. Broadleaf trees are dominant and epiphytes too are abundant.

Animals: the forests are home to millions of species, including an estimated 5-30 million still to be described. Tropical forests have the highest animal diversity on Earth. Animals live in all plant layers.

Human impact: rapid population growth leading to agriculture and development is now destroying many tropical forests worldwide.

Question 33

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome desert.

Answer 33

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

Plants:

Animals:

Human impact:

Question 34

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome savanna.

Answer 34

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

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Human impact:

Question 35

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome chaparral (shrub forest).

Answer 35

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

Plants:

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Human impact:

Question 36

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome temperate grassland.

Answer 36

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

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Human impact:

Question 37

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome northern coniferous forest.

Answer 37

Distribution:

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Human impact:

Question 38

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome temperate broadleaf forest.

Answer 38

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

Plants:

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Human impact:

Question 39

Describe the distribution, precipitation, temperature, plants, animals and human impact of the terrestrial biome tundra.

Answer 39

Distribution:

Precipitation:

Temperature:

Plants:

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Human impact: