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Biology 1306 > 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere > Flashcards

52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere Flashcards

1
Q

what determines where species live

A

climate

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2
Q

what is ecology

A

study of the interactions between organisms and the living and the nonliving components of their environment

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3
Q

what do interactions of organisms between nonliving and living factors determine

A

the distribution of organisms and their abundance

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4
Q

what is the benefit of studying interactions between organims for ecologists

A

they will organize them in a hierarchy that can range from inviduals to the planet

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5
Q

what is organismal ecology

A

organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges of the environment

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6
Q

what are the types of organismal ecology

A

physiological, evolutionary, behavioral

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7
Q

what is population ecology

A

how a population interacts with the living and nonliving things in the environmental factors that can affect population size
- For example: what environmental factors affect the reproductive rate of flamingos

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8
Q

what is population

A

group of the same species

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9
Q

what is a community

A

a group of populations

of different species in an area

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10
Q

what is community ecology

A

examines the specific interactions in a population and their effect on community structure and organization
example: what factors influence the diversity of species that interact at an African lake

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11
Q

what is an ecosystem

A

community of organisms in an area and the physical factors that they interact with

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12
Q

what does ecosystem ecology emphasize?

A

energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and the environment

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13
Q

what is a landscape

A

mosiac of connected ecosystems

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14
Q

what is landscape ecology

A

exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems
example question: to what extent do nutrients from terrestrial ecosystems affect organisms in a lake

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15
Q

what is the biosphere

A

the global ecosystem and the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems and landscapes

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16
Q

what is global ecology

A

exchange of energy and materials influences the function and distribution of organisms across the biosphere

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17
Q

earth’s climate is affected by what

A

latitude

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18
Q

what has the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms on land

A

climate

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19
Q

what are the four major physical components

A

temperature, precipitation, sunlight, wind

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20
Q

what are global climate patterns determined by

A

the solar energy and earth’s movement

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21
Q

what does the warming effect of the sun do to earth? (3 things)

A

establishes, temp variations, circulation of air, water and the evaporation of water

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22
Q

what else does the sun affect (latitude)

A

latitudinal variations in climate

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23
Q

what is the angle of impact and what affects it

A

rays of sunlight hitting the earth the intensity of the sunlight and the light per unit surface area

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24
Q

how is an oblique angle achieved and what is it

A

when the sun it at a higher altitude; the light energy is not as intense

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25
what do global air circulation and precipitation patterns affect
climate patterns
26
what does intense sunlight do to water
causes water to evaporate in the tropics and warm wet air to rise and flow from the tropics to the poles
27
what do rising air masses do
release water which causes high precipitation
28
what do dry air masses do
create arid climates, near the 30 degree north and south, north and south
29
what way do cooling trade winds blow
east to west in the tropics
30
what way do prevailing westerlies blow in temperate zones
west to east in the temperate zones
31
how does climate vary and what affects climate
seasonally; bodies of water and mountain ranges
32
what is seasonality at high altitudes caused by
the tilt of Earth's axis and its annual passing around the sun
33
seasonal variations in day length, solar radiation, and temp increase toward what
the poles
34
what do large bodies of water moderate
the climate of nearby land due to the high specific heat of water
35
what do ocean currents influence
the climate of nearby terrestrial environmentsw
36
currents flowing toward the equator carry what water
cold water from the poles
37
currents flowing away from the equator carry what water
warm water toward the poles
38
what happens to air before it passes over the land
it is cooled or warmed
39
how does the large body of water influence the climate during the day
air rises over warm land and draws a breeze from the cool water
40
how does the large body of water influence the climate during the night
land cools at night, air rises over warmer water and draws cooler air from the land back over the water
41
how do mountains affect warm air
warm moist air cools as it rises up a mountain and releases moisture on the windward side
42
how do mountains affect cool and dry air?
absorbs the moisture as it descends on the leeward side creating rain shadow
43
what are the two types of climate patterns
microclimate and macroclimate
44
characteristics of a microclimate
- localized pattern | - features of environment influence surrounding areas
45
what are some characteristics of a macroclimate
- global level - regional level - landscape level
46
what are abiotic facotrs
nonliving
47
what are biotic factors
living
48
what are some examples of abiotic factors
temp, light, water, nutrients
49
what has increased climate change
burning of fossil fuels and deforestation
50
what effect does the burning of fossil fuels have
increased the concentration of greenhouse gases
51
what is climate change
directional change to the global climate that lasts for decades or more
52
what is one result of climate change
wind and precipitatoin patterns are shifting and there is more extreme weather present
53
how can you predit the effects of future climate change
study how species responded to such shifts in the past
54
how can you determine future geographic range shifts for climate change
determine the location of suitable habitat under different climate scenarios
55
what is the distribution of terrestrial biomes controlled by
climate and disturbance
56
what is a biome
large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.
57
what determines the locations of terrestrial biomes
climate
58
what is a climograph
plots the annual mean temperature and precipitation
59
what abiotic factors affect a biome
mean temp, precipitation, a pattern of temp and precipitation through year
60
what is a terrestrial biome
based on land; named for climatic features and vegetation
61
what is an ecotone
boundary or a transition between two ecosystems. A common example could be an area of marshland between a river and its riverbank.
62
what do terrestrial biomes usually do * think of ecotone)
usually mix into each other without any sharp boundaries
63
how does vertical layering provide
diverse habitats for animals in terrestrial biomes
64
what does vertical layering consist of
upper canopy, low tree layer, shrub understory, herbaceous, plants, forest floor, root layer
65
what is disturbance
event such as a storm or fire or human activity that changes a community
66
what are the major terrestrial biomes
tropical forest, desert, savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland, northern coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, tundra
67
what is the distribution for tropical forest
equatorial and subequatorial
68
what is the precipitation in tropical forest
rainall is relatively constant | and in dry forests precipitation is highly seasonal
69
what is the temperature year-round in tropical rainforest
high year round25-29 degrees celsius with little seasonal variation
70
animals in tropical forest
diverse
71
human impact in tropical forest
forests are cutdown and converted to farmland
72
where are deserts mostly located
near 30 degrees north and south and in the interior of continents
73
desert precipitation
low and highly variable
74
temp in the desert
variable seasonally and daily
75
animals in the desert
nocturnal
76
plants in the desert
have physical defenses like spines, chemical defenses such as toxins to prevent feeding by animals
77
what is desiccation
drying out of a living organism
78
human impact on desert
reduced biodiversity because of urbanization
79
which biomes are distributed in the equatorial and subequatorial
tropical forests and savanna
80
precipitation for savanna
seasonal w. dry seasons
81
savanna temperature
temperature averages 24–29ºC: seasonal | variation
82
plants in the savanna
fire-adapted and | tolerant of seasonal drought
83
common animals in savanna
Large herbivores are common, but insects are the | dominant herbivores
84
human impact on the savanna
Human-induced fires help maintain the savanna, but | cattle ranching and overhunting threaten large mammal populations
85
location of chaparral biome
midlatitude coastal regions on | several continents
86
weather in chaparral
- highly seasonal precipitation | - summer is hot, winter and spring are cool
87
plants in the chaparral
shrubs, small trees, grasses, and herbs and they are adapted to fire and drought
88
animals in chapparal
amphibians, birds, other repitiles, insects, browsing mammals
89
human impact on chaparral
reduced areas bc of agriculture and urbanization
90
location of temperate grasslands
found on many continents
91
weather in temperate grassland
precipitation is highly seasonal and winters are cold, summers are hot
92
plants in temperate grasslands
grasses and forbs are adapted to droughts and fires
93
animals in temperate grassland
bison,wild | horses, and small burrowers, such as prairie dogs
94
human impact on grasslands
converted to agricultural land – Drier grasslands have been transformed to desert due to the activity of grazers, such as cattle
95
location of northern coniferous forest
northern North America and Eurasia and is the largest terrestrial biome on Earth
96
what is the largest biome on earth
north coniferous forest
97
weather and precipitation in coniferous
- precipitation varies | - winters are cold summers may be hot
98
plants in coniferous
pine, spruce, fir, hemlock
99
animals in coniferous
moose, brown bears, and Siberian | tigers
100
what kills most of the coniferous rainforest
insects outbreaks
101
human impact on coniferous
logging has destroyed homes of multiple species
102
location of broadleaf forest
primarily at midatitudes in the northern hemisphere
103
weather in the broadleaf forest
- signicican amounts of precipitation during the fall | - winters are cold and summers are hot and humid
104
which biomes have vertical layers
tropical forest and temperate broadleaf forest
105
animals of the broadleaf forest
mammals, birds, insects
106
human impact on broadleaf forest
heavily settled by humans but they are recoverin
107
location of tundra biomes
expansive areas of the arctic and exists on high mountaintops
108
weather and precipitaton in tundra
- precipitation is low | - cold winters, cool sumers
109
plants in tundra
vegetation is herbaceous | - permafrost restricts growth of plant roots
110
what is permafrost
permanently frozen layer of soil
111
animals in tundra
musk oxen, caribou, reindeer bears, wolves, migratory bird
112
human impact on tundra
human settlement is sparse, tundra has become the focus of oil and mineral extraction
113
which biome is diverse and covers the most of Earth
aquatic biome
114
what are aquatic biomes characterized by
physical and chemical environment | example: avg salt concentration in marine biomes is 3% where as in freshwater it is less than 0.1%
115
what has a major effect on the biosphere and why
oceans because they cover 75% of the surface
116
what are freshwater biomes influenced by
soil and biotic components
117
how are aquatic biomes separated
light penetration, temperature, and depth
118
what is the upper photic zone
sufficient light for photosynthesis
119
what zone is the photic and aphotic zone made up of
pelagic zone
120
what is the benthic zone
organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aquatic zones; ocean floor
121
benthos
communities of organisms in the benthic zone
122
what is detritus and what is its benefit
dead organic matter and its a source of food
123
what is the aphotic zone
harbors little life
124
what is the thermocline
used in oceans and most lakes; the transition layer between the warmer mixed water at the surface and the cooler deep water below and it separates the upper layer from the colder
125
what is the aphotic zone
little or no sunlight
126
what is the abyssal zone
deep sea, lacks high plant life bc of the absence of life
127
what is the pelagic zone
includes the entire ocean water column( free waters in the body of the ocean)
128
how do communities in aquatic biomes vary
depth, light penetration, distance from shore and the position in the pelagic or benthic zone
129
where do most organisms live in marine communities
shallow photic zone
130
what is turnover
when lakes mix their waters in the spring and autumn
131
what is the effect of turnover
sends o2 water to the bottom and nutrient rich water to the top

Biology 1306 (15 decks)

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