Chapter 41: Distribution of Earth’s Ecological Systems

Question 1

What is the new definition of ecology

Answer 1

The study of an organism’s interaction with both the biotic and abiotic components of its environment

Question 2

Population

Answer 2

group of individuals of the same species that live, interact, and interbreed in a particular area at the same time.

Question 3

Community

Answer 3

All the populations of all the different species that live together in a particular area

Question 4

Ecosystems

Answer 4

consists of a community of organisms together with their physical environment

Question 5

Biosphere

Answer 5

all the organisms and environments of the planet

Question 6

Physical Geography

Answer 6

study of the distribution of Earth’s climates and surface features

Question 7

Biogeography

Answer 7

study of the distributions of organisms

Question 8

What is the old definition of ecology

Answer 8

The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms

Question 9

Abiotic Component

Answer 9

Basically the physical environment

Question 10

What are some examples of abiotic components?

Answer 10

Water, Temperature, Minerals

Question 11

Biotic Component

Answer 11

They are living things

Question 12

Ecological Systems

Answer 12

When one or more organisms and the environment in which they exchange energy and materials

Question 13

System

Answer 13

Is defined by the interacting parts it contains

Question 14

Weather

Answer 14

Is the state of atmospheric conditions in a particular place at a particular time

Question 15

Climate

Answer 15

is the average weather in a place over a long period of time

Question 16

What are the responses to weather from organisms?

Answer 16

Since the weather is short term organisms may seek shelter or find another way to temporarily cope with the atmospheric conditions

Question 17

What are the responses to climate from organisms?

Answer 17

Organisms respond to climate by evolving to adapt

Question 18

What does physical geography impact?

Answer 18

It impacts biogeography

Question 19

What is the key component of ecology?

Answer 19

Biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems are distributed unevenly in space

Question 20

What is topography?

Answer 20

It refers to the elevation

Question 21

Seasonality is caused by what?

Answer 21

It is caused by the 23.5 degree tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation

Question 22

What is the tropics?

Answer 22

It is the latitudes between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

Question 23

What are Hadley Cells?

Answer 23

They form two cycles of vertical atmospheric circulation

Question 24

What happens in a Hadley Cell?

Answer 24

1. Air rises up into the atmosphere at or near the equator, 2. Air flows toward the poles above the surface of the Earth,
2. Air returns to the Earth’s surface in the subtropics and flows back towards the equator

Question 25

What does the Hadley cell eventually do?

Answer 25

It eventually returns air to the surface of the Earth in the subtropics, near 30 degrees north or south latitude

Question 26

Biome

Answer 26

Is a distinct physical environment that is inhibited by ecologically similar organisms with similar adaptations

Question 27

What are the similarities of species that occupy the same biome in geographically separate regions?

Answer 27

The species are not closely related and they reflect convergent evolution by natural selection?

Question 28

What is terrestrial Biome?

Answer 28

They are generally distinguished by the characteristics of their vegetation

Question 29

Climate Diagrams

Answer 29

Summarize climate at a particular location in an ecologically relevant way

Question 30

The distribution of terrestrial biomes is broadly determined by what?

Answer 30

They are determined by annual patterns of temperature and precipitation

Question 31

Aquatic biomes are determined by what physical factors?

Answer 31

1. Water depth and current
2. Temperature
3. Pressure
4. Salinity

Question 32

What is salinity?

Answer 32

It is the saltiness or dissolved inorganic salt content of a body of water

Question 33

What is Osmoregulation?

Answer 33

It is is the process of maintaining salt and water balance (osmotic balance) across membranes within the body