B4.1 Adaptations to the enviroment

Question 1

Habitat

Answer 1

The place where an organism lives, it describes the geographical location, the type of ecosystem, the physical location, and physical and chemical conditions.

Question 2

Describe the habitat of the species Ranunculus glacialis:

Answer 2

Very high altitudes on mountains in Europe.
- Snow cover during the winter.
- little competition from other plants during short summer.
- Intense sunlight and acidic soils that are moist but also well-drained.

Question 3

The distribution of a species

Answer 3

Where it lives in the world.

Question 4

Which division of factors affect the distribution of a species?

Answer 4

Abiotic factors

Question 5

What is the species distribution of Ranunculus glacialis?

Answer 5

North-western areas in Scandinavia

Question 6

List the abiotic factors that affect plant distribution:

Answer 6

• Temperature
• Water availability
• Light intensity
• Soil pH
• Soil salinity
• Availability of mineral nutrients

Question 7

What are some abiotic factors that affect animal distribution:

Answer 7

• Water availability
• Temperature

Question 8

What is the range of tolerance of salmon?

Answer 8

• Fast-flowing freshwater no more than 3m deep,
• Must have gravel substrates (10mm-100mm)
• • Water pH of 5.5 and 8.0
• High oxygen Concentration

Question 9

How do salmon keep their eggs and sperm from being washed by currents?

Answer 9

They dig a shallow depression in gravel.

Question 10

Where do biotic factors dominate?

Answer 10

Ecosystems where there are close communities of organisms.
Ex: tropical rainforests

Question 11

Where do abiotic factors dominate?

Answer 11

Extreme habitats where population densities are low.
Ex: Desert, or Taiga

Question 12

Sand Dunes

Answer 12

Accumulations of wind-blown sand at the top of beaches.

Question 13

What are some of the conditions on sand dunes?

Answer 13

• High salt concentration and hindered water uptake.
• Little water retention after rainfall

Question 14

What are some of the challenges plants face on beach dunes?

Answer 14

• Tolerance of sand accumulation
  + Toleerance of high salt concentration
• Water conservation

Question 15

What are some adaptations of Lyme grass in sand dunes?

Answer 15

• It has underground stems that grow upwards as sand accumulates and extend deep into the dune to obtain water.
• Stomata at the base of hairy furrows wherever humid air is retained in windy conditions.
• Thick waxy cuticle that reduces transpiration
• Fructans accumulates in leaf and root cells and increases osmotic potential and water uptake.
• During droughts sclerenchyma near one leaf surface that prevents wilting and causes the leaf to roll up, creating a humid chamber that is less exposed to wind.

Question 16

Mangrove Swamps

Answer 16

Trees that develop on the coast in the tropics and subtropics where there are sheltered conditions and mud accumulates. They are flooded with seawater at high tide and the most common species are trees.

Question 17

What are some of the environmental challenges faced by mangrove swamps?

Answer 17

• Difficulty for tree roots in obtaining oxygen needed for cell respiration due to waterlogged anaerobic soils.
• High salt concentrations die to daily flooding with seawater and evaporation that prevents water uptake by osmosi.

Question 18

What are some adaptations of mangrove swamps?

Answer 18

• Salt Glands —> Secrete excess salt
• Large buoyant seeds —> Drop and disperse
• Stilt roots grow in a downward arch — Butress tree in soft mud
• Cable roots grow close to soil surface — More oxegyn
• Vertical Root branches grow up into air — Absorb O2 for roots in anaerobic soil.

Question 19

What are some more adaptations of mangrove swamps?

Answer 19

• Suberin root epidermis, reduced permeability to salts, prevents excessive uptake.
• Mineral ions and carbon ions such as mannitol that increase osmotic potential, enabling water absorption from the very saline environment.

Question 20

Transect

Answer 20

A line or belt between two lines along which data are collected.

Question 21

How are measurements of the abiotic variable made?

Answer 21

The transect should span the different levels of the variable.

Question 22

How can measurements of species distribution be made?

Answer 22

• Recording number of inidividuals touching a Line transect. (Link int sampling)
• Measuring abundance by using quadrats at regular intervals along a belt (a belt transect).
• Tallying sightings by observer walking along a line (observational transect)

Question 23

Coral reefs

Answer 23

Biodiverse marine ecosystems that can only develop where conditions are suitable enough for hard corals.

Question 24

What are the conditions for coral reef survival?

Answer 24

• water less than 50m deep, so light penetrates.
• 32-42 parts per thousand of dissolved ions to avoid osmotic problems.
• pH above 7.8 so Caco3 can be deposited in the skeleton
• Clear water as turbidity prevents the penetration of light.
• 23-29 degrees so the coral and zooxanthellae remain healthy.

Question 25

With any combination of abiotic factors, an ……. Is likely to develop.

Answer 25

Ecosystem

Question 26

Biome

Answer 26

All ecosystems of a specific type.

Question 27

What are the principal determinants of biome distribution on earth?

Answer 27

Temperature and Rainfall

Question 28

Biomes

Answer 28

A group of ecosystems that resemble each other, even though they might be geographically separated.

Question 29

Climate conditions in major biomes:

Answer 29

• Temperature forest: moderate, rainfall is mid to high, and the light intensity is moderate.
• Grassland: Temperature is medium to high in the summer but may be cold in the wonder, moderate dry sun light intensity.
• Taiga. Temperatures low with short summers, mid to high precipitation, low to mud light inetnsi.
  Tundra: Low temps, short summer, light intensity low.

Question 30

Describe the conditions in hot deserts:

Answer 30

Very high daytime temperatures and colder nights, soil development is limited with little soils organic matter.

Question 31

Adaptations of the saguaro cactus:

Answer 31

• wide spreading roots, collects water
• tap roots, collect water from deep in subsoil
• wide stems, water storage tissue
• pleated stems, shrink in droughts and swell after rain.
• vertical stems, avoid overheating by hot midday sun
• Thick waxy cuticle on stem epidermis, less transpiration.
• CAM metabolism, stomata open only at night to reduce transpiration.

Question 32

Adaptations of the fennec fox (Vulpes Zerda):

Answer 32

• Nocturnal, avoids daytime temperatures
• Build underground water dens to stay cool
• Long thick hair for insulation
• Hair covers the pads of the feet to provide insulation from hot sand.
• Light coat that reflects sunlight
• Large ears radiate heat and decrease body temperature
• Ventilation rises very high to cause heat loss by evaporation.

Question 33

Tropical rainforest conditions:

Answer 33

• High light intensity, high temperature, no cold season, lots of rainfall, soil is thin and poor due to leaching.

Question 34

Adaptations of the Yellow mercanti to tropical rainforests:

Answer 34

• Grows 100m tall to avoid competition for light.
• Trunk of hard dense wood for support against wind stress.
• Smooth trunk to shed rainwater.
• Oval leaves with pointy tips to sheet water rapidly
• leaf enzymes work in temperatures as high as 35 dgs
  — Flowers and seeds only grow a lot about one year in 5, so animals won’t eat the seeds.

Question 35

Adaptations of spider monkeys to tropical rainforests:

Answer 35

• Long arms for climbing and reaching for fruit.
• Flexible shoulders allow for swinging from tree to tree.
• Large, hook-like, thumbless hands to grasp branches and lianas and pick fruit,
• Feet can grasp branches so arms can be used for feeding.
• Highly developed larynx for communication in the dense rainforest canopy .
• Only awake in daytime for better vision so safer movement.
• Breed any season as food is always available.