Biosphere 3

Question 1

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 1

variation in individual genetics within and between populations

Question 2

What is ecosystem diversity?

Answer 2

variety of ecosystems within the biosphere

Question 3

What is taxonomic (species) diversity?

Answer 3

variety of taxa in a given area

Question 4

What is functional diversity?

Answer 4

variety of ‘functions’ performed by the taxa in a given area
Translation:
variety of modes of life/variety of different
things the taxa ‘do

Question 5

What are the 3 broad areas of diversity?

Answer 5

Species
Habitat
Genetic

Question 6

How can species diversity be split?

Answer 6

Richness
Evenness
Dominance

Question 7

What are the difficulties in measuring species richness?

Answer 7

Taxonomic level?
Sampling procedure

Question 8

What is the effort vs reward with sampling procedures?

Answer 8

will be a point where effort of finding new species not ‘worth it’ but rare species are hard to find

Question 9

What can influence terrestrial biomes?

Answer 9

Temperature
Precipitation
Atmospheric circulation
Topography
Latitude
Over time change (Milankovitch, long term climate change, evolution and continental drift)

Question 10

What are marine biomes influenced by?

Answer 10

Depth
Distance from shore
Light levels

Question 11

What is the photic and aphotic zone in water/ oceans?

Answer 11

Photic- ~100m, light penetration
Aphotic- ~400m, no light penetration

Question 12

What are plankton, nekton and benthos?

Answer 12

Plankton- float in water column
Nekton- mobile species
Benthos- live on sea floor

Question 13

What is pelagic and benthic?

Answer 13

pelagic in water column
Benthic on sea floor

Question 14

What is a population?

Answer 14

group of individuals of the same species,
which interbreed and share genetic information

Question 15

How can populations be distributed?

Answer 15

geographically clustered
Living in close proximity

Question 16

How can species population change?

Answer 16

birth
death
survival

Question 17

What are intrinsic factors?

Answer 17

factors within the population itself that affect size

Question 18

What are some examples of intrinsic factors?

Answer 18

reproduction rate
need for food, light, space,

Question 19

What are extrinsic factors?

Answer 19

factors external to the species

Question 20

What are some examples of extrinsic factors?

Answer 20

Climate change
forest fire
predation

Question 21

What is intraspecific competition?

Answer 21

between individuals of the same species

Question 22

What is interspecific competition?

Answer 22

competition
predation
parasitism
mutualism

Question 23

How is growth rate expressed?

Answer 23

as a ratio
r=N/N0

Question 24

What do the letters in the growth rate ratio mean?

Answer 24

r= growth rate
N= population at the end of time period
N0= population at start of time period

Question 25

What are the 2 theoretical types of population growth?

Answer 25

Exponential Logistic

Question 26

What is exponential population growth like?

Answer 26

small start population with lots of resources (space and food) Population growth exponential (accelerating)

Question 27

When is exponential population growth possible?

Answer 27

for short periods under specific conditions

Question 28

What is logarithmic population growth like?

Answer 28

More individuals able available to reproduce, with resources/space are abundant and population growth is rapid however this diminishes resources, decreased reproduction and increased death rate

Question 29

What happens to population when habitat carrying capacity is met?

Answer 29

birth and death rate stabilise creating static population

Question 30

What is the most common population growth pattern?

Answer 30

Boom and bust cycles

Question 31

What are some examples of boom and bust cycles with populations?

Answer 31

Climate rhythms ‘Events’ Intraspecies dependence

Question 32

What are some examples of interspecies relationships?

Answer 32

Competition Exploitation Mutualism Keystone species

Question 33

What are some examples of exploitation as a interspecies relationship?

Answer 33

Predation Parasitism

Question 34

What are the 2 types of mutualism?

Answer 34

symbiosis - mutual benefit Commensalism - unidirectional benefit

Question 35

What do keystone have an impact on?

Answer 35

disproportionate impact on ecosystem function

Question 36

What ways can a species be keystone?

Answer 36

Keystone predator - pop control (wolves Yellowstone -deer's) Ecosystem engineers- elephants paths and water holes

Question 37

What is the difference between niche and habitat?

Answer 37

species can share a habitat Niche is species specific

Question 38

What are generalists?

Answer 38

Wide range of tolerances; large, broadly defined niches

Question 39

What are specialists?

Answer 39

Narrow range of tolerances; smaller, more narrowly defined niches

Question 40

What is the competitive exclusion principle?

Answer 40

2 species cannot occupy the same niche so one will be outcompeted and made extinct completely or just om area

Question 41

What allows direct competition of niches to not occur as readily in environments?

Answer 41

Niche differentiation/ resources partitioning

Question 42

What can allow species to occupy the same ecological role?

Answer 42

is they have a slightly different niche

Question 43

What spatial/ temporal niche differentiation can allow the same ecological role to be occupied?

Answer 43

nocturnal or diurnal Upper canopy and lower canopy

Question 44

What is the Gaia hypothesis?

Answer 44

Life itself on planet is responsible for homeostasis

Question 45

What does daisyworld show?

Answer 45

how temperature regulation can arise from organisms interacting with their environment

Question 46

What is daisyworld like with plant life?(environmental regulation)

Answer 46

Black daises absorb light warming (25% albedo) White daises reflect light cooling (75% albedo) Barren land (50% albedo)

Question 47

What are biogeophysical feedbacks?

Answer 47

arise because climate also affects the physical properties of ecosystems, including the surface albedo

Question 48

what is an example of a biogeophysical cycle?

Answer 48

Evergreen boreal forest Absorb solar radiation even in winter As poleward forest extent increase with warming lead to positive feedback

Question 49

What do biogeochemical cycle arise fro?

Answer 49

climate affects the biologically mediated exchanges of GHGs and aerosols between ecosystems and the atmosphere

Question 50

How does warming generally affect biological processes?

Answer 50

increase in them

Question 51

What do plants mediate between land and atmosphere?

Answer 51

Plants mediate the exchange of water between land and atmosphere

Question 52

How do photosynthetic organisms link the atmosphere and biosphere?

Answer 52

change colour and albedo of earths surface

Question 53

How does vegetation structure link the atmosphere and biosphere?

Answer 53

Structure on land affects roughness chnaging flow of wind weather and climate

Question 54

What are the 3 links between biosphere and lithosphere systems for ecological regulation?

Answer 54

Plant cover reduces dust production, Plants roots increase physical weathering. Plants increase evaporation and therefore decrease runoff. Roots stabilize soil, reducing rates of erosion

Question 55

What is the link between the biosphere and hydrosphere for ecological regulation?

Answer 55

Influences the flux of particulate matter and solutes from the land to the oceans via streams and rivers. Growth of marine organisms and sinking of OM affects surface ocean chemistry, gas transfer between ocean and atmosphere, deep ocean chemistry, transfer to marine sediments

Question 56

What is the interaction between earth biosphere systems and the cryosphere?

Answer 56

Microbes in ice affect albedo, increasing melting