chapter 34

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the interactions b/t organisms and their environment (ex: re-cockaded woodpecker and forest habitat it depends on)

Question 2

population

Answer 2

all the individuals of a single species in an area (emphasis on the area)

Question 3

levels of study

Answer 3

• population
• community
• ecosystem
• biosphere

Question 4

community

Answer 4

all the living organisms (populations) living close enough for potential

• revolves around who eats what
• includes plants, animals, fungi, and other living organisms

Question 5

ecosystem

Answer 5

all the living (community) and nonliving (abiotic) factors in an area

Question 6

abiotic factors

Answer 6

all the nonliving factors (solar energy, water, temperature, soil, wind, periodic disturbances)

Question 7

biosphere

Answer 7

the earth (literally means the “sphere of life”)

• more specifically - a thing layer of life on the surface of the earth
• approximately 30,000 feet above sea level (mt everest) to about 36,000 feet below sea level (deepest trench in the pacific ocean)
• about 12.5 miles total

Question 8

biotic factors

Answer 8

all the living organsims (animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and archea

Question 9

solar energy

Answer 9

power nearly all surface terrestrial (land) and shallow water ecosystems
-the more sunlight, the more photosynthesis can take place, creating food (bottom of the food web) for other organisms

Question 10

water

Answer 10

amount of rain; water in oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, etc

Question 11

temperature

Answer 11

organisms live within a limited range of temperatures
-extremes = below 32F is too cold for most organisms, above 122F is too hot for most organisms because enzymes are destroyed (proteins)

Question 12

soil

Answer 12

what nutrients are available in the soil; how well does it retain water

Question 13

wind

Answer 13

pollination, seed dispersal, water loss, wind chill

Question 14

periodic disturbances

Answer 14

fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes

Question 15

importance of abiotic factors

Answer 15

important in detmining what plants and animals can live in an area

• ex: organisms need energy and water to survive and flourish
• more sunlight and water available, the more plants can live in an area,
• more plants = more animals that can live an area

Question 16

global climate patterns: solar energy

Answer 16

solar energy is the driving force for Earth’s climates

• it has a great effect on temperature, rain, and wind on the earth
• this is caused by the uneven heating of the earth surface because of the earth’s curvature

Question 17

distribution of sunlight

Answer 17

• equator gets the most direct sunlight

- latitudes north and south of the equator get more indirect sunlight (lower angle, light spread out more)

Question 18

air circulation

Answer 18

uneven heating of earth’s surfaces effects both the amount of rain and wind

• warm air rises and absorbs/picks up moisture
• cool air loses moisture, which condenses into rain and falls; cool air falls back to earth’s surfaces

Question 19

global climate patterns

Answer 19

• sunlight
• air circulation
• ocean circulation

Question 20

process of air circulation

Answer 20

1. direct solar energy near the equator heats up the surfaces and the air (air rises and absorbs moisture)
2. then, as the warm air ascends higher in the atmosphere, where the air is much cooler (moist air cools, clouds form, and rain fall back down)
   …….. see slide 21

Question 21

ocean circulation

Answer 21

Atlantic ocean currents

Question 22

effects of global climate patterns

Answer 22

• tropics are generally b/t 23.5degrees N and S of the equator (abundant sunlight, heat, and rainfall)
• temperate zones are generally b/t 25 to 60degrees N and S of the equator (moderate sunlight, heat and rainfall, Dayton)
• deserts tend to be near 30degrees N and S of the equator (abundant sunlight but little rainfall)

Question 23

what causes seasons?

Answer 23

• the earth’s tilt on its axis, in relation to the sun, causes the season in the northern and southern hemispheres
• we are tilted toward the sun in the summer and away from the sun in the winter
• tropics experience the least seasonal variation in solar energy

Question 24

tilt of earth

Answer 24

23.5 degrees

Question 25

Angle of sun and seasons

Answer 25

The higher the angle of the Sun the more intense the sunlight Ex. a = summer – Sun at a higher angle, the light is more intense Ex. b = winter – Sun at a lower angle, light is spread out over a larger surface

Question 26

analemma

Answer 26

the figure-8 curve you get when you mark the position of the Sun each day at the same time throughout the year - Shows the angle of the Sun

Question 27

biomes

Answer 27

- tropical rainforest - savannas - deserts - temperate deciduous forests - temperate grasslands - coniferous forests - tundra

Question 28

tropical rainforest

Answer 28

- sunlight is abundant (12 hours a day, lots of photosynthesis) - rain is abundant (100-180+ inches/year) - temperature is warm year around - biodiversity is high

Question 29

savannas

Answer 29

- sunlight abundant - rain (40-60 inches/ year); season (wet/dry seasons) - dominated by grasslands and scattered trees because there is not enough water to support many trees and there are frequent fires and grazing animals that inhibit further invasion of trees - temperature is warm to hot year around - biodiversity is moderate (migrations)

Question 30

deserts

Answer 30

- sunlight is abundant - rain (less than 10 in/year) - temperature: hot days and cool nights (plants and animals have to adapt to heat, cold, and little water - biodiversity is low

Question 31

temperate deciduous forests

Answer 31

- sunlight is moderate - rain is moderate and spread out throughout the year (enough rain to support large trees and forests) - temperature: seasonal with hot summers and cold winters - biodiversity: moderate

Question 32

temperate grasslands

Answer 32

- sunlight is moderate - rain: seasonal; wet and dry seasons (grasslands with trees only along rivers and streams) - temperature: season, hot summers/cold winters - biodiversity: moderate

Question 33

coniferous forests

Answer 33

- sunlight is moderate - rain is moderate - temperature: cold winters - biodiversity - low to moderate - cone-bearing trees with needles for photosynthesis rather than leaves; can also be found at higher elevation in other biomes

Question 34

tundra

Answer 34

- sunlight is low - rain is low, mostly snow - temperature is warm to very cold (brief, warm summers; permafrost = coninuously frozen subsoil; vegatation close to the ground due to high winds) - low biodiversity

Question 35

Aquatic and marine biomes

Answer 35

-

Question 36

aquatic

Answer 36

freshwater (rivers, streams, lakes)

Question 37

marine

Answer 37

seawater (seas and oceans)

Question 38

photic zone

Answer 38

the region into which sunlight penetrates (where photosynthesis occurs)

Question 39

aphotic zone

Answer 39

the region beneath the photic zone (not enough sunlight penetrates for photosynthesis)

Question 40

intertidal zone

Answer 40

where the ocean meets the land (area b/t high and low tide) | ex: beaches

Question 41

continental shelf

Answer 41

the relatively shallow areas by the continents (ocean plants and may fish live here)

Question 42

benthic realm

Answer 42

the seafloor or lake bottom (also the bottoms of rivers and streams)

Question 43

phytoplankton

Answer 43

diverse algae and cyanobacteria that drift passively, primarily in the photic zone (do photosynthesis and release oxygen; producers who are at the bottom of the aquatic/marine food chain)

Question 44

Zooplankton

Answer 44

microscopic animals that drift, feeding on the phytoplankton in the photic zone (they in turn are eaten by fish and other animals)

Question 45

detritivores

Answer 45

found in the benthic realm, decomposing the organic matter that settles there

Question 46

coral reefs

Answer 46

found in the tropics, are the most productive marine biomes (corals are living organisms; enjoy looking at them, but do not walk on them)