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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Is the percentage of oxygen the same at sea level and 20,000 feet?
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Yes, but the oxygen is so dispersed there is not enough for us to live.
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Define Ecosystems
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Living and nonliving elements are present and interacting to process energy and cycle materials
Basic functional units No defining size limitations: e.g. Earth or a discarded tire with water present |
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Define a Biotic Community
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A natural grouping of different kinds of plants and animals within any given habitat is defined as a “biotic community”
Same species living together within a given area are referred to as a “population” Interrelationships and dependence of different populations |
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What are Ecological Dominants?
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Organisms which exert a major modifying influence on the community
Generally the species that control the flow of energy through the community In most terrestrial biotic communities certain plants comprise the dominant species |
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Why are plant generally Ecological Dominants?
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1) Food and shelter for other organisms
2) Affect and modify their physical environment (plants contribute to top-soil buildup, moderate temperatures, improve moisture retention, and affect pH of the soil) |
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Is the percentage of oxygen the same at sea level and 20,000 feet?
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Yes, but the oxygen is so dispersed there is not enough for us to live.
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Define Ecosystems
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Living and nonliving elements are present and interacting to process energy and cycle materials
Basic functional units No defining size limitations: e.g. Earth or a discarded tire with water present |
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Define a Biotic Community
|
A natural grouping of different kinds of plants and animals within any given habitat is defined as a “biotic community”
Same species living together within a given area are referred to as a “population” Interrelationships and dependence of different populations |
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What are Ecological Dominants?
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Organisms which exert a major modifying influence on the community
Generally the species that control the flow of energy through the community In most terrestrial biotic communities certain plants comprise the dominant species |
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Why are plant generally Ecological Dominants?
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1) Food and shelter for other organisms
2) Affect and modify their physical environment (plants contribute to top-soil buildup, moderate temperatures, improve moisture retention, and affect pH of the soil) |
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a)Where are there more ecological dominants found?
b)Where does the number of dominant species diminish? |
a)they increase as you move toward the equator
b)they diminish as you move towards the poles and in regions where climatic conditions are extreme |
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Define Biomes
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terrestial communities that have been divided into general groupings.
can be recognized by the distinctive life forms of their dominant species. Key characteristic is usually the dominant type of vegetation has its own pattern of rainfall, seasons, and max and min temperatures |
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Key Characteristics of Tundra
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~8” annual rainfall, Permafrost
Dominant vegetation is moss, lichens, grass, and some perennials Animal life is limited and consists of caribou/reindeer, birds, insects, polar bears, lemmings, foxes, rabbits, and fish Mosquitoes!!!! fires that burn underneath and pop up miles away |
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Key Characteristics of Taiga
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(northern coniferous forest)
Covers much of Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia Dominant vegetation is conifer trees including spruce, firs, hemlocks, and pines Moderate rainfall (poor drainage +lakes) Animals include bears, moose, lynxes, weasels, wolverines, and a variety of birds |
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Key Characterisitcs of Temperate Deciduous Forest
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Milder climate and more rainfall than Taiga
Biome where Western, Chinese, and Japanese civilization developed Soil type and elevation varies Maples, beech, oak, and hickory trees are common Great variety of mammals, birds and insects |
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Key Characteristics of Grasslands
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(grasses are dominant)
Insufficient rainfall to sustain the growth of trees and evaporation rate high AKA prairie, veldt, savanna, steppe, pampas, and llanos Carnivores abundant: such as coyotes and lions (rodents and many species of reptile) highest concentration of organic matter in soil of all biomes (12X humus compared to forests) When soil is broken erosion occurs Don't get enough rain for tall trees (aka in OK) |
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Key Characteristics of Desserts
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(areas receiving less than 10” of rain annually)
High daytime and low nighttime temps?? Plants and animals are characterized by species that are drought tolerant Proportionally more annual plants than other biomes Animals active at night, remaining under cover during the day |
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Key Characteristics of Tropical Rain Forest
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High temperatures and high annual rainfall (100” or more)
Annual temperature variation is slight 4 distinct layers of plant growth 1) top canopy 200’+, 2) lower canopy approx 100’, 3) sparse understory, 4) ground level (few plants) Highest diversity of species on the planet but numbers in each species are usually limited Tropical forest soils are exceedingly thin and nutrient poor (high rainfalls leech minerals needed for plant growth) This biome is being destroyed more rapidly than any other due to human population growth and governmental actions |
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What is the Adiabatic lapse rate?
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Air temperature decreases ~6oC per 1000 meter increase in altitude
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What is the "principal of competitive exclusion"?
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holds that when two species are competing for the same limited resources, only one will survive (partitioning of resources allow cohabiting species to survive[louse example, closely related, head body, crab louse]; species may also restrict feeding activities to different times to minimize competition)
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What are limiting factors?
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Environmental factors that limit or control where an organism can live
Temperature Water Oxygen Minerals |
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What are limits of tolerance?
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Organisms with high tolerance for a large number of factors will be widely distributed
Different stages of a life cycle exhibit different tolerances Thalidomide (humans) pH (acid rain is deadly to roe but not to adult fish) Coal fire generating plants making sulfure in NorthEast created sulfuric acid which killed baby fish due to PH |
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First Law of Thermodynamics
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energy can neither be created nor destroyed
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Second Law of Thermodynamics
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with every energy transformation there is a loss of useable energy (energy that can be used to do work).
The availability, not the total amount of energy is what decreases |
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what are the 3 types of organisms in the Food Chain?
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Producers (green plants, algae) convert the sun’s energy into food energy
Consumers (animals, herbivores and carnivores) consume producers Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) essential to recycle detritus back into the soil where it is once again available for use by producer organisms |
