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95 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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desert
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-sparse rainfall--driest biome on earth
-vegetation varies depending on rainfall--some barren, some have cacti, etc. -not always hot--cold at night -soils can be saline (lithosoils/stone soils) -things living there are well-aadapted |
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tundra
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-almost as dry as deserts but not as hot
-high latitudes -cold winters with little daylight, cool summers with long days -landscape of lichens and shrubs -underground soils remain frozen (permafrost) -animals mostly migratory |
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boreal forest
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-taiga/northern coniferous forest
-canada, alaska, russia -evergreen trees that dominate large stretches of forest -cool, dry climate with long winter and short summers -soils nutrient poor and acidic -animals adapt by shortening breeding and rearing into a few months |
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chaparral
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-small patches--california coast, chile, sounthern australia, mediterranean
-highly seasonal -climate is influenced by the ocean -frequent fires -plants adapted to survive fires--some depend ont hem for seed dispersal |
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temperate deciduous forests
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-dominated by broad leaved deciduous trees
-occur mainly in Europe, China, NA (great lakes) -requires precipitation -fertile soils |
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temperate grassland
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-steppe/prairie
-occure west and south of great lakes -temp. differences between summer and winter become more extreme as rainfall diminishes -limited rainfall supports grass better than trees -now mostly converted to agriculture |
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temperate rainforest
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-occurs in pacific northwest
-heavy rainfall, damp interior -tall coniferous trees--cedars, spruces, hemlocks, douglas fur -fertile soils but susceptible to landslides, erosion if cleared -paper and lumber produced from these |
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tropical rainforest
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-same as temperate but in tropical regions close to equator--central and south america, southeast asia, west africa
-year-round rain, warm weather -very diverse -poor acidic soils |
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tropical dry forest
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-india, africa, south america, australia
-warm year-round but rainy only 6 months -rains can be heavy and erode soil |
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savanna
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-dry, tropical gresslands interspersed with trees
-africa, south america,india, australia -rains during rainy seasons but not predictable -plants well adapted to survive with long roots |
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natural world
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plants, soil, animals, etc
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societal world
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politics, technology, culture, etc
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biological environment
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circumstances and conditions that surround one or a group of organisms
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environmental science
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interdisciplinary study of the environment and our place in it
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4 phases of environmental movement
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-conservation
-preservation -modern environmentalism -global environmentalism |
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conservation movement
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-Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot
-Utilitarian conservation -US forest service |
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Utilitarian conservation
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-nature should be conserved for use, not beauty
-greatest good for greatest # people for longest time |
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preservation
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-john muir and stephen mather
-aldo leopold -biocentric preservation -national parks |
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biocentric preservation
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-conserve for beauty, not utility
-emphasizes right of all beng to exist and thrive |
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modern environmentalism
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-started with Carson's Silent Spring
-EPA established--clean air act -marked by protest and research |
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Silent Spring
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-Rachael Carson's book
-first time pollution and natural resource conservation were linked |
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global environmentalism
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-modern environmentalism on a larger view
-wangari mathai--organized rural kenyan women and gave them a job that would also help the environment |
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atmosphere
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gasses surrounding the earth
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hydrosphere
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all water on earth except atmospheric gasses
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geosphere
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all solid earth
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lithosphere
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outtermost layer of lithosphere
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biosphere
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combination of hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere
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species
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members of a similar type that have same number of chromosomes and can reproduce viable offspring
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ecosystem
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made of all biotic and abiotic factors
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7 types of species interaction
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-competition
-predation -parasitism -herbivory -mutualism -amensalism -commensalism |
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competition
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-occurs when multiple organisms seek the same limited resource
-if 2 species can coexist and live side-by-side at an equalibrium, this causes constant population size |
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intraspecific competition
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-among members of the same species
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interspecific competition
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-between species
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principle of competitive exclusion
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-if one species outcompetes another, it wins
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niche
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-biological role of a species
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fundamental niche
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full possible role of a species
ex: a bird has 5 trees it can eat from. fundamental niche=5 trees |
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realized niche
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actual role of a species
ex: 2 birds each eat from the same 5 trees and share 2 of them. Species 1 decides to leave the 2 shared ones alone to limit competition. realized niche=3 trees |
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resource partitioning
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-sharing the resources between species
-can cause evolution |
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predation
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-process by which a predator captures, kills, and consumes another organism
-very important in shaping ecosystems b/c causes population cycles (lynx and bunnies) |
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parasitism
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-one organism depends on another (host) and derives nourishment and benefits from the host while simultaneously doing harm to the them
-does not cause immediate death of host -can live in close proximity (tapeworm) but not always -both parasites and hosts evolve (host gets defenses, parasite produces offspring faster) |
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parasitoid
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some insects kill other insects in the term of their hosting
ex: wasps lay eggs in caterpillar which does not immediately kill them but does eventually |
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herbivory
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-animals feeding on plants
-doesn't kill plants but can effect growth and reproduction -plants develop defenses (thorns, animal allies) |
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mutualism
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-relationship where 2+ species benefit
-usually teh species bring resources that the other needs -often happens in very close proximity (many evolved from parasitism) -ex: pollination |
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amensalism
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-relationship where 1 organism benefits and another is harmed
-hard to prove b/c may just be competition |
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commensalism
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-1 organism is benefitted and another neither benefits nor is harmed
-often occurs from natural movements of unaffected organism |
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community ecology
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-study of how species interact, relate, and change over time
-ex: who eats who and how energy moves between trophic levels |
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detritivores
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scavange waste products, carcasses
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decomposers
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break down dead materials
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keystone species
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-when a species' impact is out of proportion to its abundance
-if removed, has a substantial impact on the environment |
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trophic cascade
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when predators at a high trophic level inadvertantly control populations at a low trophic level by keeping species in a middle tropic level in check
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biome
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-major regional complex of similar communities
-dominant plant type and vegetation structure determines biome -temp, soil, pressure, air circulation, precipitation all determine what biomes are where on earth -encompasses similar communities |
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vertical stratification
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light and temperature both decrease with depth so most photosynthetic activity takes place near shore
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photic zone
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-"light" zone where sun can reach
-about 20 m -species outside photic zone cannot rely on photosynthesis |
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intertidal zone
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-exposed by low tide
-organizations here are very specialized |
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littoral zone
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-defined by "where sunlight reaches the bottom"
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pelagic zone
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-open ocean
-very general term to describe the water column |
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epipelagic zone
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-portion of pelagic zone containing photosynthetic organisms
-kind of overlaps with photic zone |
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benthic zone
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-benthos
-ocean floor |
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coral reef
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-highly specialized
-colony of coral polyps living simbiotically with photosynthetic algae (coral protects algae, algae nourishes coral) -can't handle excessive nutrients |
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mangrove forests
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-salt-tolerant trees in shallow tidal mud flats
-essential to many island nations and shorelines -tree roots may or may not be above soil line -roots stabilize soild, buffer land against storms, and collect detritus under roots |
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estuatries and salt marshes
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-E=bays where rivers empty into oceans
-SM=shallow marshes/wetlands that are flooded with sea water -calm, warm, nutrient rich -gives rare areas of shallow, salty water -2/3 of marine fish rely on them for reproduction |
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tide pools
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-violent and wave-blasted
-depression in rocky shoreline--flooded at high tide and basically dry at low -cold from water @ high tide and hot from sun @ low tide -animals living there are very specialized (starfish, barnacles) |
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lakes
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distinct vertical zones like ocean
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fresh water surface
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-photosynthetic organisms
-insects |
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fresh water benthos
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-worms, snails, etc
-little oxygen/temp level regulation b/c no strong currents like ocean -only vacteria/insects can survive there |
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epilimnion
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-area mized by wind and warmed by sun
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wetlands
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-shallow ecosystems in which land surface is saturated or partly submerged underwater for at least part of the year
-plants very specialized -essential for bird migration and breeding -retain storm water and reduce flooding; filter groundwater |
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4 main types of wetlands
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-swamp
-marsh -bog -fen |
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swamp
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forested wetland
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marsh
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wetland without trees
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bog
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area of water saturated ground composed of deep layer of peat and fed by rainwater
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fen
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area of water saturated ground fed by groundwater
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rivers and streams
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-move thru landscapes--can cross multiple ecosystems
-small streams form from rainfall, snow, etc (often tributaries) -goal is to mvoe nutrients |
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water shed
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area of land containing all tributaries and the river they empty into
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3 microhabitats within a river/stream
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-riffle
-pool -run |
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riffle
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well mixed and well oxygenated section of stream defined by fast water running over rocky substrates
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pool
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-area of slower water where silt and organic matter can collect
-often deeper -often on outside of river curves |
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run
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uniform area between riffles and pools
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oxbow lake
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-really fast water deposits silt on outside of curve and tries to make a shortcut on inside
-creates u-shaped lake |
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system
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network of relationships that interact and influence on another thru the energy matter and conservation
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negative feed back loop
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output that results from the system moving in one direction/ as input to the system moving in the opposite direction
ex: body |
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feed back loop
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systesm output serves as its input
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positive feedback loop
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increased output causes increased input, pushing the system towards one extreme or another
ex: population |
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dynamic equilibrium
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processes of a system move in opposite direction so taht their opposing equal out
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productivity
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the rate that plants convert energy to biomass
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gross primary level production
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assimilation of energy by autotrophs
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net primary level production
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-the portion that remains after metabolism to generate growth
-can be used immediately or stored |
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trophosphere
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-air we breathe
-responsible for weather -thinnest layer of atmosphere -0-11km |
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trophopause
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covers trophosphere and limits mixing between layers
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stratosphere
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-similar in composition to trophosphere but 1000 times colder
-once gasses enter it they don't leave -Ozone layer is in here -function:reduce and absorb UV radiationt hat reaches earth -11-50km |
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mesosphere
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-low aire pressure, VERY cold
-50-80km |
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thermospere
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-80-500km
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properties that cause air movement
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-air pressure
-density -humidity -temperature |
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atmospheric pressure
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-measures force caused by a column of air
-air is more dense by surface of earth b/c of gravity so high altitudes=low density and pressure |
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humidity
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-ratio of water vapor that a given volume of air contains relative to teh max amound it can hold
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