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Ecology
Ecossytem, biomes, endangered species
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| ecology | is the study of interactions that take place between organisms and their environment |
| biosphere | portion of earth that supports life |
| abiotic factors | non-living factor that influences an organisms environment...temperature, moisture, light, soil |
| biotic factors | all living organisms who live in an environment |
| population | group of organisms of the same species who interbreed and live in the same area |
| community | group of interacting populations in a certain time |
| ecosystem | made of interacting populations in a community and the communities abiotic factors which also contain physical surroundings |
| flow of matter | when matter is consumed by an organism it flows through levels of an ecosystem |
| food chain | shows how matter and energy move through an ecosystem |
| food web | show all possible relationships between trophic levels; organisms depend on more than one type of food |
| biome | large group of ecosystem same climax community |
| aquatic biome | underwater; marine-contain saltwater, the type of organisms present is highly dependent on sunlight |
| photic zone | sunlight can penetrate and photosynthesis can occur |
| aphotic zone | sunlight cannot penetrate |
| terrestrial biome | latitude influences the climate of an area-some latitudes receive more direct radiation than others; temperatures and precipitation have a huge affect on the climate of the area |
| tundra | treeless area in the Arctic circle that is consistently frozen; little vegetation; weasels, oxen, polar bears, foxes, and reindeer |
| taiga | lies below tundra and is warmer and wetter; Canada, northern Europe, and Asia; grizzly bears, squirrels, deer, and moose |
| desert | arid regions with high temperatures and little rainfall; little vegetation; cacti, coyotes, snakes, lizards, and scorpions |
| grasslands | rich soil, grasses and plants; dry summers (25-75 cm of precipitation); central Africa and mid-western US; deer, zebras, and lions |
| temperate forests | primarily covered by trees in a mild climate; squirrels, rabbits, deer, and bears |
| rain forests | high amount of precipitation and high temperatures; near the equator; wide diversity of life; very dangerous place |
| biodiversity | variety and number of species in a specific area; increases closer to the equator and in the mountainous areas |
| importance of biodiversity | plants and algae produce oxygen and remove CO2; humans depend on other organisms for food |
| exotic species | species that are not native to a particular region; can threaten native species |
| value of biodiversity | if a species is removed from an ecosystem it can have a drastic effect on entire ecosystem; when species is removes from food chain-all other species suffer |
| extinction | disappearance of a species; earth loses 1 species per year per million species due to human activity |
| ethical reasons | many people believe that humans should be responsible should be responsible for preserving biodiversity; ecosystems have a right to exist and are valuable to nature |
| population growth | all organisms are members of populations; populations die and grow at steady rate based on the amount of resources available |
| exponential growth | initial increase in organisms is slow then sharply increases due to high amount of reproduction |
| limitations | availability of food, disease, predators, and space |
| carrying capacity | number of organisms that an environment can support; births exceed deaths until resources run out |
| density dependent factor | factors that have a stronger effect with increasing population, disease, predators, parasites, and competition for food |
| density independent factor | affects population regardless of density; volcanic eruptions, storms, temperatures, and drought |
| demography | study of human population size, density and distribution |
| human population | have the ability to change environment, find cures, find methods to produce food, and provide clean water |
| age structure | proportions of the population that are different age groups |
| ecological footprint | measure of how much a person impacts their environment; measures the extent to which resources are used faster than they can regenerate |
| reducing ecological footprint | don't drive whenever possible or drive hybrid cars, grow vegetables and don't waste food, make home more energy efficient, turn thermostat down, and recycle |
| human impact on biosphere | human population is increasing rapidly; humans deplete resources; species are disappearing 1000X faster |
| habitat degradation | damage to a habitat by pollution; acid precipitation, ozone depletion, water pollution, land pollution |
| habitat loss | Amazonian rain forests were cleared to create farmland; land became worthless |
| habitat fragmentation | separation of wilderness areas from other wilderness areas; increased extinction, disruption of ecological processes, decreases biodiversity |
| over harvesting | excessively gathering plants and/or animals until the point that it cannot be sustained |
| hunting | can lead to extinction; poaching is illegal |
| endangered species in NC | 1 out of 5 species are threatened or endangered; some reptiles, mammals, insects, and birds |
| human needs | delicate balance between economy and the environment |
| human mitigation | endangered species act; yellow stone, big cypress, crater lake |
Created by:
Natasha2300
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