Environmental conditions (copy)

What are 2 examples of organisms that are adapted to a harsh abiotic environment?

Sea oats and red mangroves

What are sea oats?

A species of grass that lives on and creates sand dunes along the eastern seaboard of the United States

How do sea oats adapt to dry conditions?

Drought resistant and have a large shallow root system

Have narrow leaves to help reduce transpiration

How are sea oats adapted to sandy soil’s inability to hold water for long periods of time?

Dense roots help maximize take-up of water during the short period of time it is available after rain

Also helps to hold the sand in place and prevent beach erosion, which is how sand dunes are formed

Why do sea oat plants produce nodes and rhizomes near their base, above the sand line?

When covered by blowing sand, these asexual growth shoots are stimulated and produce shoots above the newly accumulated sand

How is sexual reproduction of sea oats accomplished?

The production of seed heads that resemble those of a true oat plant

What is the red mangrove?

A tropical and subtropical tree that grows along the saltwater tidal zone

How are roots of a red mangrove adapted?

Prop roots found above the ground extend below the water line, forming a “spider-like” support system

The roots above the water line absorb air, which are used to oxygenate root tissues

Roots below the water line filter salt out of the water so tree has access to fresh water

What is an adaptation for plant dispersal in the marine environment of red mangroves?

Produces an unusual fruit containing a seed that germinates and begins to grow before falling from the parent plant

This young plant is called a propagule, which eventually falls from the tree and floats in the water below

After absorbing water, the propagule orientates itself in shallow water, with its roots downwards

How do organisms minimize the competition within a given habitat with reference to abiotic factors?

Optimum value is unusually high or low to many other similar organisms

What is a transect? What are the 2 types of transects?

A scaled line that is laid along the entire length of the area you plan to investigate

The organism of interest is counted at specific intervals along the transect

Line transect and belt transect

What is a line transect and what is a belt transect?

Line transect: used to determine whether an organism is present or not at set intervals

Belt transect: A quadrat is placed at regular intervals along the transect and the number of individuals within each area is counted

What are 5 abiotic factors affecting the growth and health of coral reefs?

Water depth

Water temperature

Salinity

Water clarity

Water pH

How does water pH affect growth of coral reefs?

A lower pH (acidification) caused by increased carbon dioxide results in less calcium carbonate compounds being available in the water for corals to use when building reefs

What is a biome? How are they. named?

A large geographical area that contains communities of plants and animals that are adapted to living in that environment

Often named after the dominant vegetation type that is found within the biome

What determines global biomes?

Average annual temperatures and average annual rainfall

Do plants and animals found in similar biomes but are geographically separate have similar genetic backgrounds? What is the reason for this?

While their morphology and physiology are similar, the organisms have little genetic similarity

Reason: Convergent evolution

What is an example of convergent evolution?

Carnivorous plants of different species have independently solve the challenge of living in poor soils by developing adaptations to capture and digest insects as a source of nitrogen

Venus flytrap and sundew plants

What are 6 terrestrial biomes?

Hot desert

Grassland

Tundra

Taiga or conifer forest

Temperate forest

Tropic forest

Which is the largest terrestrial biome on Earth by landmass?

Taiga or conifer forest

Climate and communities of the hot desert biome?

Climate: Very low annual rainfall, hot temperatures during daytime, cold temperatures during night

Communities: Sparse vegetation, often with spines for leaves, burrowing animals only active during the cooler night time

What are the climate and communities of the grassland biome?

• Climate: Semi-arid climate

  • Can have a wet and dry season

• Communities: Vegetation dominated by grass species. Little significant tree growth. Animal species dominated by grazers and few predators

What are the climate and communities of the tundra biome?

• Climate: Cold temperature, low precipitation, dark in winter for long periods

• Communities: No trees because of the lack of water and short growing season. Soil is frozen. Animals adapted to hibernate or migrate.

What are the climate and communities of the taiga or conifer forest biome?

• Climate: Very cold winters and relatively high precipitation in the form of snow

• Communities: Evergreen forests, animals with adaptations for a very cold climate

What are the climate and communities of the temperate forest biome?

• Climate: Four seasons with no extreme temperatures, abundant year-round precipitation

• Communities: Area dominated by deciduous broad-leaved trees

  • Rich variety of animal species

What are the climate and communities of the tropical forest biome?

• Climate: High annual rainfall 

  • Warm temperatures, nutrient-poor soil as plants are rarely deciduous

• Communities: Very high plant and animal biodiversity

What are 2 organisms that have adapted to the hot desert biome?

Saguaro cactus

Fennoc fox

What are 3 adaptations of the saguaro cactus?

Thick waxy skin is waterproof and covered by bristles for protection

Single long taproot to retrieve deep water. Massive shallow root system to absorb occasional rainwater

Water taken up is stored in sponge-like tissue

What are 3 adaptations of the fennoc fox?

Ears are highly vascular, help dissipate heat and locate small prey animals moving underground

Nocturnal hunters, spending daylight hours in shade

Obtain water primarily from food, kidneys reabsorb most of water

What are 2 organisms that area adapted to the tropical rainforest biome?

Kapok tree

Poison-dart frogs

What is an adaptation of the kapok tree?

Trees form part of the upper canopy

Buttress roots that extend above ground for strong foundation

What are 3 adaptations of poison-dart frogs?

Rainforest provides small pools of water inside the canopy, where amphibians lay eggs

Highly toxic chemicals in skin

Aposematism to warn predators