Ecology and Biosphere

What is ecology?

the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interaction that determine distribution and abundance

What are the two main components of climate that creates of the fundamental characteristics of the physical environment and drives many ecological patterns?

temperature and precipitation

What environmental factors limit where a species is found?

climate and precipitation - terrestrial, light and nutrient availability - aquatic

What is organismal ecology?

physiology, morphology, behavior, evolution, How do hammerheads select a mate?

What is population ecology?

variables impacting population size and changes over time, What environmental factors affect the reproductive rate of deer mice

What is community ecology?

How species interactions affect community structure and organization? What factors influence the diversity of species that interact at an African lake

What is ecosystem ecology?

energy flow and chemical cycling between organisms and environment. What variables control photosynthetic productivity in a temperate grassland ecosystem?

What is landscape ecology?

factors controlling exchanges of energy materials and organisms across multiple ecosystems. To what degree do the threes along a river serve as a corridor for animals

What is global ecology?

influence of regional exchange of materials and energy on organisms across the biosphere. How does ocean circulation affect the distribution of crustaceans globally?

What is important about Earth’s climate?

varies by latitude and season, is rapidly changing, mainy physical components of climate and temperature precipitation sunlight and wind. Latitudinal variations create tropics which are areas of strongest intensity of sunlight

What are climate patterns?

global air circulationa nd precipitation patterns are key to determining climate patterns, Tropics - water evaporates which leads to warm wet air masses travel toward poles, Rising air masses - release water high precipitation often in tropics, Dry descending air masses - arid climates near 30 degrees north and south, Cooling trade winds - blow East to West in tropics, Prevailing westerlies - blow West to East temperate zones

What are regional climate patterns affected by?

vary seasonally and modified by large water bodies mountain ranges etc

What is seasonality?

increased variation in day length, solar radiation, temperature as you approach the poles, high latitudes near poles seasonality a result of tilt of Earth’s axis on rotation, Earth’s annual passage around the sun

What happens with seasonality at high latitudes?

winter short days and summer long days think about extreme differences in the amount of sunlight available and the temperatures in high latitudes

What happens with seasonality at low latitudes/

day length doesn’t differ much if at all between winter and summer main differences are precipitation wet and dry season

What are the seasonal impacts on water?

seasonal changes in wind patterns change the ocean currents, causes upwelling of cold water nutrient rich from deep ocean layers and nutrients at surface increase phytoplankton population growth and thus increase in organisms that feed on phytoplankton

What are the impacts of mountains?

cool air flow and precipitation over mountain rain and then on leeward side of mountain there is rain shadow

What is microclimate?

very fine localized climate patterns like urban heat island

What is important about climate change?

directional change to the global climate lasting three or more decades that is not weather and caused by greenhouse gases in atmosphere have increased recently due to burning fossil fuels and deforestation the effect are seen through wind and precipitation patterns changing increased global temperature and increased frequency of extreme weather effects

What is important about terrestrial biomes?

grade into each other without sharp boundaries with ecotones being the point of integration, and shaped by disturbances with layering of vegetation that provides diverse habitats for animals like upper canopy low tree layer shrub understory herbaceous plants forest floor and root layer

What is important about tropical forest?

type of terrestrial biome, equatorial and subequatorial regions with temps of 25-29 celsius all year and most productive biome with high solar radiation and high rainfall and most nutrients are stored in biomass and highest biological diversity

What is important about deserts?

type of terrestrial biomes, arid hot or cold, plants, annuals triggered by rain fast germination to fruit, perennials are slowing growing and long lived

What is important about savannas?

type of terrestrial biome, warm year round 24-29 celsius, grasslands with trees, tropical and subtropical, maintained by grazing herbivores, fire common, extreme seasonal variation in precipitation

What is important about chaparrals?

type of terrestrial biome, coastal regions, precipitation is highly seasonal rainy winters and dry summers summer is hot 30-40 celsius and winters 10-12 celsius and small mammals are everywhere

What is important about temperate grasslands?

type of terrestrial biome, maintained by fire and grazing herbivores, seasonal precipitation, prized agricultural lands, steppes in Asia, prairies in N. America, pampas S. America, veldt/veld in S. Africa

What is important about temperate broadleaf forest?

a type of terrestrial biome, usually dominated by deciduous trees, seasonal resources, rich organic soils, N. Hemisphere many mammals hibernate and many birds migrate in winter think east coast like New Jersey

What is important about boreal forest?

aka coniferous forest or taiga, type of terrestrial biome, dominated by conifer trees, short growing season, low diversity means susceptibility to pest outbreaks, permafrost in higher latitudes and trees obtain nutrients from surface during summer

What is important about tundras?

type of terrestrial biome, very cold and dry, low diversity, population cycles common, permafrost restricts growth of plant roots, human settlement sparse with a focus on oil and mineral extraction

What are important factors in aquatic biomes?

flow, oxygen, temperature, pressure, light, pH, salinity, nutrients, seasonal variation

What is the photic zone?

lots of light where most of primary productivity occurs,

What is the aphotic zone?

absence of light not a lot of primary production

What is the benthic zone?

the ground in the mud along the biome

What is the intertidal zone?

place where ocean levels rise and fall

What is the littoral zone?

where plants grow roots

What is the limnetic zone?

place where plants dont grow

What are the difference types of aquatic biomes?

estuaries - fresh and saltwater mix, coral reefs, intertidal zones, streams and rivers, oceanic pelagic zone

What is dispersal?

movement of individuals/gametes away from area of origin or centers of high population leads to global distribution of organisms

What are some biotic factors impact distribution of organisms?

predation, herbivory, competition, mutualism, parasitism