BIOL 1442 Ch 44 Biogeography

biosphere

all parts of Earth inhabited by life

biomes

large areas of land with similar climate, flora, and fauna

Biogeography

study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution

endemic species

one which is naturally found in only a specific geographic area that is usually restricted in size

generalist species

species which live in a wide variety of geographic areas

species distribution pattern

based on biotic and abiotic factors and their influences during the very long periods of time required for species evolution

Energy from the sun is captured by

green plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and photosynthetic protists

In aquatic ecosystems, the availability of light

may be limited because sunlight is absorbed by water, plants, suspended particles, and resident microorganisms

ocean upwelling

the rising of deep ocean waters that occurs when prevailing winds blow along surface waters near a coastline

ocean upwelling causes

nutrients once contained in dead organisms to become available for reuse by other living organims

Spring-and-fall turnover

seasonal processes that recycle nutrients and oxygen from the bottom of a freshwater lake to the top of the lake

Spring-and-fall turnovers are caused by

the formation of a thermocline

thermocline

layers of water with temperatures that are significantly different from those above and below it

spring turnover

during the summer months, the lake water stratifies, or forms layers, with the warmest layer at the lake surface

fall turnover

heavy cold water sinks and displaces water at the bottom. The oxygen-rich water at surface of the lake then moves to the bottom of the lake, while the nutrients at the bottom of the lake rise to the surface

few living things can survive at temperatures below 0C due to

metabolic constraints

extremophile

organisms that thrive in extreme environments

migration

the regular movement from one place to another

hibernation

enables animals to survive cold conditions

estivation

allows animals to survive the hostile conditions of a hot, dry climate

torpor

a condition in which an organism’s metabolic rate is significantly lowered

plants have

leaf hairs and a waxy cuticle to decrease the rate of water loss via transpiration and convection

freshwater organisms regulate internal water by

the excretion of dilute urine

marine organisms have

morphological and physiological adaptations to retain water and release solutes into the environment

inorganic nutrients

such as nitrogen and phosphorous, are obtained by plants from the soil and by animals from what they eat

abiotic factors such as oxygen are important in

aquatic and terrestrial environments

Wind can be an important abiotic factor because

it influences the rate of evaporation, transpiration, and convective heat loss from the surface of all organisms

net primary productivity

estimation of all of the organic material available as food

net primary productivity is estimated by

measuring the above-ground biomass per unit area

above-ground biomass

total mass of living plants, excluding roots

annual biomass production is

directly related to the abiotic components of the environment