APES: Biodiversity + Conservation

weather

local area’s short term temperature, precipitation, humidity, + other physical conditions measured over hours or days

3 Main Factors Affecting Heat and Moisture in Air Circulation

1. Properties of air, water, and land

2. Uneven heating of the earth’s surface

3. Rotation of the earth on its axis

Coriolis Effect

Perceived deflection of wind movement caused by Earth’s rotation

Directions of the Coriolis Effect

North=right/clockwise

South=left/counter-clockwise

Prevailing winds

Global winds that blow predominantly from certain directions due to the Coriolis Effect and uneven heating of the Earth's surface

Fairly constant

Thermocline

• Boundary between waters of different temperatures

  • results from different densities (caused by temp.)

El Nino/ENSO

• trade winds weaken/reverse direction

• warm water towards South American coast

• less upwelling

• decreased fish populations

• more ran in Western Hemisphere, drought in Easter HemisphereEl Niño is an abnormal climate pattern characterized by the warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, leading to significant weather changes and disruptions in marine ecosystems.

La Nina

• increased upwelling of South American coast

• cools coastal surface water

• more Atlantic hurricanes

  • colder winters in NE US, warmer winters in SE US

Rain shadow effect

• one side of a mountain receives significantly more rainfall than the other

  • causes a dry area on the leeward side due to descending dry air having lost moisture in order to pass over top of mountain

Greenhouse effect

• warming of Earth's surface due to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

  • allows solar radiation in but prevents some of the outgoing heat from escaping

4 major natural gases causing greenhouse effect

• water vapor

• methane

• carbon dioxide

  • nitrous oxide

Biomes

• large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals regardless of location

Types of Forest Biomes

Tropical, temperate, taiga

Major types of grasslands

• tropical grasslands (savannas)

• praries

• temperate grasslands

• steppe

Tropical rainforest location and characteristics

• along the equator

• from 30N to 30S

• year round warm temp, high humidity, lots of rain

• broadleaf evergreens

• high PP and biodiversity

  • poor soil quality

Temperate deciduous forest location and characteristics

• 30N-60N and 30S-60S

• moderate temperatures with seasons

• broadleaf deciduous trees

  • nutrient rich soilT

Taigas/boreal forest location and characteristics

• northern regions just south of Arctic tundra

• long, dry, cold winters

• conifers

• waxy, needle shaped leaves on trees

• low plant diversity

  • acidic and nutrient poor soils

Ecological roles of mountains

• habitat for endemic species

• regulate earth’s climate

• melting snowpack provides surface water

Tropical grassland/savanna location + characteristics

• Easter Africa, parts of South America and Australia

• warm temperatures, alternating warm and dry seasons

• large grazing herbivores - gazelles, zebras

• plants have deep roots for groundwater supplies

Temperate grassland location + characteristics

• Mid/Western US and Canada, parts of South American and Russia

• rainfall determines tall/shortgrass prarie

• cold winters, hot/dry summers

• high productive cropland

• fires in summer/fall that eliminate competing species

Arctic tundra

• Northern regions of Canada, Asia, Europe

• dominated by lichens and moss

• treeless plains

• covered with snow and ice

• permafrost

• very dry, similar to deserts

trop

Tropical desert locations and characteristics

• surface areas have little vegetation

• rocks and stand

  • high daytime temperatures

Temperate desert location and characteristics

• Southwest US

• more precipitation that tropical

• drought resistant shrubs, cacti, succulents

• high daytime + low night time temperatures

Cold desert locations and characteristics

• Great Basin, Gobi Desert

• sparse vegetation

• cold winters

Temperature

• measure of movement of particles

Dissolved oxygen

amount of oxygen dissolved in water

• cooler and faster moving waters have higher DO

N

Nutrient load

measure of nutrients in water

• phosphate and nitrates

S

Turbidity

measure of cloudiness of water caused by suspended sediments

Salinity

concentration of dissolved salts

Ecological benefits of oceans

• habitat and nursery areas

• moderate climate

• absorb CO2

• reduce storm impact (estuaries, mangroves)

E

Economic benefits of oceans

• food resources

• oil, natural gas, mineral resources

• transportation routes

• areas for recreation

Plankton

• drifters

• bottom trophic levels

• phytoplankton, sunfish

Zooplankton

• drifting heterotrophs

• protozoa, crustaceans, krill

Nekton

• strong swimming organisms that live in the water column, such as fish and squid, capable of moving independently of water currents.

Benthos

• bottom dwellers

• crabs, lobsters, oysters

• feed on detritus (marine snow)

Coastal zone

• high tide mark to edge of continental shelf

• warm, rich in nutrients

• high net PP (lots of sunlight)

• contains 90% of all marine species

Estuaries

• freshwater rivers meet salty ocean

• bays, inlets, sounds, salt marshes, mangrove forests

• high productive because of large nutrient inputs from rivers + lots of sunlight

Intertidal

• influenced by tides

• different types: sloping, rocky

• organisms have adaptations for wave activity and exposure during low tides

Coral Reefs

• very diverse ecosystems in warm waters

• very sensitive

• need clear water

Euphotic zone

• top ocean layer

• lots of phytoplankton

• supports large predatory fish

Bathyal zone

• mid level ocean layer

• little sunlight, no photosynthetic organisms - aphotic

Abyssal zone

• no light - aphotic

• very nutrient rich (marine snow)

Lentic zones

• still freshwater

  • lakes, inland wetlands, ponds

Lotic zones

• moving freshwater

  • rivers, streams

Littoral zone

• shadow zone closest to shore

• lots of sunlight + nutrients

• emergent and submergent plants

Limnetic zone

• upper layer of lake away from shore

• lots of phytoplankton

  • make up base of food chain

  • supply most DO for aerobic consumers

Profundal zone

• midlevel zone

• little sunligh

• low DO and nutrients

Benthic zone

• bottom zone

• mostly decomposers

Oligotrophic

lakes with low nutrient levels and limited primary productivity

Mesotrophic

lakes with high concentrations of nutrients and high levels of net primary productivity

Ecological services of wetlands

• recharge groundwater system

• habitat

• nursery for aquatic species, spawning ground for fish

• filtering toxins + excess nutrients

• reducing flood and erosion

River zones

Source zone, transition zone, floodplains

Habitat fragmentation

• large habitats are divided into smaller, isolated patches, affecting species survival and ecosystem functioning

• increases edge habitat

Laws to protect endangered species

• Endangered Species Act of 1973

  • identify and protect species at risk for extinction

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

  • bans selling, hunting, or capturing threatened or endangered species

Old growth forest

not affected by human activities or natural disasters in 200+ years

Secondary growth forests

form from secondary succession after land was cleared (logging, volcanoes, fires, etc.)

Clear cutting

remove all trees in one go

Selective cutting

specific trees onlys

Strip cutting

• take out a strip, allow to regrow, take out strip next to previous one

Silviculture

regenerating a forest after a disturbance

• can speed up process

Rangelands

unfenced land used for grazing livestock and wildlife, often managed for sustainable use and biodiversity.

Pastures

fenced grasslands for livestock grazing, often improved through planting forage species.

In which of these biomes does fire serve the role of building deep topsoils and minimizing the establishment of trees?

A) Tundra

B) Tropical rain forests

C) Tall grass praries

D) Taiga

E) Saltmarshes

C) Tall grass prairies.

Characteristics that would lead to a non-native organism’s becoming invasive in a new environment would include which of the following characteristics

I. High reproductive rate

II. Short lived

III, Generalists

A) I only

B) II only

C) III only

D) I and III only

E) I, II, and III

D: Invasive species are often characterized by a high reproductive rate and generalist habits, allowing them to thrive in various environments and outcompete native species.

Which of the following non-point pollution types is most likely to cause cultural eutrophication in lake ecosystems?

A) Oil from parking lots

B) Fertilizer from agricultural fields, golf courses, and lawns

C) Heavy metals from mining practices

D) The natural flow of topsoil into the water in wilderness areas

E) Pesticides from agricultural fields, golf courses, and lawns

B) Fertilizer from agricultural fields, golf courses, and lawns

Use the ocean profile below to answer the question that follows:

To which zone from the above diagram do the following terms apply: Photosynthesis, phytoplankton?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) D
E)E

A, where sunlight penetrates and supports photosynthesis, primarily involving phytoplankton

All of the following are associated with an El Nino event EXCEPT:

A) Decreased upwelling events

B) suppressed thermocline in the Pacific Ocean

C) increased Atlantic coast hurricanes

D) torrential rain and flooding in Peru

E) Drought in Indonesia and Australia

C) increased Atlantic Ocean hurricanes

Which terrestrial biome would be most likely to be found in the shaded region on the map below?

A) Chaparral

B) Temperate rainforest

D) Deciduous forest

D) Taiga

E) Cold desert

D) Taiga, characterized by coniferous forests and cold climate.

The land area that delivers recharge to smaller tributary streams that flow into larger rivers is called the:

A) Watershed

B) Source zone

C) Flood plain

D) Delta

E) Estuary

A) Watershed, which is the land area that drains rainwater and snowmelt into a common waterway, such as a stream or river.

Oceanic currents act as a conveyor belt system, creating a connected loop of deep and shallow ocean currents that transfers warm and cold water between the tropics and the poles. The strongest influence on this system of ocean currents is due to

A) upwelling currents that bring cold nutrient-rich water from the bottom to the top

B) the rotation of the earth on its axis

C) Differences in water density due to temperature and salinity concentration

D) atmospheric convection causing large inputs of freshwater into the ocean by precipitation

E) location of continents that help determine direction and flow of ocean currents

C) Differences in water density due to temperature and salinity concentration

The most biologically diverse areas of the ocean include coral reeds and estuaries. All of the following characteristics are reasons why these ecosystems can support such a high level of diversity EXCEPT

A) they are areas of high primary productivity

B) both ecosystems have abundant nutrient flow that supports phytoplankton populations

C) Coral reeds and estuaries receive an abundant amount of sunlight

D) Both ecosystems provide plenty of habitat space for organisms

E) These ecosystems do not have commercially important species, therefor human impact on biodiversity is limited

E) These ecosystems do not have commercially important species, therefore human impact on biodiversity is limited, is incorrect as human activities often significantly affect these ecosystems

Use the diagram below to sequence the stages the lake is going through

A) Autotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic

B) Autotrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic

C) Eutrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic

D) Oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic

E) Mesotrophic, eutrophic, autotrophic

D) Oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic describes the stages a lake undergoes from low nutrient levels to high nutrient levels, impacting its productivity and ecosystem health