Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
biome
Grouping including land ecosystems which are alike in structure and climate.
permafrost
Layer of permanently frozen soil in cold climates.
epiphyte
Term for plant which roots on other plants but does not parasitize them.
ephemeral
Plant which completes its life cycle in an extremely short time.
succulents
Plant which stores water.
tropical rainforests
Biome with the highest rainfall.
desert
Biome with the lowest rainfall.
tundra
Biome characterized by low precipitation and low temperatures.
temperate grasslands
Biome with the richest soil and most suitable for farming.
savannahs
Biome with seasonal droughts located beside tropical rainforests.
temperate/deciduous forest
Biome with trees which change color in the fall.
boreal forest/taiga
Biome characterized by coniferous trees.
tropical rainforest/coral reef
Biome with the highest species diversity.
temperature
One of the two most important factors in determining a biome.
precipitation
One of the two most important factors in determining a biome.
alpine
Means mountainous when placed in front of the name of a biome.
pond
Aquatic biome that is smaller and shallower than a lake.
lake
Aquatic biome that is deeper and larger than a pond.
sunlight
One of the most important factors determining the characteristics of an aquatic biome.
oxygen
One of the most important factors determining the characteristics of an aquatic biome.
nutrients
One of the most important factors determining the characteristics of an aquatic biome.
freshwater biomes
The four major types are ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.
3%
Percentage of the water on earth that is freshwater.
estuary
Bodies of water where rivers meet seas, important as breeding grounds for many ocean animals.
hydrologic cycle
Includes the three major processes: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
evapotranspiration
The sum of all processes by which water moves from the land surface to the atmosphere via evaporation and transpiration.
carbon dioxide
Removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis.
global warming
The rising temperatures worldwide due to climate change.
legumes
Important in nitrogen fixation due to bacteria in nodules on their roots.
nitrifying bacteria
Convert ammonia to ammonium nitrate.
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Convert atmospheric nitrogen to fixed nitrogen (ammonia).
denitrifying bacteria
Convert nitrates back to atmospheric nitrogen.
ammonifying bacteria
Decompose organic nitrogen from dead organisms and release inorganic nitrogen (ammonia) into the ecosystem.
phosphorus
The original source is rocks.
sulfur
Major source added to the atmosphere by humans.
Biotic
Factors in the environment that are alive
Abiotic
Factors in the environment that are nonliving
Autotroph
Scientific term for producer
Heterotroph
Scientific term for consumer
Scavengers
Animal which feeds on the remains of prey other animals have killed
Detritivores
Small animals which feed on ground litter
Saprophytes
Plant which grows on dead things
Decomposers
Organism which breaks down dead material into basic nutrients
Trophic levels
Feeding levels on an energy or biomass pyramid
Primary consumer
Consumer which eats producers
Secondary consumer
Consumer which eats herbivores
Tertiary consumer
Consumer which eats carnivores
Gross primary productivity
Amount of energy captured by an ecosystem
Net primary productivity
Amount of energy which can be passed to consumers
Energy transfer efficiency
The average percent of energy contained in an organism that can be passed to the next level in an ecosystem - 10%
Sunlight usage by plants
1-2%
What happens to the energy which is lost at each level?
dissipated as heat
chain is one flow of energy, web is multiple
What is the difference in a food chain and a food web?
Equation for GPP
GPP = NPP + Respiration, NPP = GPP-Respiration
Because it is the sum of NPP and respiration
Why can GPP not be measured directly?
What are the units for GPP?
kilograms*jules/per some area/per some time period
What is the usual NPP (as a percent of GPP) for an ecosystem?
40%
What two land ecosystems have the highest NPP?
swamps and marches
What two marine ecosystems have the highest NPP?
tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests
What is meant by provisioning?
produce something
What is meant by regulating?
regulate something
What is meant by supporting?
support an ecosystem (nutrient cycles, oxygen production)
What is meant by cultural?
for the benefit of humans
What is meant by species biodiversity?
variety of all living things
What is meant by genetic biodiversity?
variety of genes in a population of a species
What is meant by ecosystem biodiversity?
variety of habitats, communities, etc
What is meant by species richness?
number of different species
What is meant by species evenness?
even distribution of abundance of species
What is the Simpson Biodiversity Index?
measure of diversity
Who originated the theory of Island Biogeography and what two factors determine the biodiversity of an island?
EO Wilson size/distance from mainland
What are habitat corridors and how are they used?
narrow strips of land that differ from surrounding habitat—allow animals to cross b/t one area to another
Generalist vs Specialist
Distinguish between a generalist and a specialist and know under what conditions each one does well.
What are meant by periodic, episodic and random disturbances?
Periodic: occurs at regular intervals, Episodic: Occurs at irregular intervals, Random: No predictability
What are the two main reasons for animal migration?
seasons (which makes the food and climate for them) reproduction (ex: whales, birds, butterflies)
When did Darwin publish his theory of natural selection?
1858
What work allowed him to develop his theory?
being a naturalist on a ship (aka the beagle)
What animal did he study in the Galapagos that was critical to his theory?
finches
mass extinctions
5
sixth mass extinction reason
anthropogenic/human
Pioneer species
first species to come back after succession
Keystone species
the rest of the ecosystem relies on them
Indicator species
present in one stage
stages of primary succession
lichen/moss, grasses, shrubs, shade intolerant, shade tolerant
primary succession
occurs on barren rock
secondary succession
occurs after a community is destroyed
Distribution (dispersal)
spatial arrangement of organisms within a particular area.
Carrying capacity
maximum population of a particular species that a given habitat can support over a given period
Intrinsic growth rate (biotic potential)
maximum reproductive rate of an organism, given unlimited resources and ideal environmental conditions
Population density
the number of individuals per unit area at a given time
Exponential growth
rapid and continuous increase in population size over time, where the growth rate is proportional to the current population
Logistic growth
rapid exponential population growth, followed by a steady decrease in population growth until the population size levels off
Overshoot
population of a species exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, leading to negative consequences such as resource depletion and environmental degradation
Fertility rate
number of children a woman in a population will bear throughout her lifetime
Replacement rate
total fertility rate needed for a population to replace itself without any increase or decrease
DTM
Stages of population structure a nation undergoes while adjusting to industrialization
Uniform distribution
even distribution, territory
Random distribution
random spacing, resources are throughout an area or organisms do not influence where a population settles
Clumped distribution
clusters, around resources
density dependent factors
rely on density (disease)
density independent factors
does not rely on density (fires, earthquakes)
Note 
Flashcard (45)