Unit 3 Learning Objectives - Ecology Study Guide

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Levels of ecological study

The different scales at which ecological research can be conducted: organismal, population, community, ecosystem, and global.

Abiotic factors

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms.

Climate

The long-term average of weather in a given area, distinguishing it from short-term weather conditions.

Solar radiation

Energy emitted by the sun, crucial for climate and life on Earth.

Greenhouse gases

Gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat, affecting global temperatures.

Tropics

Regions of Earth near the equator characterized by warm temperatures year-round.

Latitudinal temperature gradient

The variation of temperature with latitude, primarily influenced by the shape of the Earth.

Global air circulation

The large-scale movement of air that distributes heat and moisture around the Earth.

Hadley cell

A tropical