Studied by 41 Peoplephysical environment
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physical environment
Determines where species can inhabit
Biotic
living
Abiotic
Physical; rocks, weather
Weather
the current conditions of the atmosphere
Climate
Long term description of weather based on averages and variations measured over decades
greenhouse effect
Gases absorb energy and radiate it back to the surface
Orbit
Seasonality
Latent Heat Flux
heat loss due to evaporation
Hadley Cell
Large scale circulation patterns resulting from uplift in the tropics
Polar Cell
Add north and south poles cold air descend creating high pressure zone with little precipitation.
Ferrell cells
exist at mid-latitudes
Rain shadow effect
The windward slope facing the prevailing winds has high precipitation and lush vegetation; the leeward slope gets little precipitation
Salinity
the concentration of dissolved salts in water
Acidity
The measure of the ability of a solution to behave as an acid
Alkalinity
The measure of the ability of a solution to behave as a base
Ecology
The scientific study of organisms affect and are affected by other organisms and their environment
Biosphere
All the me organisms on earth plus environment where they live. The zone of life
Biomes
are large-scale terrestrial communities shaped by the physical environment, categorized by dominant plant growth forms and characteristics
nine terrestrial biomes
Tundra, Boreal Forest, Temperate Forest, Temprate seasonal forest, woodland, temperate grassland, tropical rainforest, savanna, subtropical desert.
Ecosystems
Community of organisms + physical environment
Community
An association of populations of different species in the same area
Population
A group of individuals single species that live in area and interact
Organisms
Individual species itself
Evolution
Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.
Adaptation
A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce
convergence
evolution of similar growth forms in response to similar selection pressures
Desertification
loss of plant cover and soil erosion
natural selection
Individuals with certain adaptions tend to survive and reproduce a higher rate than other individuals
Main channel
comprised of species such as fish
Producers
Organisms that make their own food
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire
Consumer
An organism that eats other organisms
spatial scale
Small- soil microorganisms Large- atmospheric pollutants
temporal scale
Short—leaf response to sunlight Long—species change over geologic time
Replication
performing each treatment more than once; reduces possibility that results are due to a variable that was not measured or controlled in the study.
indirect effect
an interaction between two species that involves one or more intermediate species
direct effect
an interaction between two species that does not involve other species
Extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response
limnetic zone
open water
photic zone
Surface layer of water where light can penetrate to allow for photosynthesis
littoral zone
near shore, where the photic zone reaches the bottom
benthic zone
detritus from littoral and pelagic zones is food for animals, fungi, and bacteria; may be cold and have low oxygen.
pelagic zone
Open ocean beyond the continental shelves.
Physiological Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and their environment and how these interactions influence their survival and determines their geographic
Tolerance
to live with
Avoidance
to move away
Climate Envelope
range of conditions over which a species occurs
Acclimatization
Adjusting to stress through behavior or physiology.
Radiation
absorption of electromagnetic energy from sources such as the sun, sky, and ground