sustain finals

Biome

Ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

rainforest

temperate - moderate temp, more than 300 cm of rain a year, huge trees: cedars, douglas firs, redwoods

ex: northwestern coast of US

tropical - close to the equator, warm, humid, diverse plant growth

canopy: leafy roof that creates shade

understory: second layer of shorter trees and vines. they grow well in shade

deserts

receives less than 25cm a year

large shifts in temperature a day

namib desert - cools rapidly

gobi desert - freezing temperatures in winter

grasslands

25-75 cm of rain a year

fires and droughts are common

home to the largest land animals

savanna: 120cm of rain. scattered shrubs and small trees

deciduous forest

trees that shed their leaves

50cm of rain

growing season is 5-6 months (leaves)

boreal forest (taiga)

coniferous trees, snowy winters, warm and rainy summers

tundra

cold and dry, frozen soil (permafrost, brittle), many shallow ponds in the summer.

arctic animals: wolves, polar bears, reindeer

rivers / streams

few plants and algae. animals rely on fallen seeds and leaves for food

ponds and lakes

bodies of standing still water (lentic)

lakes: larger and bigger, plants do not grow because of minimal sunlight, so algae floats on the top

ponds: shallower, plants can grow

estuary

where freshwater of a river meets saltwater of the ocean

intertidal zone

area between highest high tide and lowest low tide line

(barnacles, starfish, clams, snails)

neritic zone

area below low tide line to continental shelf

has sunlight so plants can grow

many living things and corals

open ocean

surface zone (first few hundred meters), deep zone (totally dark)

niche

role of an animal

xerophyte

plants adapted to dry climates

pampas

other name of grasslands

saturation point

point where it rains

edaphic

soil factor

photic zone

ocean zone where photosynthesis can occur

eutrophication

over enrichment of lentic water (harmful)

potamology

study of rivers

humus

accumulation of dead matter

types of waste

municipal - everyday trash

industrial

hazardous/toxic waste - hazardous is not necessarily toxic

waste management methods

good: reduce, reuse, recycle, segregation and composting

bad: incineration, land fills, open dumping

manila waste management problems

scavenging, child labor

heavy metals water pollution

comes from mine tailings, batteries, leaded gasoline
ex: cadmium, mercury, lead

diseases: itai itai, minamata disease, high lead in blood

organic and inorganic pollutants in water

organic - garbage, sewage, affluents

inorganic - fertilizer, pesticides, detergents

causes acidification of water and eutrophication

biological and physical agents in water pollution

biological - microbes, parasites

causes: typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, amoebiasis

physical - thermal pollutants, sediments, oil spills

causes: fish kill, reduce water flow, reduced photosynthesis

layers of atmosphere

troposphere - 10km

stratosphere - 10-40km, ozone

mesosphere 40-85km, coldest

thermosphere - hottest, absorbs sun heat

composition of atmosphere

78% nitrogen

21% oxygen

0.9% argon

0.03% carbon dioxide

outdoor air pollution

smog = smoke + fog. ground level ozone