NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 20 - TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

what is a terrestrial ecosystem?

an ecosystem found only on landforms

what are the six primary terrestrial biomes?

-tundra
-tropical forest
-grassland
-desert
-taiga
-deciduous forest

terrestrial ecosystem vs aquatic ecosystem

terrestrial ecosystems have:
- greater light availability than aquatic systems
- greater fluctuations in temperature
- greater gas availability ex.) carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen

how much space do terrestrial systems take on Earth?

28.26% of the earth

what type of adaptations have animals and organisms had to make in order to survive a terrestrial life?

- retain water ( transport/doesn't evaportate )
- withstand extreme weather patterns
- transport gametes ( eggs, young), other than throughout water

what is the desert biome?

-it covers 1/3rd of the earth's land surface
-receives minimal amound of rain fall ( 25 cm a year )
- it is very hot in the day and cool at night
- also found in arctic, icy regions

what adaptations do animals in the desert have?

- they can survive long periods without water ( conserve water )
- they can live in extreme heat without overheating
- most are small and burrow underground to avoid direct heat of the sun
- most are nocturnal or hunt only at night.

what adaptations do plants in the desert have?

- survive dry conditions
- reduced leaves or none at all
- leaf surfaces are reduced to spines and thorns to minimize water loss by evaporation
- shallow root systems /or deep tap roots to access rainwater and ground water
- most are small

what animals are in the desert?

- rodents
- kangaroo rats
- snakes
- lizzards

what is the grassland biome?

- found in areas too dry to support forests, but too moist to be deserts
- hot summers, cold winters
-precipitation of 10-30 inches per year
- good for agriculture
- rarest biome in North America, with more than 90% converted to farm land

what animals are found in the grasslands?

- hares
- rodents
- gophers + squirrels
- locusts
- grasshoppers
- bisons
- zebras
- antelopes

what is the vegetation like in grasslands?

- grass that are adapted to irregular periods of precipitation and dryness
-forbs

what is the rainforest biome?

- found in tropical and subtropical parts where rain falls every day. (
- cover much of central africa, south and southeast asia, central america, and south america.
- most productive biome
- highest diversity of species

how much precipitation does the rainforest receive during a year?

- 200 cm of precipitation

what animals are found in the rainforest?

- arboreal mammals ( monkeys, rodents, squirrels )
- chameleons
- birds
- frogs
- snakes

what are epiphytes?

- a plant that grows on other plants
- found in rainforest

what vegetation is in the forest?

- several hundred different species of trees
- forests crowded together and form an overhead canopy of branches, which cuts off sunlight, rainwater and wind
- climbing lianas/vines and epiphytes

Canadian Rainforest

- "Great Bear Rainforest"
- found on the Pacific coast of Bristish Columbia
- home to cougars, wolves and grizzly bears and the kermode(spirit) bear -- a subspecies of the black bear with a white coat.

what is the deciduous forest biome?

- trees that shed leaves in the winter
- 4 seasons
- cold winters, warm summers and well paced rain

what animals are found in the deciduous forest biome?

deer, mountain lion, puma, panther, cougar, fox, racoon

what is the vegetation in deciduous forest biomes?

- deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter,
- trees are spaced out
- birch, sycamore, maple, oak and elm trees

what is the taiga biome?

- also known as the BOREAL FOREST
- long severe winters, short summers
- precipitation ( 40-100 cm )
- coniferous trees

what animals are in the taiga biome?

black bears, wolves, martens, snowshoe hare-lynx, rodents, squirrels

what is the vegetation like in the taiga biome?

- coniferous trees ( pine trees/ trees that have cones )

what is the tundra biome?

- permafrost ( the ground is permanently frozen )
- low lying plants
- arctic climate
- continuous night in the winter and continuous daylight in the summer
- white furred animals ( to hide in the snow )

what animals are in the tundra?

- white furred animals, to hide in the snow and to minimize heat loss by radiation
- musk oxen, caribou, raindeer, arctic hare, arctic fox, polar bear

what is the vegetation like in the tundra?

- like the desert there are not much plants
- the plants are low lying
- lichen, mosses, coniferous and shrubs and herbs

alpine tundra biome

- like the tundra except no permagrost
- warmer and longer growing seasons -\> higher productivity
- less severe winters
- higher species diversity than arctic tundra

what do plants need to grow and thrive?

- SUNLIGHT to carry photosynthesis
- GASSES ( C02 ) absorbs co2 and releases oxygen
- SOIL to grow in, provides nutrients
- WATER used in photosynthesis and is absorbed from soil through the roots
- NUTRIENTS and minerals, nitrogen and phosphorus absorbed by the roots
- SPACE to grow to reach light and for roots, stems and branches to grow

How do plants help our environment?

- release oxygen in the atmosphere
- absorb carbon dioxide
- provide habitat and food for wildlife
- regulate the water cycle

What is soil?

Loose covering of weathered ( broken-down ) rock particles enriched with decaying organic matter.

What are the components of soil?

45% WEATHERED ROCK ( sand gravel, silt or clay )
25% WATER ( from rainfall and ground watter )
25% AIR ( help plants and other organisms survive )
5% ORGANIC MATERIAL ( decaying plants and animal remains, as well as living organisms )

Soil profile

a vertical section of the soil that depicts all of its horizons.
- extends from the soil surface to the parent rock material

soil horizon

a layer parallel to the soil surface whose physical, chemical and biological characteristics differ from the layers above and beneath.

layers in a soil profile

surface litter -\> top soil -\> sub soil -\> rock particles -\> bedrock

surface litter

composed of loose, fallen leaves, and organic matter that is only PARTIALLY decomposed.

top soil

dark-coloured layer with large amounts of organic matter mixed with minerals

sub soil

contains less organic matter and fewer organisms than topsoil, accumulates nutrients leached from topsoil.

rock particles

contains no organic matter; chemical content of materials in this layer help determine the pit of soil

bed rock

solid layer of rock

humus

organic material resulting from the breakdown of plant and animal remains
- contains nutrients taken up by plants from soil.
- increases the water-holding ability and the acidity of soil
- good for agricultural use

what living things are in soil?

- burrowing animals ( worms, insects )
- soil bacteria
- fungi
- roots of plants
- earthworms

Why is bacteria and fungi important in soil?

- recycle and help decay materials
- they breakdown complex organic materials ( nitrogen ) into simpler forms that plants use as nutrients

why are earthworms so important?

- they move through soil, mixing organic and inorganic materials
- this increases the amount of nutrients available to plants
- they create pockets of air in the soil that allow water to flow through to the roots of plants -\> also allows for better water drainage

property

an attribute, quality or characteristic of something

properties of soil

- porosity
- pH ( acidity or basicity )
- texture

soil texture

determined by the size of the mineral particles in the soil
- depends on the percentage of clay, silt, and sand particles in the soil

loam

- type of soil that is ideal for agriculture
- has large spaces for air and water drainage and the ability to hold nutrients and water
- PERFECT COMBINATION OF SAND, SILT, AND CLAY

what is the soil texture of loam?

40% silt
40% sand
20% clay

porosity

the quality of being porous, or full of tiny holes
POROSITY OF SOIL REFERS TO: the size and number of spaces among particles of soil

what is the importance of porosity?

they allow water and air to move through the soil
- different types of soil have different degrees of soil

low porosity

- small, tightly packed particles

high porosity

- large, loosely packed particles

pH

measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmetic scale
- 7 is neutral
- x

Soil pH

- depends on the amount of rainfall and the amount of organic material the soil contains
- rainwater dissolves and removes minerals, breakdown of organic material increases acidity

why is soil pH important?

- affects how easily nutrients can be removed from soil which affects the kinds of plants that will grow in the soil. which affects the amount of organic matter farmers have to add to soil.
- the optimum pH range for most plants is between 5.5 and 7.5 pH levels.

soil leaching

the loss of soluble substances and colloids from the top layer of soil by percolating precipitation.
-\> the materials lost are carried downward and are generally redeposited in a lower layer.
IN OTHER WORDS -\> to wash nutrients out of the soil

biodiversity

biological diversity and variability of life on earht

parent material

material from which a soil is formed, determines composition and properties of the soil
-accumulation of sediments of rocks in which the soil will form

permafrost

a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions.

xenobiotic

a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present within the organism
- MAN MADE / ARTIFICIAL

pedology

the study of soil

taxonomy

The scientific study of how living things are classified
- uses latin language
- binomial nomenclature ( Genus species )

taxonomic levels of organization

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

kingdom

a taxonomic level
- there are 6 of them
- archaebacteria, eubacteria, protista, fungi, plantae, animalia

species

a taxonomic level
- a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

symbiosis

when individuals of two or more species live in direct and intimate contact with one another

types of symbiosis

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit
- lichen, moss

commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
- shark and remora fish

What are the 2 types of cells?

prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells

prokaryotic cells

no nucleus, no membrane bound organelles
primitive cells

Eukaryotic cells

does have a nucleus
does have membrane bound organelles

what domain and kingdom are earthworms found in?

Domain Eukarya
Kingom Animalia

classification of an earthworm

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Clitellata
Order: Opisthopora
Family: Lumbricidae
Genus: Lumbricus
Species: L. terrestris

lichen

An organism made of a fungus and either algae or autotrophic bacteria that live together in a mutualistic relationship.
Main food source in the tundra

Arboreal

living in trees; of or relating to trees

Soil buffering capacity

- ability of the soil to resist changes in pH
- calcium carbonate ( CACO3) is able to neutralize soil acidity

arid

having little or no rain, too dry or barren to support vegetation

how does climate influence soil?

climate becomes cooler, and more moist as you go up in elevation. this is also changes the vegetation that can grow there.
-\> climate -\> vegetation -\> soil

what is a general rule of topography when referring to the soil that is in a particular area?

- land surfaces that are higher ( convex ) lose water through run off
- lower surfaces ( concave ) receive extra water
HIGH UP -\> DRY
DOWN LOW/VALLEY -\> MOIST/SATURATED

what is the difference between south facing slopes and north facing slopes?

south: less moist and warmer, receive more solar radiation ( sun )
north: more moist, cooler, less sunlight received.

three ways that erosion can occur

- wind
- water
- ice

formation of the drumheller hoodoos

- made through the process of WIND EROSION, carving and smoothing the sand-stone and is capped by a more durable type of rock

formation of the bay of fundy hopewell rocks

- formed by WATER EROSION and the continuous battering of the waves against the shore, eventually the power of the waves washes away and break apart the rocks

factors of formation of soil

parent material
climate
topography
living organisms
time

what influences parent material?

\-texture; soil texture, which influences the entry of water into the soil and its transmission in the soil are realated to texture

\-clay contents; affects the soil's ability to retain cations, or the cation exchange capacity

\-mineralogy; minerals vary in their resistance to weathering

\-buffering capactiy; the ability of a soil to resist changes in pH.

leach

drain away from soil "the nutrient quickly leached away"

climate

things that affect the climate, affect the soil.
- wind
- temperature
- water

wind's effects on soil

causes erosion and redistributes soil and particles and alters the effectiveness of precipitation.

temperature's effect on soil

helps determine the rate of chemical reactions and the intensity of biological activity.
-\> it also has to do with the freezing and thawing of the ground.

water's effect on soil

causes a reactive environment and is a transport medium for nearly all living organisms and reactions in soil

topography

shape of the land

topography's affect on soil

the slope of a mountain/hill can impact the temperature of soil in and around that particular area land
-\> the shape of the land surface influences the redistribution of the water received as precipitation.

general rule of topography

land that slope up ( convex ) lose water by run-off -> the soil is less developed and drier

land that is sloped down ( concave ) receive extra water ->the soil is strongly developed and moist

south facing slopes are warmer and less moist

north facing slopes are cooler and more moist

living organisms' ( vegetation ) affect on soil

vegetation hold parent material in place, allowing soil formation to occur.

plant roots bind soil particles together and increase the entry of water into the soils, reducing runoff and erosion.

vegetation

plants found collectively in the same area

plant's affect on soil

help breakdown minerals and release nutrients, which in turn speeds up the soil formation

ages of soil

determined by the amount of weathering that has occurred.
-young
-immature
-mature
-old

erosion

the act in which earth is worn away, often by water, ice or wind.