Unit 3 Environmental Science test

Which of the following are the two most significant abiotic factors in determining biomes?

temperature and precipitation

What is the effect of increasing latitude on temperature and primary productivity?

both decrease

What is the name for a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar communities?

Biome

A combination line/bar graph that show trends in temperature and precipitation over a typical year in a biome is known as 

Climatograph

A tropical grassland is also known as a

savanna

A polar forest is also known as

boreal

What is the key difference between primary and secondary succession?

primary succession occurs where no life existed before; secondary succession follows a disturbance

Which of the following would most likely be considered a pioneer species in primary succession?

lichens and mosses

Why does secondary succession typically proceed faster than primary succession?

because the soil remains intact, allowing for quicker plant regrowth

Which of the following is not a freshwater inland ecosystem

estuary and deltas

bog, swamp, and marsh are all freshwater inland ecosystems

In ocean ecosystems, the region where the depth of the water increases quickly is known as

continental slope

What is the name given to tides that occur when the sun's gravitation field and the moon's gravitational field are in alignment?

spring tides

What is the order of things in the biosphere from most specific to braodest

organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere

What is precipitation and temperature influenced by?

Latitude, altitude, and wind

What is latitude?

the distance from the equator, measured in degrees north or south

As latitude increases what tends to decrease due to the changing sun angle?

temperature and primary productivity

What is primary productivity?

the amount of energy produced by plants

What is altitude?

it is the elevation above sea level

As altitude increases what tends to decrease?

average temps and primary productivity

What are prevailing winds?

regions where the wind tends to blow from a certain direction

What are trade winds?

from the tropics southwest or northwest towards the equator

What are westerlies

come from the subtropics west towards the midaltitudes

Label where the polar easterlies, prevailing westerlies, and trade winds are on this map - on the right side going from top to middle then they start over again.

polar esterlies

prevailing westerlies

trade winds

trade winds

prevailing westerlies

polar easterlies

What is the rainshadow effect?

it is a decrease in precipitation on the side of a mountain facing away from prevailing winds - on the leeward slope

all the clouds gather at top of mountain and rains on top of mnt then nothing left of the other side

What is the windward and leeward slope?

Windward slope of a mountain faces winds and ocean, receives more precipitation

Leeward slope is on the none ocean side of the mountain that has reduced precipitation due to the rainshadow effect.

A biome is defined as

a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar communities

How many biomes are there in the world?

8

What are the 8 biomes?

Tropical rainforest

savanna

desert

chaparral

temperate grassland

temperate forest

taiga (boreal forest)

arctic tundra

Define Arctic Tundra

a cold, treeless biome with permafrost and short growing seasonsD

Define Taiga/Boreal forest

a coniferous only forest biome with long, cold winters and short, cool summers

Define temperate forest

a forest biome with deciduous trees, moderate rainfall, and distinct seasons

Define temperate grassland

a grassland biome with moderate rainfall, warm summers, and cold winters

Define Chaparral

a shrubland biome with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, often found near Mediterranean climates

Bible lands right?

Define Desert

a dry biome with little precipitation, supporting specialized plant and animal life

Define Savanna

a grassland biome with scattered trees and shrubs, found in regions with seasonal rainfall

Define tropical rainforest

characterized by high rainfall, warm temperatures, and dense, diverse vegetation.

The above is an example of what kind of grassland?

Savanna

the above is an example of what kind of grassland?

prairie

the above is an example of what kind of grassland?

Tundra

the above is an example of what kind of biome?

Desert

The upper-most layer of a forest is known as the

what are the next layers in order

emergent layer

canopy

understory

Which tends to arrive first in the process of primary succession>

annuals

Which of the following is not an abiotic factor that differentiates aquatic ecosystems?

latitude - geographical not latitude

Which section of a river has high dissolved oxygen and low nutrients?

headwaters

What type of freshwater wetlands is characterized by floating mats of plant matter?

Bogs

What are the three types of freshwater wetlands? and desribe each

Marsh - low lying treeless areas

Bogs - have floating mats of plant matter that living plants grown on

Swamps - low lying wetlands dominated by trees

The part of the ocean characterized by little sunlight, hydrothermal vents, and benthic creatures?

abyssal plain

True or false

The aphotoic zone has sunlight

False

True or false

90% of ocean biodiversity is found in the open ocean

false

What type of ecological succession begins on bare rock after a volcanic eruption?

Primary succession

Which biome is known for permanently frozen soil called permafrost?

tundra

What is the main reason deserts are often found around 30 degree latitude

sinking dry air creates dry climates

in a freshwater lake, which zone is closest to the shore and supports rooted plants?

Littoral zone

What type of tree is most common in Boreal forests (Taiga)

coniferous trees

Which of the following best describes an estuary

a place where freshwater mixes with saltwater

What type of lake has low nutrients levels, clear water, and limited algae growth

oligotrophic lake

Difference between abiotic and biotic factors

abiotic is non-living

biotic is living

Define the subtropical deserts

forms between the tropics and equator

results of sinking air around 30 degrees n/s moving back equaotrward

Define a rainshadow desert

moisture is squeezed out on the windward side of a mountain leaving little moisture for precipitation on the leeward side

Define temperate deserts

seasonal temperature variations - has some green in it

Define polar deserts

consistently cold and dry

What are the adaptations needed for organisms living in the desert

ability to store water

reduced growth rate and or herd size

spikes and camouflage for defense

dormancy

deep taproots

Define what grasslands are

Moderate or seasonal precipitation

warm or seasonal temperatures

moderate net primary productivity.

Fire is important here

Rainfall is 10-30 inches per year

What are the four types of deserts

subtropical

Rainshadow

temperate

polarW

What are the three types of grasslands?

Tundra/polar

prairies/temperate

savannas/tropical

Define Savannas (tropical grasslands)

located near the equator between tropical forests and subtropical deserts.

Temp - consistent

Precip - seasonal

Define Prairies (temperate grasslands

found in midaltitiudes

temp - seasonal

precip - moderate

Defin tundras

have short growing seasons and permanently frozen soil called permafrost.

temp - consistently cold

precip - moderate

What are the adaptations needed for plants living in the grasslands

Prairie plants have deep/complex root structures that allow them to recover from drought, wild fire, cold winters, and grazing animals

Tundra plants are low-lying due to permafrost and mature rapidly in the short growing season

Define what a forest biome consists of

moderate to high precipitation that support tree growth

warm or seasonal temps

high net primary productivity across many layers

What are the four types of forests?

tropical rainforests

temperate forest/deciduous

Boreal forest/taiga

Mediterranean forests

What type of trees are in the topical rainforest

broadleaf trees only

wide and flat to maximize sun absorption

prone to moisture loss via transpiration

shed in winters or prolonged dry seasons

What type of leaves do Boreal or taiga forests have

CHRISTMAN TREES

coniferous trees only

narrow, wax-caoted leaves

absorbs less sunlight but transpire less water

not shed during cold or dry seasonsWhat

What type of leaves do temperate forests have

mostly broadleaf that shed each winter

what type of leaves do Mediterranean forests have

small confierous trees and shrubs

What are ecoregions(ecozones)?

areas within ecosystems that vary by quality, quantity of environmental resources

This is from the state map we colored in lab

What is ecological succession?

The process for change in the abiotic and biotic factors of an ecosystem over time

What is primary succession

when a new ecosystem was created where no prior life existed

like a volcanic island

What plants grow in each of the three stages of primary succession

First stage - rock is weathered into soil - growth of lichens and mosses - pioneer species

Middle stages - grasses and wildflowers - seeds carried over by wind and animals

Late stages - formation of climax communityW

What is climax community?

highly stable ecosystems that will remain until a disruption occurs

What is pioneer species

the first organisms to appear in a new ecosystem

What is secondary succesion

occurs when an existing ecosystem undergoes a disruption - like fire, flood, volcanic eruption, ect.

What are the abiotic and environmental factors that differentiates aquatic ecosystems?

Temperature

Availability of sunlight

salinity

nutrients - nitrates and phosphate that runoff from land - needed for algae growth

turbidity

pH - acidity or alkalinity of water

What is turbidity

measures water cloudiness and increases with soil runoff

What are the biotic factors found in aquatic biomes

Plankton - small, free-floating or weekly swimming

Phytoplankton - plantlike

Zooplankton - animal-like

Pelagic - large, independent swimmers - fish and shrimp

Benthos - bottom dwellers - many don’t move or seldom doWhat

Define lakes and ponds

areas naturally filled with water

lentic - nonflowing

What are the zones of freshwater biomes (lakes) and describe them

Riparian - terrestrial but soggy - plants give habitat for animals that like to be in water but can’t breath it - filters runoff and stabilizes bank

littoral - nearest the shore - water is warm, shallow, and sunlit - emergent plants live here

Limnetic - open water area too deep for emergent plants

Photic zone - warm and sunlit, supports phytoplankton

Aphotic zone - deep, dark, and cold

What are emergent plants

plants that root at the bottom and pass through the waters surface

What are the two types of lakes and define them

Oligotrophic - have water with low turbidity and nutrient levels - limits algae growth

Eutrophic - water has high turbidity bc of high nutrient levels and excessive algae growth (neighborhood lake)W

What is a stream?

a narrow channel that carries runoff water towards riversW

What are rivers?

wider than streams and carry more water

Lotic - flowing

What is the difference between lotic and lentic?

Lotic - flowing

lentic - non-flowing

What are the three different sections of the river?

Headwaters

transition zone

mouth

What are the headwaters?

Headwaters - river source

comes from melting ice on mountains ice bergs snow ect.

high dissolved oxygen, low nutrients

cold water temps

low turbidity

no salinity

What is the transition zone of rivers?

The middle where it widens and deepens

warmer

decreased dissolved oxygen

increases nutrient levels

Here we see the fertile floodplains

What are floodplains?

The area around a river where the river will flood with high rain, so the soil is great for farming

What is the mouth of the river section?

where it enters the ocean

low dissolved oxygen

high nutrients

warm water temps

high turbidity

moderate salinity

What are wetlands?

areas containing soils that are usually waterlogged

soil tends to be oxygen poor due to the lack of air exposureW

What adaptations are needed for wetland organisms?

Marshes

Floating - fewer vascular tissues since water is plenty - making them lighter

Carnivorous - captures and digest insects to increase nitrogen and phosphorus levels - fly traps

Emergent - empty spaces in tissues to allow oxygen flow through plant and into the submerged roots

What are the 6 costal ecosystems

estuaries

coastal lagoons

tidal flats

deltas

salt marshes

seagrass beds

mangrove forests

last three are wetlands