Biomes
This biome is hot, dry, and unproductive
What is a desert?
This is another name for a producer/plant
All life on Earth is based on this element
This kind of species can exploit a wide range of resources and does well during periods of disruption
What is a generalist?
This is what happens when an ecosystem must form completely from barren rock
What is primary succession?
This biome is warm, wet, and highly productive
What is a rainforest?
This is another name for a consumer/animal
What is a heterotroph?
This is the process by which carbon dioxide decreases the pH of the oceans
What is ocean acidification?
This type of species has a very specific niche and does not do well during periods of disruption.
What is a specialist?
This is what it's called when an ecosystem reaches its maximum possible biodiversity
What is a climax community?
This is the largest biome with the greatest amount of biomass. However, it is relatively unproductive relative to its size
What are oceans?
This is the process by which toxic materials build up in a single animal over its entire life
What is bioaccumulation
This is where most of the phosphorous on Earth is stored
What is sediment?
This group of animals is exceptionally threatened by climate change due to them needing two distinct types of habitat
What are amphibians?
This is the most species-rich group of animals
What are insects?
This biome has hot summers, cold winters, and moderate annual precipitation. The soils of this biome tend to be very fertile
What are grasslands?
This is the process by which toxic material becomes more concentrated as you move up the food web
What is biomagnification?
This ratio is what many scientists and farmers use to assess the soil quality
This mass of waste is filled with chemicals and microplastics, but also provides habitat for many species
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
These are the two main things which can cause an ecosystem to need to restart from primary succession
What are glaciers and volcanic eruptions
This is the main factor that determines what an area's climate will be
Latitude
If local plant biomass has 8100 kcal of energy, how much energy would be available to a tertiary consumer?
8.1 kcal
This is the process by which nitrates and nitrites are converted back into pure nitrogen
What is denitrification?
This term describes how sex is determined in sea turtles. It is also a major reason why most sea turtles are endangered
What is temperature-dependent sex determination?
This is what its called when a species rapidly diversifies into multiple new species in order to fill empty niches
What is an adaptive radiation?