Vocabulary
The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Habitat
Which biome takes up most of Earth's surface?
Aquatic
Which type of succession takes the longest?
Primary succession
What is a dichotomous key used for?
Identifying items in the natural world
Give one example of a microhabitat.
A garden, small puddle, underneath rocks, etc.
The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Biodiversity
Which biome has the greatest level of biodiversity?
Tropical rainforest
Name one place that primary succession might occur.
New rock formed by cooled lava, areas exposed by retreating glaciers, any place that has not previously supported life.
Explain how a dichotomous key is used.
Answers will vary.
What is sustainability?
The ability to maintain a certain rate or level OR
The ability to meet our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What do biotic and abiotic mean?
Biotic- living
Abiotic- nonliving
Which biomes (2) would be found nearest the equator?
Tropical rainforests and deserts
What are the pioneer species for secondary succession?
Grasses, weeds, annual plants and flowers
Identify leaf #2 using the dichotomous key.
Liquidambar
Which biome has wet summers and dry winters?
Savanna/Grassland
What is ecological succession?
Temperate forests have leaves that fall off the trees during winter. What are these types of trees called and how is this a helpful feature?
Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the colder months to conserve energy when there is very little sunlight.
What type of succession is "Old-Field Succession" and what is it?
A type of secondary succession in which farmland is abandoned and the process of that ecosystem developing over time.
Identify leaf #4 using the dichotomous key.
Magnolia
Name three abiotic factors that would characterize a biome.
Soil, temperature, amount of sunlight, amount of water, climate, atmosphere, wind
What is a pioneer species?
The first organism to colonize any newly available area and begin succession.
What is a characteristic of the tundra biome that plants have had to adapt to?
Permafrost- underneath the top soil is permanently frozen ground
Name three differences between primary and secondary succession.
Answers will vary.
Identify the following insect using the dichotomous key:
Hymenoptera
Why is biodiversity important in an ecosystem?
Biodiversity allows an ecosystem to survive through challenges. With more species, those that survive will be able to rebuild the environment.
The greater the diversity of life, the more sustainable an ecosystem is.