Climate
List the ecological hierarchy from bottom to top
Biosphere
biome
ecosystem
community
population
individual
This movement of freshwater carries it from rivers to the ocean.
What is runoff?
This horizon of soil contains the highest concentration of organic matter.
What is the O horizon?
This term describes a change in allele frequencies within a population over generations.
what is evolution?
Plants adapted to low-light conditions have increased amounts of this pigment.
What is chlorophyll?
What is climate?
This is the long-term pattern of temperature, precipitation, and wind in a given area. (annually)
What is the Oxygen Minimum Zone
This zone in the ocean has the lowest concentration of dissolved oxygen.
List the five major factors influencing soil formation.
What are parent material, climate, biotic factors, topography, and time?
This term refers to the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce, passing its genes to the next generation.
what is fitness?
The balance between carbon gained through photosynthesis and lost through respiration is known as this.
What is carbon balance?
This greenhouse gas, absorbed by oceans, forms carbonic acid, contributing to ocean acidification.
What is carbon dioxide (CO₂)?
What is the thermocline?
This layer in a body of water separates warm surface water from cold deep water.
What is Leaf Area Index (LAI)?
This index measures the total leaf surface area relative to the ground area in a given ecosystem.
OR
A higher Leaf Area Index (LAI) means this happens to light reaching the forest floor.
This term describes the compromise between competing selective pressures, preventing a species from being perfectly adapted to all conditions.
What is an evolutionary trade-off?
What is transpiration?
This type of heat transfer, where plants lose water to cool down, is critical in hot environments.
What is global warming?
This phenomenon describes the long-term increase in Earth's average temperature due to human activities.
What is an estuary?
The type of ecosystem where freshwater meets saltwater.
What is leaching?
The term for the movement of dissolved minerals and nutrients through soil due to water flow.
What is adaptation?
This process, driven by natural selection, leads to changes in traits that enhance an organism’s survival and reproduction.
These microscopic pores on the leaf surface regulate gas exchange and water loss.
What are stomata?
Describe the Coriolis effect
This effect, caused by Earth’s rotation, makes moving air and water deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Describe the phenomenon of upwelling
This process occurs when cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the ocean surface, supporting marine life as phytoplankton will decompose creating more O2 in the ocean.
These plants are adapted to low-light environments and typically have thin, broad leaves with high chlorophyll concentration.
What are shade-tolerant plants?
What is natural selection?
Adaptations arise when this factor favors certain traits over others, leading to differential reproductive success.
This adaptation allows plants to take in carbon dioxide at night and store it for use during the day.
What is CAM photosynthesis?