Biomes
What is the difference between a terrestrial biome and an aquatic biome?
Terrestrial Biome: a geographic region characterized by a particular combination of average temp, rain, and plant growth
Aquatic Biome: an aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow
What is the water cycle?
Cycle of water between Earth's surface (liquid, solid) and the atmosphere (clouds)
- soil properties influence how fast water moves through cycle --> bigger particles (sand) = faster infiltration
This is the term for the variety of life on Earth that also refers to all species in an ecosystem
Biodiversity
What do predators do?
Kill and consume prey and take resources from lower trophic levels
- direct delayed relationship between predator population and prey population
Specialists: species with narrow niches
Generalists: species with wide niches
Where are the biomes located? (latitudes)
*all numbers in degrees*
0- rainforest
15 - boreal forest
30- desert
45- forest
60- rainforest
80- tundra
90- extreme desert
What is the carbon cycle?
Process of carbon circling around the Earth
- driven by photosynthesis and cellular respiration
- accelerated by humans by burning fossil fuels
- stored in plants, soil, rocks, etc.
What determines if two organisms are the same species?
If they can reproduce with each other
What are the types of resource partioning?
Morphological: species evolve different adaptations to help them use the same resource in different ways (ex. bird beak size and seed size)
Temporal: when different species use the same resource at different times (ex. migration or nocturnal)
Spatial: same resources but in different areas
MORE RESOURCES = MORE NICHES = MORE BIODIVERSITY
what are the 4 key population factors?
1) Natality (births)
2) Mortality (deaths)
3) Immigration (arrival)
4) Emigration (departure)
What is the term for the health and productivity of plants?
Vegetative Vigor
What is the nitrogen cycle/the process of nitrogen fixation?
The process of microbes capturing and breaking down nitrogen particles so that plants are able to absorb it
- Fertilizer is the process of speeding up the N2 cycle so no microbes are required and plants can grow faster
high, low
What is a species realized niche vs. fundamental niche?
Realized: where organisms thrive and reproduce
Fundamental: TOTAL potential of organism excluding environment factors (like temp)
What are some limiting growth factors and what would happen in a population if there were no limiting factors?
Limiting factors: resources, temperature, disease, predators --> leads to S shaped curve
Intrinsic growth rate: what would happen in a population if there were no limiting factors
What determines if a biome is productive or not?
Aquatic: deeper water = less light = less productive bc of lack of sunlight = fewer organisms = less biodiverse Terrestrial: More food chains = more biodiverse = more productive = more niches = more evolution/resilience in population
What is the phosphorus cycle?
- needed to build ATP and DNA
- driven by climate bc more erosion = more soil nutrients exposed
Is increased competition in an environment good or bad for a species?
Bad, leads to less biodiversity
This is the term for the methods of survival used against predators:
Chemical, Mimicry, Morphological, Behavioral
Defense/types of defense
What is the difference between R and K selected speices?
R: LOTS of babies, not many survive, short life span, live in J curve, produce only once (ex.bugs) *survival curve 3
K: fewer babies, take care of young, live long, mature over time (ex. lions) *survival curve 1
*survival curve 2 = constant 50% chance of life or death everyday bc of external factors
What are the 5 limiting factors of terrestrial and aquatic biomes?
Terrestrial: precipitation, solar insulation, nutrients in soil, temp, soil configuration/makeup
Aquatic: salinity, temp, nutrient levels, solar insulation, dissolved oxygen
Biogeochemical cycle
What is a keystone speices and why are they important
- helps ensure biodiversity + population regulation
What are the types of interactions between two organisms? (there are 4, aka forms of symbiosis)
1) Predation/consumption: one species eats another
2) parasitism: one organism lives on another
3) commensalism: benefits one organism without impacting the other
4) mutualistic: benefits both organisms and one often can't survive without the other
What are examples of density independent and dependent factors?
Independent: War, temperature, natural disaster
Dependent: disease, predation/competition