Abiotic/Biotic Interactions
What is the biosphere?
The biosphere is the part of Earth where all living organisms exist, including land, water, and the atmosphere.
What is the difference between a carbon source and a carbon sink?
Carbon sources give carbon to the atmosphere, carbon sinks remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Is the greenhouse effect natural or human enhanced?
Both
Why is it important to study future climate scenarios?
To predict potential impacts, prepare for changes, and develop strategies to mitigate climate-related risks.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in an ecosystem, including different species, genes, and ecosystems.
How much energy is lost due to heat, growth, development, etc. from one trophic level to the next?
90%
What is the carbon cycle?
The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in plants, soil, or geological formations and later releasing them.
What are some common indicators of climate change? (name 2)
Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, sea level rise, extreme weather events, and shifting wildlife habitats.
What data did we look at to go back 800,000 years?
Ice Cores
What biomes have the highest biodiversity?
Rainforests
What abiotic factor does volcanic eruptions positively influence the most?
Soil
What role do decomposers play in carbon cycling?
Decomposers break down dead organisms, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere as CO₂ or into the soil.
How can tree ring data help us understand past climates?
Tree rings show growth patterns that reflect past rainfall, temperature, and environmental conditions. (larger rings more precipitation etc...)
Discuss why severe weather events are increasing or decreasing in the future.
Severe weather events are INCREASING due to higher global temperatures driving increased ocean temperatures and increased evaporation rates.
Describe primary succession.
the establishment and development of a community of organisms in an area that was previously uninhabited, like a newly formed volcanic island or a glacial retreat
Describe how predators and prey interact in an ecosystem.
Predators control prey populations, while prey availability influences predator survival, maintaining ecosystem balance.
Explain the process of photosynthesis and its role in carbon cycling.
Photosynthesis converts CO₂ and sunlight into oxygen and glucose, removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in plants.
What data can be used to identify past climate conditions?
Ice cores, tree rings, sediment layers, and fossil records reveal historical climate patterns.
Predict how habitat loss might influence species distribution.
Habitat loss forces species to migrate, concentrate in smaller areas, or face extinction, disrupting ecosystems and biodiversity.
Why do tundras typically have low biodiversity?
Low precipitation.
Name four abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
Temperature, sunlight, pH, precipitation, etc.
How does carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect ocean acidification?
CO₂ dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid, which lowers pH levels and harms marine ecosystems.
What are some researchers doing to decrease ocean acidification?
Alkalinity enrichment
How might increased temperatures affect polar species?
Higher temperatures can melt sea ice, reduce habitats, and threaten food sources, endangering polar species like penguins and polar bears.
How does biodiversity contribute to ecosystem stability?
It provides functional redundancy, enhances resilience to changes, and increases productivity through resource complementarity