Biodiversity and Populations
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in an area
What is an ecological footprint?
A measure of an individuals environmental impact
What process removes carbon dioxide from the ATMOSPHERE?
Photosynthesis
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short term conditions on a day to day basis.
Climate is long term weather patterns over years
What is the greenhouse effect?
The process where greenhouse gases trap heat in earth's atmosphere
What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?
A habitat is where an organism lives, a niche is its role in the ecosystem
What is extirpation?
The disappearance of a species from a local area while it still exists elsewhere
What role do decomposers play in the carbon cycle?
They break down dead organisms and return carbon to the environment
Which form of heat transfer moves through direct contact?
Conduction
Name three greenhouse gases
1. Carbon dioxide
2. methane
3. water vapour
What is carrying capacity?
The maximum population size an environment can support
What is an invasive species?
A non-native species that causes harm to an ecosystem
Explain the role of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle
They break apart nitrogen bonds into a useable form that plants can absorb. Denitrifying bacteria can take the nitrogen and also turn it back into a gas to be released into the atmosphere
What is albedo?
the amount of sunlight reflected by a surface
What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
Global warming- increase in Earth's average temperature
Climate Change- includes broader changes in climate patterns
Name two factors that can cause a population to increase.
Births and immigration
Describe eutrophication
Excess nutrients usually from phosphorus and nitrogen, cause algae blooms, reducing oxygen levels in water
Where is phosphorus NOT found?
In the atmosphere
Why does earth experience seasons?
because of earth's axial tilt!
- away from the sun= colder seasons
- towards the sun= warmer seasons
Name two examples of how global warming is impacting Earth
- increased average temperatures
- melting glaciers
- sea level rise
- increasing extreme weather events
- Ocean acidification
Describe the difference between a J-curve and an S-curve
J-curve increases rapidly then crashes
S-Curve grows slowly and levels off at the carrying capacity
Explain biomagnification
The concentration of toxins increases as they move up a food chain
Explain the relationship between the carbon cycle and climate change
Name three tools used to measure weather
- thermometer (temperature)
- barometer (pressure)
- anemometer (wind speed)
- rain gauge (precipitation)
Describe two actions individuals can take to reduce climate change
Some examples:
- using public transportation
- reducing energy use
- recycling
- using renewable energy
- reducing waste