Terrestrial Ecosystems
Freshwater & Marine
Ecological Balance & Imbalance
Human Impact & Sustainability
Miscellaneous
100
The characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems vary according to...
altitude - higher places are colder and wetter
100
What is the percentage of water in marine ecosystems on the Earth?
70%
100
The three natural causes that disrupt the ecological balance are...
Natural disasters, diseases and plagues, and changes to population
100
Tell me the "three Rs" (the keys to sustainability)
reduce, reuse, and recycle
100
What does deciduous mean?
Trees that lose their leaves in the autumn
200
Define terrestrial ecosystem
a land-based community of organisms and the interactions of biotic and abiotic components of a given area
200
High level of salinity is a characteristic of which ecosystem?
Marine
200
Give me three examples of natural disasters
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornadoes
200
What is deforestation?
Cutting down forests to grow crops for the growing human population, destroys plants and animals
200
The 4 factors that influence the kind of aquatic ecosystems there are on Earth
salinity, depth, water flow rate, light level
300
Name the three characteristics that most terrestrial ecosystems have in common
Abundance of sunlight, scarcity of water, and temperatures vary greatly between day and night and between the seasons
300
Otters, water lilies, and willow trees live here
Freshwater ecosystems
300
What does "changes to population" refer to?
Natural change; when the population of one species changes, it can affect the populations of other animals and plants.
300
The four main human threats to ecosystems are...
overfishing, deforestation, overpopulation, and pollution
300
Tell me the characteristics of the "deepest zone" in marine ecosystems
no light, cold water, animals feed from the remains from above
400
Describe, in as much detail as you can, a Riperian forest...
This is a wooded area of land next to a body of water. For this reason it is always humid, even in the summer.
Flora = deciduous trees (poplar, willow, ash)
Fauna = fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
400
Name 5 different types of marine consumers
fish, marine mammals, starfish, coral, & zooplankton
400
Describe the effects of a disease or plague on ecological balance
Diseases and plague epidemics can destroy one or more species. This breaks the food chains and food webs and affects the way species interact with the environment.
400
Define sustainability
Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
400
What is water flow rate? Use examples
Water can be standing water, for example a pond, or flowing water, for example a river
500
Name the ecosystem and characteristics
Scrubland.
Trees can't grow because of the low temperatures; only grasses and shrubs can survive; some small mammals, large vultures, and crows
500
Classify the following as producer, consumer, or decomposer: anemone, tuna, phyoplankton, prawns, fungi
producers = phyoplankton
consumers = anemone, tuna, prawns
decomposers = fungi
500
Describe the relationship between rabbits and eagles in reference to ecological balance
There has to be an equal balance of rabbits and eagles and grass to keep the food chain alive.
For example, if there are too few rabbits then there wouldn't be enough food for the eagles and so eagles would die = the food chain is broken.
500
What are the four serious consequences the Earth will experience due to human activities?
extinction of species of plants and animals, exhaustion of natural resources, water and air pollution, and littered land (land covered with rubbish)
500
Tell me the three zones of marine ecosystems and an example of an organism that lives in each
Coastal Zone: coral,
Middle Zone: whale, fish, dolphin, etc.
Deepest Zone: squid, abyssal fish