Intro to Biomes
What is the difference between climate and weather?
Weather is the day-to-day conditions. Climate is the long-term patterns of both temperature and precipitation.
Four factors used to classify aquatic biomes
Salinity: how salty the water is (decides which organisms can live there).
Depth: how deep the water is (affects light and pressure).
Flow: still or moving water (affects oxygen and habitat).
Temperature: affects oxygen levels and which species survive.
Name two or three examples of surface water sources.
Lakes, wetlands, ponds, rivers, streams, reservoirs
Point-source vs. nonpoint-source pollution?
Point-source pollution comes from a single, identifiable location, like a factory pipe or sewage outfall. Nonpoint-source pollution comes from many diffuse sources, like agricultural or urban runoff, and is harder to trace and control.
Which biome has the highest productivity?
Tropical Rainforest
Define an estuary
A partly enclosed coastal area where a freshwater river meets the salty ocean.
What is a watershed?
All the land that drains into one river, lake, or ocean.
How do toxic chemicals enter freshwater, and what are the human health impacts?
They enter through industrial discharge, pesticide runoff, mining, leaking landfills or tanks, and improper disposal. They can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food chains, causing cancer, neurological damage, birth defects, and hormone disruption (e.g., lead, mercury, PCBs).
What are the two factors that determine climate?
Long-term temperature and precipitation
Where is the intertidal zone?
Where land meets ocean, between the high tide and low tide lines.
Where does watershed water flow?
To the same lower body of water, such as a river, lake, or the ocean.
How does sediment pollution enter freshwater, and what are the ecosystem impacts?
It enters through erosion from construction, farming, logging, and deforestation. Cloudy water blocks sunlight and reduces photosynthesis, while settling sediment smothers fish eggs and habitat, clogs gills, and fills in waterways.
Three main factors that define land biomes?
Climate, Plant life, and Animal life
Why is life there difficult?
Waves, changing tides, and exposure to air, sun, and changing salinity and temperature.
What is the difference between surface water and groundwater?
Surface water is found above the ground while groundwater is found below the surface in aquifers.
How does biological pollution enter freshwater, and what are the impacts on ecosystems and human health?
It enters through untreated sewage, livestock waste, and introduced invasive species. Pathogens cause waterborne illness in people (cholera, giardia, typhoid). In ecosystems, invasive species outcompete natives and organic waste depletes oxygen.
What is permafrost? Which biome is it found within?
Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of soil found in the Tundra.
Organisms in the aphotic zone
Deep-sea fish like anglerfish, giant squid, and tube worms. Many make their own light
(bioluminescence).
How do watersheds spread pollution?
Water carries pollution downstream.
What is eutrophication, and what causes it?
Eutrophication is excess nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) of a water body. It causes algal blooms, and when the algae die, decomposers use up the oxygen, creating hypoxic "dead zones." Causes include fertilizer runoff, sewage, animal waste, and detergents.