Biology Chapter 4
A gradual rise in Earth's average temperature Due to humans changing the atmosphere, by adding more greenhouse gases, the Earth is getting warmer and warmer causing the ice caps to melt.
(graph on page 126 Global Glacier volume change) The most reasonable explanation for the loss of glacier mass since 1960 is a. an increase in the total productivity of the world's oceans. b. a gradual rise in Earth's average temperature. c. an increase in the total amount of ice at Earth's poles. d. an increase in the sun's output of radiant energy.
Look at the graph and you will see that between 1995 and 2000, the greatest volume of ice was lost.
(graph on page 126 Global Glacier volume change) The greatest volume of glacial ice was losta. between 1960 and 1970. b. between 1980 and 1990. c. between 1995 and 2000. d. before 1960.
Filling in a salt march to create a coastal resort might bring money into the local economy of city. However, it would destroy the spawning and nursery grounds of fish and shellfish species, which can harm the local economy which involves the fishing industry. Therefore I would no support this proposal.
A developer has proposed fi lling in a salt marsh to create a coastal resort. What positive and negative effects do you think this proposal would have on wildlife and local residents? Would you support the proposal?
Commensalism One organism is helped without helping or hurting the other
A relationship in which one organism is helped and another organism is neither helped nor hurt is called
Microclimate A small valley where the average temperature is usually higher than that of the surrounding countryside has its own microclimate
A small valley where the average temperature is usually higher than that of the surrounding countryside has its own
This is secondary succession. In 5 years there will be small plants and shrubs covering the landscape. In 50 years the ecosystem would have recovered fully and will have large trees again covering the landscape.
A windstorm in a forest blows down the large trees in one part of the forest. Soon, sunloving plants sprout in the new clearing. What type of succession is this? What do you think this area will look like in 5 years? In 50 years?
The reason the soil is wet during the summer in tundra's is because the frozen subsoil is melted by the summer heat, causing the soil to become soggy.
Although the amount of precipitation is low, most parts of the tundra are very wet during the summer. How would you explain this apparent contradiction?
Temperature The greenhouse effect traps in heat, kind of like a car under the sun in the summer; the inside is a lot hotter than the outside, which is basically what greenhouses do.
An increase in the greenhouse effect causes an increase in
The abiotic factors that produces earth climate zones are greenhouse effect, the effect of latitude on climate and heat transport in the biosphere
Describe the three primary abiotic factors that produce Earth's major climate zones.
Mutualism because the bacteria help break down the food and the bacteria gets some of the nutrients.
Bacteria living in a cow's stomach help the cow break down the cellulose in grass, gaining nutrients in the process. Is this an example of commensalism or mutualism? Explain your answer.
The earth has climate zones because of it's varied landscapes for example ocean etc but mainly has to do with amount of sunlight that reaches a place. An example of a warm climate zone would be around the equator because it is the area on earth which recieves the most sunlight. The arctic would have a cold climate zone because of the lack of sunlight that reaches there. Seasons are created because the earth is tilted on a imaginary line called the axis. Because the earth is on its axis and it revolves around the sun, this allows sunlight to be strong or low in certain areas.An example would be when the northern hemisphere is facing the sun it means that the season is summer. In addition to that in the southern hemisphere would be winter because it is not as revealed to the sun as much as the northern hemisphere is
Based on the relative positions of the sun and Earth, explain why Earth has climate zones and seasons.
Two major causes of ecological succession are a forest fire and land cleared for farming
Describe two major causes of ecological succession.
Desert: This biome occurs in areas that are receiving less than 25 centimeters of rainfall per year. Desert undergoes extreme temperature fluctuations that alter between hot and cold I would like to take cacti as an example for plant life In desert Cacti store water In their tissues, and by having small leafs this plant cuts down their water loss. Animals living in the desert mostly get their water from the food they consume. Most of the animals avoid heat by being nocturnal-active only at night
Choose one of the biomes discussed in this lesson. Then, sketch the biome. Include the biome's characteristic plant and animal life in your sketch. Add labels to identify the organisms, and write a caption describing the content of the sketch.
Organisms make certain adaptations to survive in their ecological niches. These adaptations provide selective advantage suited for survival in that environment. The adaptations may be structural, behavioral, or physiological characters that enables the organism to survive successfully and reproduce. Adaptations of organisms in a freshwater ecosystem: Plants Hydrilla is an example for fresh water plant. It is a submerged hydrophyte that attaches to substratum by adventitious roots. The leaves of this plant lack cuticle and stomata. Whole plant is covered by mucilage to prevent epiphytic growth and rotting effect of water. Animal: Fresh water fish have streamlined body to reduce water friction. Animals living in fast moving waters need to hold onto rocks and the bottom. They have suction-cup like structure to fast their body to the substratum. Adaptations of organisms in estuarine ecosystem: Plant: Spartina alterniflora (cordgrass) had best adaptations to survive in estuaries. The plant has special filters in its roots to remove salts from the water it absorbs. It also has structures to expel excess salt through its leaves. Animals: Oysters are best adapted to estuarine conditions. They stop feeding and close their shells when subjected to the osmotic stress of low-salinity water. When the salinity increases, they open up and start feeding. They switch their metabolism to anaerobic mode during low tides and aerobic mode during a high tide. Adaptations of organisms in marine ecosystem: Plants: Sargasso sea weed is best example of marine ecosystem. They have gas sacs and air sacs to maintain buoyancy, thus enable them to float near the surface where abundant sunlight is available. Vascular tissue is not required for water conduction, and hence is absent. They have mechanisms to break salt into chlorine and sodium ions and excrete them, in order to tolerate salinity. Animals: Green turtles are best adapted to marine habitats. They have limbs that enable them to swim fast in waters, they can remain submerged in waters for longer time periods by slowing down their metabolism, heart rate (heart beats at rate of 1 beat for nine minutes), and blood is shunted away from tissues of low oxygen tolerance to the heart, brain, and nervous system.
Choose three different aquatic ecosystems. For each of these ecosystems, select a plant and an animal, and explain how the organisms have adapted to their environment.
The climate is the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period and weather are the conditions over a short period of time.
Compare and Contrast How are climate and weather different?
The intensity "within" a single species is due to the fact that same species are eating same food in the same place. But if two different species attempt to occupy the same place one species will outcompete the other. One species will be better at competing for limited resources and will eventually exclude the other species eliminating any type of intensity between two different species.
Competition for resources in an area is usually more intense within a single species than between two different species. How would you explain this observation?
Two adaptations that allow the fox to live in the temperate grassland and temperate woodland and shrubland are that the coyote needs to be able to hibernate during the cold winters, and fur to indure the cold winters.
Consider these two biomes: (1) the temperate grassland and (2) the temperate woodland and shrubland. Coyotes live in both biomes. Describe two adaptations that might enable coyotes to tolerate conditions in both biomes.
If I would follow the steps and walk away from the beach the vegetation will start to be more varied, not just grass. This is secondary succession.
Look at the photo below. If you walked from this dune in a straight line away from the beach, what kinds of changes in vegetation would you expect to see? What sort of succession is this?
A drought is a period of time with lower-than-average or no precipitation. Droughts cause plants, such as trees, to go into "winter hibernation" earlier than expected. Because plants need water to grow and survive, and because plants lose water from their leaves (via transpiration), plants will lose their leaves in a drought in order to retain water (similar to how leaves fall off trees before winter).
Deciduous trees in tropical dry forests lose water through their leaves every day. During summers with adequate rain, the leaves remain on the trees. During the cold dry season, the trees drop their leaves. In an especially dry summer, how might the adaptation of dropping leaves enable a tree to tolerate the drought?
Weather and climate differ in the factor of time involved. That is, weather is the temperature and conditions that occur over a relatively short period of time, whereas climate is the temperature and conditions that occur over a relatively long period of time (years). Climate is well-established and not likely to change within any one ecosystem, but weather can vary depending on the day. An example of weather would be the temperature and the precipitation of a particular day or week (e.g., "cloudy with rain"); an example of climate would be a term describing the general characteristics of an ecosystem (e.g., "arid").
Distinguish between weather and climate.
Earth's temperature would decrease because there would be less greenhouse gas to trap heat. The re radiated heat would escape back into space.
Explain what would likely happen to global climate if there was a dramatic decrease in greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere.
Because it mostly occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed. Primary succession only occurs on a surface where no ecosystem existed before/no soil.
Explain why secondary succession usually proceeds faster than primary succession.
Succession Natural disturbances such as hurricanes and fires can result in succession
Fires, hurricanes, and other natural disturbances can result in
Biomes are classified by: Abiotic factors dominant plants dominant wildlife geographic distribution
How are biomes classified?
Predation and parasitism are both relationships in which one organism benefits while the other is harmed. In predation, the predator needs to kill its prey in order to benefit; In parasitism, the parasite benefits by keeping its host alive
How are predation and parasitism similar? How are they different?
Salt marshes and mangrove swamps both have salt tolerant plants. However they difer in that salt marshes are found along the northern eastern board of America in the temperate climate region while mangroves are found along the southern eastern board of America in the tropical climate region.
How are salt marshes and mangrove swamps alike? How are they different?
Abiotic factors determine the types of pioneer species that can live in an area and that are likely to be involved in primary succession following a volcanic succession.
How do abiotic factors infl uence what kinds of organisms are involved in the primary succession in an area following a volcanic eruption?
In business, a niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing. In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food resources and foraging methods.
How is a niche like a profession? In ecological terms, describe your niche.
Less water flowing into it, which can change the mineral and salt composition of the water, cause changes in flow and temperature, and these in turn can dramatically change the types of plant and animal life in the area.
How might a dam upriver affect an estuary at the river's mouth?
Prey species are often herbivores and eat only plants, if the plants are gone they will have no food source and die off.
How might a dramatic decrease in vegetation lead to a decrease in a prey species? (Hint: Think of how the vegetation, prey, and predator could be connected in a food chain.)
As you climb toard the summit the plant life will change into being coniferus trees, since they can support cold winters and the temperature will decrease as altitudes rise.
Imagine that you are hiking up a mountain in the temperate forest biome. Describe how the plant life might change as you climb toward the summit.
canopy
In a tropical rain forest, the dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall trees is called the
The pelagic zone, the benthic zone, and the neritic zone are three major marine ecological zones. Water, light, temperature, pH, salinity, substratum, nutrient supply, dissolved gases, pressure, tides, currents, waves, and being exposed to air are all abiotic factors that these zones experience.
List the three major marine ecological zones. Give two abiotic factors for each zone.
The open ocean is the least productive but has the most overall productivity because it is so vast and deep that it compensates for itself.
Infer (Productivity of Aquatic and Land Ecosystems pg 126) The open ocean is among the least productive ecosystems, yet it contributes greatly to the overall productivity of the biosphere. How do you explain this paradox?
I think its primary productivity is likely greater. Because it gets abundant precipitation for three seasons of the year and is less susceptible to the frequent forest fires that decrease productivity in the savanna
Infer (Productivity of Aquatic and Land Ecosystems pg 126)Review the description of the Northwest coniferous forest on page 114. Do you think its average primary productivity is greater or less than that of the tropical savanna? Explain your answer.
The color white doesn't draw/absorb sunlight as well as dark colors. Also the sunlight can't pass through very easily because the glass is not clear anymore, it is now a white color.
Infer A plant grower has a greenhouse where she grows plants in the winter. The greenhouse is exposed to direct sunlight and often gets too hot for the plants. She paints the inside of the glass with a chalky white paint, and the temperature drops to comfortable levels. Explain why this procedure works.
The west coast because it has cold ocean currents which keeps the climate cool, whereas the east coast has warm ocean currents which keeps the climate warm.
Infer Based on Figure 4-3, which do you think has a cooler climate: the east or west coast of southern Africa? Why?
The coral reef because it has very clear waters and lots of life is able to live there
Interpret Tables(Productivity of Aquatic and Land Ecosystems pg 126) According to the table, which ecosystem is most productive? Use what you know to explain that fact.
They divided the tree in thirds so that each one could have there own niche to feed in.
Look at Figure 4-7 and describe how the three species of warblers have divided their resources. Does each warbler have its own niche?
Major biomes: Tundra: Plants are short grasses, ground hugging shrubs Boreal Forest; normally found in North America, North Europe and North Asia Northwestern Coniferous Forest: Dominant plants are redwood, western hemlock and douglas fir Temperate Forest: Average to cold winters, all year precipitation and fertile soil and warm summers Temperate woodland and shrubland: hot dyr summers Temperate grassland: very fertile soil Desert: low precipitation Tropical Rain Forest: hot and wet all year round Tropical Dry Forest: has tall deciduous trees Tropical Savannah: grasslands with isolated trees
List the major biomes, and describe one characteristic of each.
benthos
Organisms that live near or on the ocean fl oor are called
tundra
Permafrost characterizes the biome called
The adaption to the cold temperature, lack of oxygen, and lack of light, the ability to make/get food with such a lack of organisms, and the ability to survive under such pressures.
The deep ocean lies within the aphotic zone and is very cold. Suggest some of the unique characteristics that enable animals to live in the deep ocean.
Pioneer species are the ones who first populate a certain area after events such as volcanic eruptions
The first organisms to repopulate an area affected by a volcanic eruption are called
Parasitism is the relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms it.Generally, parasites weaken but do not kill their host, which is usually larger than the parasite. A tick is an example of a parasite.
The relationship between a tick and its host is an example of
Mutualism is a symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved.
The suffi x -ism means "the act, practice, or result of." Look up the meaning of mutual, and write a defi nition for mutualism.
from left to right of 4-22 figure 1.Interdial zone, 2. coastal zone, 3. open ocean, 4. photic zone, 5. aphotic zone
Using Figure 4-22 as a guide, draw a cross section of the ocean starting with a beach and ending with an ocean trench. Label the intertidal zone, coastal ocean, and open ocean. Subdivide the open ocean into photic and aphotic zones.
Fish and other species have larger eyes and use bioluminescence to deal with lack of light in the aphotic zone.
What are some ways in which life in an aphotic zone might differ from life in a photic zone?
The main factors that determines earth's climate are: Greenhouse effects Heat transfer by wind and ocean currents latitude and climate zones and sunlight
What are the main factors that determine climate?
The major categories of freshwater ecosystems are rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, and freshwater wetlands
What are the major categories of freshwater ecosystems?
Abiotic factors that affect life underwater are sunlight, nutrients, water, terrain and temperature.
What are the primary abiotic factors that affect life underwater?
The three types of freshwater wetlands are marshes, swamps and bogs
What are three types of freshwater wetlands?
Pioneer species like lichen help in weathering, and weathering combined with processes like rain and wind causes formation on soil. Soil is very important in an environment because it provides plants its nutrients, and also it provides home for insects/bacteria/worms. Thus, pioneer species have a very important effect on an environment undergoing primary succession because they provide soil.
What effects do pioneer species have on an environment undergoing primary succession?
A biome is a complex of terrestrial communities that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions and particular assemblages of plants and animals.
What is a biome?
A climax community is the final stage of succession, remaining relatively unchanged until destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference
What is a climax community?
Keystone species are changes in the population of a single species.
What is a keystone species?
A wetland is land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land. They are important because they act as a filter for the waters of our lakes, rivers and streams; Wetlands act like giant sponges. They soak up rain and snowmelt as they occur, and slowly release this water in drier seasons; Wetlands provide a temporary or permanent habitat to a wealth of species of plants, fish and wildlife
What is a wetland? Why are wetlands important?
The climate is the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
What is climate?
Competition is a symbiotic relationship between or among living things for resources, such as food, space, shelter, mate, ecological status. According to the competitive exclusion principle, if two species attempt to occupy the same niche, one species will be better at competing for limited resources and will eventually exclude the other.
What is competition? Why can't two organisms compete if they live in different habitats?
Symbiosis is any relationship in which two species live closely together. Mutualism is where both species benefit. Parasitism is where one species benefits and the other is harmed. Commensalism is where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
What is symbiosis? What are the three major types of symbiosis?
The competitive exclusion principle states that no two organism can occupy the same niche, in the same habitat at the same time. There has to be a winner, the survivor and the loser, failing to survive
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
A predator is an organism that preys upon other organism while a parasite is an organism that obtains nourishment and shelter on another organism.
What is the difference between a predator and a parasite? Explain your answer.
The community provides the habitat—the place where particular plants or animals live. Within the habitat, organisms occupy different niches. A niche is the functional role of a species in a community—that is, its occupation, or how it earns its living. For example, the scarlet tanager lives in a deciduous forest habitat. Its niche, in part, is gleaning insects from the canopy foliage.
What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?
A habitat is an area where an organism lives; for example, the habitat of a squirrel might be a forest. A niche, however, encompasses the full range of biological and physical conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which that organisms uses and interacts with those conditions.
What is the difference between an organism's habitat and its niche?
Plankton is a general term for free floating organisms that live in both fresh water and salt water. The two types are phytoplankton and zooplankton
What is the meaning of the term plankton? Name the two types of plankton.
Communities have some kind of equilibrium state that is stable over time if the environment does not change. Communities return to their equilibrium state after a disturbance that alters community structure.
What kinds of conditions might prevent a community from returning to its predisturbance state?
Primary succession is an ecological process that occurs when uninhabited or barren land is opened for vegetative growth, or when an environment that has no vegetation (and usually no topsoil) is opened for vegetative growth. In both of these instances, "primary succession" occurs when the first vegetative growth occurs in an otherwise barren habitat. Primary succession occurs as the result of some natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions or wildfires that destroy the vegetation of a certain habitat, or as the result of some human activities, such as leaving an abandoned house to be "reclaimed" by vegetation.
What type of succession takes place after lava from a volcanic eruption covers an area?
no. Succession is in both sources defined as affecting species, not individuals. If the sea warmed and whales died off, that would be be succession.
When a whale or other large marine mammal dies and falls to the ocean fl oor, different waves of decomposers and scavengers feed off the carcass until nothing remains. Do you think this is an example of succession? Explain your reasoning.
Estuaries are found where a freshwater river or bay feeds directly into an ocean. A salt marsh is an estuary, it is found close to the ocean. Estuaries are important because they serve as a spawning spot and a nursery for many organisms.
Where are estuaries found? Why is it important to protect estuaries?
Plants are few and far in between in deserts because there is not enough room for competition at closer intervals due to the fact there is a lack of resources such as water and nutrients
Why are plants generally few and far between in a desert?
A biome is an area on the earth with a certain set of characteristics. The 7 kinds: tundra, taiga, temperate forest, tropical rain forest, desert, grassland, and ocean. If a mountain range or ice cap isn't like any of these, it can't be classified as one.
Why aren't mountain ranges or polar ice caps classifi ed as biomes?
Mostly because of influences of the outside world. Any type of movement will cause change, people, information, ideas etc.. Things like information and people have a great effect on a community, how to live and how not to live. A way to think about it, the domino effect. One thing changes, and many other things will be affected.
Why do communities change over time?
Niche refers to the role of organisms m the community. It includes what it eats: its behavior, how it responds to the environment, and with the organizations in the community. Humans do not have to stay in just one niche. They can adapt to any ecological conditions due to the development of Science and Technology. I reside in a city, so my mche includes the biotic factors like birds, pet animals, domestic animals etc. surrounded by different plants. The abiotic factors include rain, strong wind, temperature, sunlight, mountains, rivers etc. therefore, every' individual including me will have interaction with all the biotic and abiotic factors and adapt accordingly to survive m this environment.
Write a description of your niche in the environment. Include details about your ecosystem, and the biotic and abiotic factors around you. Be sure to describe your feeding habits as well as any interactions you have with members of other species.