Ch 2: Ecology

    Cards (31)

    • Ecology: "oikos" (home) describes how humans interact
    • Biome: area of habitat defined by its major vegetation
    • Tropical: around the equator and stable temperatures
    • Temperate: shifts in temperature
    • Subtropical desert: low rain, temperate-tropical climate
    • Temperate grassland: medium and consistent rain, temperate climate
    • Temperate forest: temperate climate, moderate rain and high variation
    • Boreal forest (taiga): low rain, very low temperature, more rain than tundra
    • Tundra: low rain and low temperature
    • Climate and location cause differences in temperatuure and precipitation
    • Solar radiation: The energy from the sun that is absorbed by the earth's surface.
    • Seasonal variation: if the Earth did not tilt on its axis (23.5) there would be no seasons, equator faces sun directly
    • There is more rain in the tropics because of higher levels of pressure
    • Whittaker diagram shows vegetation structure, temperature, and precipitation
    • Climate change impacts can shift ecosystems, not everything can shift at the same level like plants can't travel quickly
    • Rain shadow: changing moisture levels as you go up, air rises over mountains and cools causing rain to fall, the moisture full air blows onshore from the Pacific Ocean
    • A lake starts when light can't penetrate otherwise it's a pond
    • Aquatic zone: Littoral (litter) leaf zone
    • Aquatic zone: Limnetic (lake) further from the shoreline
    • Aquatic zone: Aphotic (no light) without light
    • Aquatic zone: photic (light) light zone
    • Aquatic zone: Benthic (bottom)
    • Intensity of light declines with water depth do light penetrates further in freshwater than saltwater
    • Marine Zone: Intertidal zone, adapted to surf-attachment structures, able to deal with no moisture risk
    • Marine Zone: Neritic zone contains the coral reef and kelp forest
    • Coral reefs: warm-water areas, structure defined by coral, critical habitat
    • Kelp forest: cold-water area, structure defined by kelp, sea otters are a keystone species
    • Marine Zone: Oceanic zone, no structure, most life near surface, phytoplankton, nekton
    • Estuary: where freshwater meets saltwater, changing salinity, nutrient rich, salt tolerant vegetation, nursery areas, bordered by coastal wetlands
    • Lakes (lentic)= no movement
    • Streams and Rivers (lotic) = moving water
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