Chapter 4: Ecosystems and Communities Test Review

Section 4.1: Climate

Weather Climate Greenhouse Effect Microclimate The day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere Average conditions over long periods and is defined by year-after-year patterns of temperature and precipitation The trapping of heat by gases in the atmosphere Variations in climate over short distances Weather Climate Greenhouse Effect Microclimate

What is climate? The average condition of temperature and precipitation in a region over long periods.

Describe the factors that determine global climate. 1. The Greenhouse Effect: temperature on Earth stays within a range suitable for life due to the trapping of heat by gases in the atmosphere

2. Earths curvature causes different latitudes to receive less or more intense solar energy, resulting in 3 main climate zones: polar, temperate, and tropical

3. Winds and ocean currents move heat and moisture through the biosphere; warm air/water rises and cold air/water sinks

Section 4.2: Niches and community interactions

tolerance resource habitat niche Range of conditions under which a species can grow and reproduce Any necessity of live, such as water, light, food Place where a species lives Consists of all the physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and the way the species obtains what it needs to survive tolerance resource habitat niche

No two species can occupy the exact same niche at the exact same time in the exact same habitat Single species, that when changed, causes dramatic changes in the structure of a community Any relationship in which two species live closely together Competitive exclusion principle Keystone species symbiosis

mutualism predation parasitism herbivory commensalism Relationship in which both species benefit Occurs when one organism (predator) captures and eats another (prey) Relationship in which one species benefits by living in or on the other species An interaction that occurs when an animal (herbivore) feeds on producers Relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed no helped. mutualism predation parasitism herbivory commensalism

What is a niche? Describes not only the environment where an organism lives, but HOW the organism interacts with biotic and abiotic factors in the environment The way in which the organism uses resources to survive

How does competition shape communities? Competition causes species to divide resources and determines the number and kinds of species in a community and the niche each species occupies

How do predation and herbivory shape communities? Predation: predators affect the size of prey populations in a community and determines the places prey can live and feed Herbivory: can affect both the size and distribution of plant populations in a community and determine the places that certain plants can survive and grow

Describe the three ways that organisms depend on each other. 1. Mutualism: relationship in which both species benefit Examples: Clown fish and sea anemone Bee eating a flower’s nectar and picking up the flower’s pollen An aphid providing food to an ant in exchange for protection

Describe the three ways that organisms depend on each other. 2. Commensalism: relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed Examples: Barnacle living on a whale’s skin

Describe the three ways that organisms depend on each other. 3. Parasitism: relationship in which one organism lives inside or on another organism and harms it Examples: Tick living on the body of a deer Tapework living in a person’s intestines

Section 4.3: succession

The first species to colonize barren areas A series of more-or-less predictable changes that occur in a community over time Succession that begins in an area with no remnants of an older community Succession that occurs in disturbed areas where remnants of previous ecosystems remain Pioneer Species Succession Primary Succession Secondary Succession

Describe how communities change over time. Ecosystems change over time, especially after disturbances, as some species die out and new species move in

Do ecosystems return to “normal” following a disturbance? Yes! Secondary succession in healthy ecosystems following natural disturbances often reproduces the original community

Section 4.4: Biomes

What abiotic and biotic factors characterize biomes? Abiotic factors: Soil type Climate (temperature and precipitation) Biotic factors: Plant life Animal life

Describe the effect of coastal mountains on regional climates. As moist ocean air rises over the upwind side of coastal mountains, it condenses, cools, and drops precipitation. As the air sinks on the downward side of the mountain, it expands, warms, and absorbs moisture.

Chapter mystery: the wolf effect

The Yellowstone wolf and elk are linked through a predator-prey relationship. If a disease were to strike the elk population, how would the wolves be affected? Yellowstone is owned by the federal government. The reintroduction of wolves there angered nearby farmers because they feared their animals would be hunted. What level of responsibility do you think national parks should have toward their neighbors? Draw a food chain that connects Yellowstone’s wolves, aspen and willow trees, and elk. Then write a paragraph that explains why the Yellowstone wolves are a keystone species.