 Biota- all of the living parts of the biosphere  Hydrosphere- all of the water in its various forms in the biosphere  Atmosphere- the air surround Earth’s surface  Geosphere- Earth’s surface and below

 Year-to-year weather condition for a particular area  Temperature and Precipitation  Day-to-day conditions are called weather  Microclimate- small area with a different climate than the areas surrounding it ex: cave  Three Main Climate Regions (controlled by latitude)  Polar  Temperate  Tropic

 Latitude  Location on landmass (on coast or inland)  Proximity to land features like mountain ranges

 Groups of ecosystems with similar climates and similar communities  Tolerance- range of conditions that plants and animals can survive

 Terrestrial  Tundra Tundra  Taiga Taiga  Deciduous Forest Deciduous Forest  Aquatic  Ocean Ocean  Estuaries Estuaries  Wetlands Wetlands  Marsh  Swamp  Bogs Rainforest Grassland Desert Savannah Freshwater –Ponds –Lakes –Streams –Rivers

Cold Very short summers Low Biodiversity Permafrost- only top layers of soil thaw in summer

Evergreen forests

Very dry Organisms adapted for water conservation

Very high biodiversity

Important nursery (spawning) ground for many marine species Important food source of fish for humans

 Study of the size of human populations  Human Carrying capacity  Number is increasing with new technologies and medicines  Cannot increase forever

 Human population used to be low and relatively stable  Limited by resources and disease  Past 500 years  Exponential growth  Occasional dips such as Middle Ages with Bubonic Plague

 Non-renewable- cannot be remade (or only can be remade over a very long time period)  Renewable- can be remade

 Amount of land needed per person to support their resource needs

 Habitat Loss  Deforestation  Habitat Fragmentation  Pollution  Introduction of Invasive species  Other Human Activities

 All or part of habitat is destroyed  Organism move or die  Decreases biodiversity in the area  Deforestation (removal of forests) is an example

 Smaller area usually hold less individuals and less species (less types of habitat in them)  A fragmented area = decrease in biodiversity

 Water  Chemicals, Trash, Temperatures, Noise  Land  Chemicals, Trash  Air  Chemicals and Noise

 Give clues to the health of the ecosystem  Very susceptible to pollution  Example: frogs in aquatic ecosystems  Skin is water-permeable so toxins have direct access

Normal pH of Rain 5.6

 Responsible for creating temperatures on Earth that can sustain life  Trap the sun’s heat through atmospheric gases like CO 2  CO2 levels cycled in the past due to natural climate cycles  Rising levels of CO 2 have created a greater greenhouse effect producing global warming

 Caused by interaction of particles from fossil fuels and sunlight

Increase of UV radiation as ozone is lost

 Chemical pollutant becomes more concentrated as it moves up the trophic levels within a food chain or web  Very dangerous for top level predators

 Also called non-native species  Introduced to new habitat  Often grows without check because of lack of natural predators or disease in the area  Outcompetes other native species for resources

 Populations are depleted because of humans  Overhunting or overfishing  Over-collection  Otherwise renewable resources can become nonrenewable as population levels go down

 Population Levels Decrease due to  Habitat Loss  Loss of Resources (through pollution or resource being removed/damaged)  Illness/Death (from pollution or lack or resources)  Other Human Activities  As population levels decrease, genetic diversity goes down  Populations cannot adapt or respond to changes in their environment  Becomes unhealthy and more likely to become extinct

 As numbers decline, organisms fall into these categories  Threatened  Many elephant species  Polar bear  Endangered  Giant Panda  Many Marine Mammals  Extinct  Dodo  Passenger Pigeon

 As species are lost in an ecosystem, the ecosystem becomes less stable  The loss of one species affects other species as well

 Using renewable resources in sustainable ways (sustainable development)  Protecting threatened and endangered species  Reintroduction programs  Conserving resources for their use  Minimizing pollution  Minimizing habit loss/habitat fragmentation  Lowering ecological footprint  Bridges between habitat fragments  Protection against introduction of invasive species  Controlling invasive species already introduced  Removal  Introduction of a predator  Keeping/increasing biodiversity in an area