Chapter 34
The Biosphere
34.1 The biosphere is the global ecosystem
I. The Study of Ecology
A. ________________ scientific study of the interactions among organisms and
between organisms and their environment
B. _________________ any living part of an environment, ex: prokaryotes,
protists, animals, fungi, and plants. ________________ nonliving physical or
chemical condition in an environment.
C. Ecologists study the___________________ among ____________ and
_____________factors at five increasingly broad levels: organisms,
populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere.
D. _________________________the smallest unit of ecological study, Ex: blue
sweetlip fish in a coral reef environment.
E. __________________________ a group of individual organisms of the same
species living in a particular area, Ex: A group of sweetlip fish in the reef
environment
F. __________________________ all the organisms living in an area, Ex: All
living things in a coral reef including fish, coral animals, microscopic algae,
and all other organisms living in and around the reef.
G. __________________________ community of living things plus the
nonliving features of the environment that support them, Ex: Coral reef’s
living and nonliving inhabitants
H. __________________________ all the parts of the planet that are inhabited
by living things; sum of all Earth's ecosystems, broadest category,
1. _______________________ where nothing enters or leaves except light
and heat.
II. Patchiness of the Biosphere
A. The biosphere is not spread out _____________________around the planet.
B. All these ___________________________________ are due mainly to
differences in _______________ factors such as temperature, soil type, and
the availability of water and light.
C. ___________________ an organism's specific environment, with
characteristic abiotic and biotic factors
III. Key Abiotic Factors
A. ________________ the sun provides __________and ____________, and is
the energy source for almost all ecosystems on Earth. The sunlight powers
_______________________________ in land and in the water (only on top
layer).
B. _________________All organisms contain water (human contain 70%),
water can dissolve _____________ and ______________ such as salt,
terrestrial (land) organisms have adaptation to control water (pine tree
needles), water organisms must control __________________ (movement of
water)
C. _________________________ – most life between 00C – 500C, too
l________ and metabolisms slow, too _____________and enzymes denature
(lose shape), except for some prokaryotes (deep-sea vents)
D. _________________ product of ________________ forces such as ice, rain,
wind. Allows only certain adapted plants to grow
E. ________________ effects distribution and activity of organisms, Ex: stirs
up lakes, pollinates plants
F. _______________________________ fire, hurricane, drought, floods,
volcanoes, etc. allow some organisms to adapt Ex: brush growing after a fire
34.2 Climate determines global patterns in the biosphere.
I. Uneven Heating of the Earth’s Surface
A. because of Earth's_____________________ shape, different locations on
Earth's surface receive different amounts of ___________________ energy
1. Close to equator – __________ latitudes, ______________angle sun rays,
absorb more heat, higher temperatures
2. Farther from equator – ____________ latitudes, ___________angle sun
rays, reflect more heat, lower temperatures
B. __________________ regions between 23.5° N latitude and 23.5° S latitude;
warmest temperature zones on Earth
C. _____________________ the regions north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° N)
and south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5° S), that receive the smallest amount
of direct sunlight year-round
D. _______________________ latitudes between the tropics and polar regions
in each hemisphere (most of the US), moderate
II. Wind, Precipitation, and Ocean Currents
A. ___________________________________ causes wind and precipitation.
Near the equator more heat means more moisture and rising air, lots of
rainfall
B. After losing moisture over the equator, dry air spreads from the equator and
descends at about __________and __________latitudes where most
_________________are located.
C. Rising, falling air masses and Earth’s Rotation cause predictable wind
patterns which combine with the uneven heating of the Earth and the shapes
of the continents create ___________________ riverlike flow pattern within
a body of water, circulates water back and forth from poles to equator
III. _____________________________________
A. Large bodies of water can hold heat and cause stable temperatures. Rock and
soil absorb/lose heat quickly. Ex: Great Britain has mild temperatures
B. Mountains causes the temperature to drop as elevation increases (60C every
1000m), also block moisture from the air as it moves across (causes some
deserts)
IV. Microclimate
A. _______________________________ climate in a specific area that varies
from the surrounding climate region, Ex: organisms thriving under a fallen
log
34.3 Biomes are the major types of terrestrial ecosystems.
I. What is a Biome
A. _________________________ major type of terrestrial ecosystem that
covers a large region of Earth (abiotic and biotic), related to
__________________
II. Tropical Forest
A. ________________________________ type of forest near the equator that
receives as much as 250 cm of rainfall yearly, tall broad-leaved trees create a
canopy where little light reaches the ground
B. Plants adapt to shade, many mosses and vines grow on trees
C. animals are tree-dwellers as well, including monkeys, birds, snakes, and bats.
D. Contains ______________ of all species, most diverse, Ex: Madagascar,
Amazon
E. Clearing forests is a ______________________problem (mining, lumber,
farms)
III. Savanna
A. __________________ grassland with scattered trees; found in
_________________regions of Africa, Australia, and South America
B. animals, such as zebras, wildebeest, antelope, and, in Australia, kangaroos, as
well as numerous insects, also burrowing animals, and predators (lions,
cheetahs, etc.)
C. Warm climate with ________________________wet and dry seasons,
droughts are common, animals often migrate
IV. Desert
A. ___________________ land area that receives __________ than
_________centimeters of rain per year, temperatures vary greatly, often have
less plant life, Ex: Sahara, Gobi
B. Cactus adapt by storing water, kangaroo rat has a burrow for shade
V. Chaparral
A. _____________________________ temperate coastal biome dominated
by dense evergreen shrubs, mild, rainy winters, hot, dry summers, brush fire
common to climate Ex: Mediterranean, California coast
B. Animals of the chaparral include deer, birds, and rodents that feed on the
shrubs and their seeds, as well as lizards and snakes.
VI. Temperate Grassland
A. ________________________________ biome characterized by deep,
__________________________ soil that supports many grass species, colder
winter than savannah, seasonal droughts, height of vegetation depends on
yearly rainfall
B. North American grasslands (also known as prairies, Midwest) include
grazing mammals such as bison and pronghorns, as well as coyotes, snakes,
lizards, worms, arthropods, rodents, and insects.
VII. Temperate Deciduous Forest
A. ___________________________________ forest in a temperate region,
characterized by trees that drop their leaves annually, large trees, winters
cold, summers hot (parts of Ohio, eastern forests of US)
B. deciduous trees such as maples, oaks, beeches, and hickory shed their leaves
in autumn, which helps reduce _____________________________ during
the winter
C. microorganisms, fungi, and arthropods live in the soil, Mammals found in the
temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America include deer, squirrels,
chipmunks, foxes, and bears. During the cold winter, many of these animals
_____________________ energy by greatly reducing their
_________________ levels
VIII. Coniferous Forest
A. _________________________________ forest populated by cone-bearing
evergreen trees; mostly found in northern latitudes, northern regions are
called ___________________ long cold winters, heavy snowfall, Ex: Canada
lower latitudes
B. conical shape of tree needle (leaf) limits snow from piling on trees, and limits
evaporation during dry periods
C. Typical taiga animals include hares, moose, elk, wolves, and bears.
IX. Tundra
A. _________________ biome in the Arctic Circle or on high mountaintops,
characterized by bitterly cold temperatures and high winds, Ex: Northern
Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Arctic
B. ___________________________ permanently frozen subsoil, shallow
topsoil, mosses, lichens, grasses thrive, no large plants
C. Lemmings, caribou, and reindeer eat the tundra ground cover, some animals
like the snow owl change color
34.4 Aquatic ecosystems make up most of the biosphere.
I. Ponds and Lakes
A. Freshwater bodies of water with little dissolved salts, Ex: Great lakes
B. ______________________ regions of a body of water where light penetrates,
enabling photosynthesis, lakes are divided into zones by __________
C. ______________________ microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that carry
out photosynthesis in photic zone
D. ____________________________ deep areas, no photosynthesis
E. __________________________ bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of
sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms
II. Streams and Rivers
A. Flowing freshwater, usually empties to lake or ocean
B. near source low in _______________________ cold, major producer is algae,
downstream is warmer and larger, supports more life including
phytoplankton
C. trout, frogs, worms, insects, etc.
III. Estuaries
A. _____________________ area where fresh water from streams and rivers
merges with salty ocean water; productive ecosystem, Ex: Chesapeake Bay,
parts of Florida
B. have changes in salt ___________________________ and temperature, very
______________________________, lots of nutrients, many fish and birds,
crabs, oysters, clams. Etc.
IV. Ocean Zones
A. Oceans are divided 4 zones based on ___________ and _____________from
shore
B. ____________________ open water above the ocean floor
C. ___________________________ area of shore between the high-tide and
low-tide lines
D. ______________________________ area of ocean that extends from the
low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf
E. ______________________ vast open ocean from the edge of the continental
shelf outward, includes ______________________ microscopic animals that
swim or drift near the surface of aquatic environments
V. Coral Reefs
A. very diverse, like the rainforest of ocean, coral is an animal that builds upon
hard, dead external skeletons, can be poisonous, Ex: Great Barrier Reef
B. including sponges, sea anemones, worms, sea stars, and mollusks, sea turtles,
and fishes
VI. Deep-sea Vents
A. _______________________________ opening in the ocean floor where hot
gases and minerals escape from Earth's interior, producers (prokaryotes) use
chemical energy (eat sulfur) because of no light, Ex: Mid-Atlantic Ridge