Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Is the part of Earth that is inhabited by life.
All of Earth’s water, ice, and water vapor.
The air blanketing Earth’s solid and liquid surface.
The features of Earth’s surface such as the
continents, rocks, and the sea floor and everything
below Earth’s surface.
Biota: Is the collection of living things that live in the biosphere.
-This will help you understand how an
ecosystem works
Example: A plant growing in a swamp (biosphere) depends on the soil (geosphere)
just as much as the water (hydrosphere) in the swamp. It uses carbon dioxide from
the (atmosphere) to make sugars and release oxygen.

Think of seashore, geosphere mixing and
colliding with waves…no def boundaries
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere.
Within the biosphere is a collection of living things called the biota.
Gaia hypothesis: Explains how biotic and abiotic factors interact in the
biosphere. Earth is considered to be a living organism in which the
atmosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere are cooperating systems that yield
a biosphere capable of supporting life.
Earth is like a living organism. How the interaction of an organisms vital
organs is crucial for the organism’s survival, so is the interaction bw the
atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere to Earth’s survival.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Weather: may change from day to day
Climate: long term pattern of weather conditions.
Average temperature, sunlight, water, and wind.
Due to its curved shape.
Earth’s tilt on its axis plays a role in seasonal change. As Earth orbits the Sun,
different regions of the planet receive higher or lower amounts of sunlight.
In far northern and southern
poles
Temperature is usually cold and
below freezing
Surrounds the equator
Warm, moist conditions
Between the polar and
tropical climate zones
Experiences summer and winter
seasons of about equal length.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
The heating causes movements in both water and air. Warm air and warm water are less
dense then cooler air and water and therefore, they rise. Since the tropics near the equator
are especially warm, the warm air here rises, and the cooler air from areas to the north
moves Earth’s
in to take
its place.
As theunevenly
warm airdue
rises
cools
and shape.
precipitation takes place.
surface
is heated
toitit’s
curved
Because, land tends to heat and cool more quickly than water. Thus coastal
areas tend to have smaller changes in temperature than inland areas.
As warm moist air nears a mountain it rises and cools. This cooling of air results in
precipitation on theIn
side
the
mountain
theoffar
northern
andrange
far facing the wind. On the downwind
side of the mountains,
drier and
cooler air produces a rain shadow, or an area of
southern
poles
decreased precipitation. One side of the mountain has precipitation while the other
side is dry.
Rain shadow, or an area of decreased precipitation. One side of the mountain has
precipitation while the other side is dry.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
So, if it is Fall here
It is Spring here
Lines of latitude
Indicates N or S
The uneven heating
of Earth by the Sun
results in 3 diff
climate zones
90°
polar
Less intense
sunlight, sun
strikes at
angle
Where the
sunlight
strikes
Earth most
directly,
therefore,
hotter
climate.
temperate
tropical
0°
temperate
polar
temperature
sunlight
wind
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Weather: changes on a daily basis
Climate: long term pattern of weather conditions in a region.
The zones are determined by the angle in which sunlight hits Earth.
Polar, temperate, and tropical
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Warm temperature, abundant rainfall all year, vegetation -thick
forests,
Temperatures are warm throughout the year, dry and rainy
seasons, vegetation- grasses shrubs, animals- hoofed
Very dry, plants-cacti, animals are nocturnal-limit activity during day
Temperatures are hot in the summer and cold in the winter, precipitation is
spaced evenly over the year, and deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter
Long cold winters & short warm summers, coniferous treesleaves w/ needles, mammals have heavy fur coats.
Subzero temperatures, little precipitation, the ground is
permanently frozen, only mosses survive, very few animals.
Temperate grassland- most of the precipitation falls as snow and many
animals live below ground.
Hot, semiarid, coastal, and cold
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Temperate deciduous forest: precipitation is spaced evenly over the year.
Temperate rain forest: has one long wet season.
The ground is permanently frozen.
Bc they have no specific plant community; ice caps-plants do not grow. Mountains- the plant
communities change depending on elevation.
Greenland, Arctic Ocean, and Antarctica
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Is a major community of organisms usually characterized by the climate conditions and
plant communities that live there.
Tropical Rain Forest, Tropical Grassland, Temperate Grassland, Desert, Temperate
Deciduous Forest, Temperate Rain Forest, Taiga, and Tundra.
Bc they have no specific plant community; ice caps-plants do not grow. Mountainsthe plant communities change depending on elevation.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Known as the seashore, the area
that is above water at low tide
and under water at high tide
The beach, water levels constantly
changing.
A few cm at low tide to 200
meters deep
Extends from intertidal zone to the
edge of the continental shelf.
Between 200 meters and 2000
meters deep
Extends from the edge of the neritic zone to
the base of the continental shelf. Murky
water, high pressure..
Lies below 2000 meters deep
and is in complete darkness
Very few species found in this zone. No light,
therefore, photosynthetic organisms do not
exist. Chemosynthetic organisms are at the deep
sea vents. Many organisms at this level make
their own light. (Think Finding Nemo)
Neritic Zone: contains plankton- tiny free floating organisms that live in water.
Phytoplankton: are photosynthetic plankton which include
microscopic protists such as algae.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Intertidal zone
Neritic zone
Bathyal zone
Abyssal zone
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Intertidal zone, Neritic zone, Bathyal zone, Abyssal zone
Neritic zone
Photoplankton: protists - photosynthesis
Zooplankton: animal
Kelp forest are found in cold waters, coral reefs are found in tropical zones.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Estuary: a partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into the
ocean.
The distinctive feature of an estuary is the mixture of fresh water from a river with
salt water from the ocean.
Contain photosynthetic organisms & have detritivore communities that
decompose dead plants
Estuary: had calm water, therefore many aquatic species lay eggs and their young
mature there before venturing into the ocean. Estuaries are a spawning ground.
Some organisms have glands that remove the excess salt that builds up in their bodies.
This adaptation helps organisms cope with an estuary’s changing salinity level.
The removal of estuaries makes coastal areas more vulnerable to flood damage from
storms and hurricanes. Estuaries act as a buffer between the ocean and coastal land.
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Chapter 15 Packet, Fisher
Estuary: a partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into the
ocean.
The distinctive feature of an estuary is the mixture of fresh water from a river with
salt water from the ocean.
Wetlands are freshwater ecosystems characterized by the presence of standing
water, or water that flows very slowly.
Littoral zone: located bw the high and low water marks along the
shoreline.
Limnetic zone: open water located further out from shore
Benthic zone: is the lake or pond bottom
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