Chapter 20 Biomes

1

Chapter 20 Biomes

Study Guide

1. biotic factors / Living parts of an environment such as plants and animals.
2. abiotic factors / Nonliving parts of an environment such as soil, water, climate….temperature and precipitation.
3. biome / A large area characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animals.
Latitude = location = climate = plant and animals with adaptations for survival.
4. deciduous trees / Leaves change colors and are shed in fall-winter
5. conifers / Trees that have cones and the leaves are needle shaped and stay green all year
6. temperate deciduous forest / -Many animals such as white tailed deer with spotted coats to blend in with trees
-Known for the trees that lose or shed leaves
-Our biome
7. coniferous forest / -Most of trees are conifers and keep their needle-like leaves all year and stay green. Examples are fir, pine, spruce, and cedar trees.
-Conifer trees produce seeds in cones.
-Also called Taiga and Boreal Forest
-Short summers and long winters
-Main type of precipitation is snow
8. Tropical Rainforest / -More biological diversity than other place on Earth
-Great diversity of plants and animals – Greatest biodiversity.
-Most animals live in canopy or tree tops.
-Soil is very thin and poor in nutrients. Most of nutrients are found in plants.
-Epiphyte is a term for plants that often live on trees because there isn’t enough light on the forest floor. Examples: mosses and orchids.
-Location: Near equator
-Precipitation – 200+ cm or 400 + cm
9. Grasslands / -Have many names such as steppes, prairies, and pampas
-Two kinds – Temperate grassland and savanna
-Temperate grasslands are what we have in the central part of the U.S. They are almost treeless. There are very few trees because of fires, drought, and overgrazing. The dominant plants are the grasses. The rich soil makes them great farmlands. In North America the temperate grasslands are called prairies.
-Savannas have scattered clumps of trees and seasonal rains. Savannas have a dry and rainy season. In the dry season the grasses dry out and turn yellow. Savannas are found in Africa, India, and South America. They are known for the large herbivores such as elephants, giraffes, and zebras.
10. Deserts / -Very dry and very hot
-Organisms have special adaptations to a hot, dry climate.
-Most animals are nocturnal which means they are active only at night when it is cooler.
-Plant adaptations would include thick leaves and stems for storing water….cactus.
-Rain is less than 25 cm per year
11. Tundra / - Coldest biome
-Has coal, oil, and natural gas deposits.
Polar tundra near the North and South Poles…Arctic area and Antarctica.
-Very cold temperatures and less than 25 cm of precipitation
-Too cold for trees to grow
-Permafrost is soil beneath the surface which stays frozen all year.
-Plants = mosses, lichens, grasses, and shrubs – Plants grow low to the ground.
-Growing season is 50-60 days.
Alpine tundra is found at the top of tall mountains above the tree line where trees can’t grow.
-Growing season is 180 days.
12. Plankton / - Tiny organisms that float near the surface of the water.
-Phytoplanktons are producers and need sunlight to go through photosynthesis to make their own food and give off oxygen.
-Zooplanktons are plankton that are usually microscopic animals and are consumers.
-Phytoplanktons form the base of the ocean’s food chain. All ocean food chains begin with plankton…phytoplankton and zooplankton.
13. Where do phytoplankton get food?
Why are phytoplankton located close to the surface of the ocean? / They make their own food because they go through photosynthesis.
Phytoplankton are located close to the surface of the ocean because they have to have sunlight to go through photosynthesis because they are producers.
14. How does temperature in the ocean affect marine animals? / -The temperature of the ocean water decreases as the depth of the water increases.
-Animals that live in coral reefs need warm water to live.
-Animals in the polar waters have adaptations to survive the cold.
-Animals such as whales migrate from cold to warmer waters to reproduce.
15. Ocean Temperature Zones - Which ocean temperature zone is the warmest? / -The surface zone is the warm, top layer of ocean water.
16. How far can sunlight reach into the ocean waters? / Sunlight can reach a few hundred meters into the ocean water so that phytoplankton and algae can go through photosynthesis.
17. Explain the importance of phytoplankton/algae in our oceans? / Phytoplankton/algae have chlorophyll in their cells which captures the sunlight and changes carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Most of the Earth’s oxygen in the atmosphere comes from the photosynthesis carried out by phytoplankton/algae. Without them, the Earth’s oxygen supply would not be sufficient.
18. Is plankton abiotic or biotic and why? / Plankton is biotic because it is an organism, a living thing.
19. What are the 4 zones of the Ocean? / Intertidal zone, neritic zone, oceanic zone, and benthic zone
20. Intertidal zone / This is the place where the ocean meets the land. It is exposed to the air when the tide is low. Think of the beach.
21. What are the 3 types of intertidal zones? / Mudflats, sandy beaches, and rocky shores
22. Neritic zone / In this zone the water becomes deeper as the ocean floor begins to slope downward. The water is warm and supports a thriving coral reef community.
23. Oceanic zone / In this zone the ocean floor drops sharply. This open ocean zone is the deep waters of the ocean. Its surface waters have plenty of plankton. Animals in these deep waters often get food from the materials that sink down from the ocean surface.
24. Benthic zone / This zone is the ocean floor or the bottom of the ocean. Some parts get no sunlight. They often get food from the materials sinking down from the ocean surface.
25. Estuary / This is where fresh water from streams and rivers spills into the ocean. An estuary is full of nutrients and can support large numbers of plankton.
26. How can the waters in the Arctic and Antarctic areas support large numbers of plankton? / The icy waters are rich in nutrients….plenty of phytoplankton and zooplankton.
27. How do tributaries form rivers? / A stream of water that joins a larger stream of water is a tributary. Then as more tributaries join a stream, the stream gets stronger and wider. These very strong and wide streams form rivers.
28. What is an important abiotic factor in freshwater ecosystems? / How quickly the water moves
29. What are some adaptations that organisms have to keep from being washed away in fast flowing waters? / - Algae and moss are attached to rocks.
-Tadpoles use suction disks to hold themselves to rocks.
- Insects live under rocks.
30. What are the 3 zones in ponds and lakes? / Littoral zone, open-water zone, and deep-water zone
31. littoral zone of a pond or lake / This is the area in a pond or lake that is closest to the edge. It is a shallow zone where light reaches the bottom so that photosynthesis can take place.
32. open-water zone of a pond or lake / This is the zone in a pond or lake that extends from the littoral zone across the top of the water. This zone is only as deep as the sunlight will reach.So, it ends where the sunlight stops. There are many phytoplankton in this zone to go through photosynthesis.
33. deep-water zone of a pond or lake / This is the zone in a pond or lake where no sunlight reaches.
34. wetland / An area of land this is periodically underwater or whose soil contains a great deal of moisture
35. How do wetlands help control floods? / -Wetlands can soak up large amounts of water
-Wetland waters can also move deeper into the ground to replenish the underground water supply.
36. What are the two kinds of wetlands? / Marshes and swamps
37. marsh / -A treeless wetland where plants such as grasses grow
-Often found in shallow areas along the shores of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams
38. swamp / -A wetland in which shrubs, vines, and trees grow
-Swamps are found in low-lying areas and beside slow moving rivers.
-Willows are a common swamp tree.
-The trunks of trees in a swamp give them the support they need in the wet environment.
39. How can a lake or pond become a forest? / -The lake or pond fills with sediments and decaying organisms over time. Bacteria break down the dead material and use oxygen in the water. Then, the lack of oxygen affects the organisms in the water. Some organisms, such as fishes, may die and add to the decomposing material. Over time, plants begin to grow in the filled-in shallow areas and then continue to the center of the pond. Eventually, the pond becomes a wetland. Then, it dries out to become a forest.