bio 20- unit B

the transition area between ecosystems

the role that an organism has to play within their ecosystem

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment

An introduced, alien, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its native distributional range, which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental

have a major dominant species and contains many different ecosystems each defined by local biotic and abiotic factors

the sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America

areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses, however sedge and rush families can also be found. They occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica and are found in most ecoregions of the Earth

the coldest of all the biomes. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.

a North American swamp or bog consisting of a mixture of water and partly dead vegetation, frequently covered by a layer of sphagnum or other mosses

this temperate biome is characterized by its leaf-shedding trees and its seasons. This biome experiences all four seasons - winter, spring, summer, and fall

trees with needles

the organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material by soil microorganisms

terrestrial ecosystems in Alberta

canopy, understory, forest floor

lake ecosystem

this zone extends from the shore to the point where you can no longer find plants rooted to the bottom of the lake

this zone is open lake where there is enough light for photosynthesis to occur

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh wate

this zone begins where not enough light penetrates the water for photosynthesis to occur

non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material). It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms as well as fecal material.

rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes. The main cause is the industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels, the waste gases from which contain sulfur and nitrogen oxides, which combine with atmospheric water to form acids

the first/upper layer composed of partially decomposed leaves or grasses which acts to moderate temperature variations of the soild and reducing evaporation

the second layer consisting of small particles of rock mixed with humus which contains many of the minerals and nutrients that plants require

the third layer contains more rock with less humus which makes it lighter in color. it contains large amounts of minerals

the last layer marks the end of the soil, and it is a solid rock layer

soil layers

a microorganism, especially a bacterium causing disease or fermentation

the upper layer of water in a stratified lake

the lower layer of water in a stratified lake, typically cooler than the water above and relatively stagnant

a steep temperature gradient in a body of water such as a lake, marked by a layer above and below which the water is at different temperatures (middle transition layer)

winter

cold surface water warms to 4^oC and begins to sink taking dissolved oxygen with it

summer

heaviest water, most dense

cold water holds

warm water holds

when surface water cools back to 4^oC in sinks, renewing oxygen levels in the lower levels of the water, and breaks the summer thermal layers

movement of water

the max number of offspring a species could produce if resources were unlimited

the max number of one species that can be supported by an ecosystem

growth and development of plants and animals are determined by the availability of that essential nutrientwhich is present in the smallest amount

A law stating that the abundance or distribution of an organism can be controlled by certain factors where levels of these exceed the maximum or minimum limits of tolerance of that organism

factors that affect populations regardless of their size

factors that only affect populations because of their size

the most commonly used clearing technique used in tropical areas. it is the complete clearing of a forest by felling and burning trees

the removal of all trees in an area for use in timber and pulp

involves cutting only certain trees, leaving others to regenerate the area

fires that are intentionally set in areas to help maintain the diversity of vegetation

deep and cold

shallow and warm

the evolution of a lake from oligotrophic to eutrophic to land may take hundreds or thousands of years

the contamination of water bodies occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds

5 categories of water pollution

indicators of water quality

the branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms

Carl Linnaues proposed a system that's based on an organism's physical and structural feautres

7 levels in order. "King Philip Came Over For Gay Sex"

a sexual prokaryotes that can be autotrophic or heterotrophic and live meraly everywhere. ex. cyanobacteria

heterotrophic prokaryotes that live in salt lakes, hot springs and animal guts. ex. methanogens

usually single cells but some are eukaryotes. can be heterotrophic or autotrophic and sexyal or asexual and live in aquatic or moist environments. ex. algae

terrestrial multicellular autotrophs that reproduce sexually and asexually ex. mushrooms

mostly terrestrial multicellular autotrophs that reproduce sexually and asexually. ex. ferns

multicellular heterotrophs that usually reproduce sexually. ex. sponges

the history of evolution

a group of organisms whose cells lack a membrane-bound nucleus

the system of nomenclature in which two terms are used to denote a species of living organism, the first one indicating the genus and the second the specific epithet

a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor

a two part key used to identify living things

the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants

a method of dating geological or archeological specimens by determining the relative proportions of particular radioactive isotopes present in a sample

the branch of biology that deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals

the gradual movement of the continents across the earth's surface through geological time

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, county or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere

things that share similar bone arrangements but perform very different functions

have similar appearance and function but evolved independently

rudimentary structures that serve no useful function and are usually taken as very compelling evidence for evolution

The breeding of plants and animals to produce desirable traits. humans choose

the supposed production of living organisms from nonliving matter, as inferred from the apparent appearance of life in some supposedly sterile environments

the theory of evolution through natural selection

random changes in DNA that provide a continuous supply of new genetic information

the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution

allopatric speciation

individuals with double or more the number of chromosomes

changes occurring in a slow and steady pace

the hypothesis that evolutionary development is marked by isolated episodes of rapid speciation between long periods of little or no change

when species rapidly evolved into many different species during the early Cambrian period