| A | B |
|---|
| climate | the average, year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation of an area |
| Greenhouse effect: | the natural situation in which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gases |
| Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere | Carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4, nitric oxide, water vapor; and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range |
| global warming | The increase of these atmospheric gases contributes more heat being trspped in the atmosphere |
| Biotic Factors: | biological (living) influences on organisms within an ecosystem, Ex. tree, fungus, birds, insects |
| Abiotic Factors: | physical (nonliving) factors that shape ecosystems, Ex. temperature, sunlight, wind, soil type |
| Influences on ecosystem | Both Biotic and Abiotic factors |
| Habitat: | area where an organism lives; includes both biotic and abiotic factors (Its address!) |
| Niche: | full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions. (Its job) No 2 species can share the same niche! |
| Competition: | occurs when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. |
| Things organisms compete for | water, nutrients, light, food, space, mates |
| Predation: | interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism; snakes, lions, wolves are predators |
| Symbiosis: | any relationship in which two species live closely together |
| 3 types of Symbiosis: | 1. Mutualism 2. Commensalism 3. Parasitism |
| Mutualism: | Both species benefit; Ex. flowers and bees |
| Commensalism | one member benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed; Ex. barnacles and whales |
| Parasitism | one organism lives on or in inside another organism (host); Ex. tapeworms, fleas, ticks, lice |
| Ecological succession: | is the series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time in response to the disturbances such as forest fires, volcanic eruptions |
| Primary Succession: | succession (change) that occurs on land where no soil exists |
| Pioneer Species | first species to populate the area (occurs in primary succession) |
| Secondary Succession: | succession (change) that occurs when a disturbance changes an existing community without removing the soil |
| Land Biomes include | Tropical Rain Forests, Tropical Dry Forests, Tropical Savanna, Desert, Temperate Grassland, Temperate woodland and Shrubland, Temperate Forest, Northwestern Coniferous Forest, Boreal Forest, Tundra |
| intertidal zone | marine ecosystem that is exposed to regular and extreme changes in its surroundings |
| Changes in intertidal zone | During high tide is covered by sea water. During low tide is exposed to air, sunlight, and heat. |
