Section16

Section 16

Biology I Factoids

Factoid 279

• Section 16

• Land biomes are called terrestrial biomes.

Factoid 280

• Tundra (next to the poles – North Canada)

• Climate – Cold winters, short cool summers. Ground is permanently frozen.

• Dominant Plants – Mosses, small grasses

• Dominant Animals – Small rodents, caribou, some birds – no reptiles.

Factoid 281

• Coniferous Forest (Northern US)

• Climate – Cold winters, mild summers. Lots of precipitation.

• Dominant Plants – Cone bearing plants

• Dominant Animals – bears, deer, elk, bobcats.

Factoid 282

• Deciduous Forest (Mississippi!!!)

• Climate – Cool winters, warm summers.

• Dominant Plants – Deciduous plants (this means they lose their leaves in the fall)

• Dominant Animals – Animals you are familiar with in Mississippi – Deer, bears, skunk, turkeys, raccoons.

Factoid 283

• Grassland (The mid-west)• Climate – Fertile soils, moderate

precipitation, cold winders and hot summers. Fires are common.

• Dominant Plants – grasses, low rain prevents large trees.

• Dominant Animals – prairie dogs, buffalo, large herbivores.

Factoid 284

• Chaparral – (Pacific coast)

• Climate – hot, dry summers; mild, cool, rainy winters

• Dominant Plants – woody shrubs

• Dominant Animals – insects, lizards, snakes, chipmunks, mice, rabbits, fox, coyotes, mountain lion, owls, birds

Factoid 285

• Desert (Mexico, North Africa, SW US)

• Climate – Hot days and cold nights

• Dominant Plants – cacti and succulents

• Dominant Animals – bobcats, mountain lions, owls, hawks, antelopes, sheep, rats, lizards, rattlesnakes

Factoid 286

• Savanna (Africa)• Climate – Warm with seasonal rainfall• Dominant Plants – grasses, small clusters

of trees and shrubs• Dominant Animals – elephants, rhinos,

antelope, zebra, giraffe, insects, ostrich, eagles, lions, leopards.

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Factoid 287

• Tropical Rainforest (Near equator, South America)

• Climate – year-around high temperatures; high rainfall

• Dominant Plants – broad leaf evergreen trees, ferns, large variety. LOTS of diversity.

• Dominant Animals – all types of animals in a large variety; most biodiversity.

Factoid 288

• Rivers and steams

• Freshwater; flowing water; may be fast or slow moving

• Colder and cleaner than standing water.

Factoid 289

• Lakes and Ponds

• Freshwater; standing water;

• Warmer and more turbid

Factoid 290

• Aphotic zone

• Deep in the water where it is dark and no sunlight reaches.

Factoid 291

• Photic zone

• Area of water where light does penetrate.

• Lots of photosynthetic organism live here which attract other animals to this area.

Factoid 292

• Costal ocean

• Saltwater; area from the outer continental shelf to the low-tide mark

Factoid 293

• Intertidal zone

• Saltwater; area between low tide and high tide; subject to tidal changes

• Organisms live here that can stand to be out of the water.

Factoid 294

• Coral Reefs

• Made of calcium carbonate formed by corals (cnidarians); warm saltwater; usually no deeper than 40 meters.

Factoid 295

• Estuaries

• Where freshwater rivers and streams merge with the oceans; varying salt concentrations

• Brackish water

Factoid 296

• A predator hunts, kills, and eats prey. Prey is what the predator eats.

Factoid 297

• Competition results from two or more organisms trying to use the same resource.

• Can include food, water, shelter, or even a a mate.

Factoid 298

• Symbiosis is a relationship between organisms.

Factoid 299

• Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit from living together.

Factoid 300

• Commensalism is a type of symbiosis in which one organism gets the benefit of the relationship and the other organism is neither benefited or harmed.

Factoid 301

• Parasitism is a type of symbiosis in which one organism gets the benefit and the other member gets harmed.

• Parasites weaken, but do not kill the host.

Factoid 302

• The carrying capacity refers to the largest number of organisms of a species that can be supported by the environment.

Factoid 303

• Population growth is limited by factors such as the birth/death rate, the number of organisms entering and leaving the population, and the amount of available resources. These are called limited factors.

Factoid 304

• Ecological succession is a series of predictable changes in an ecosystem.

Factoid 305

• Primary succession starts on the earth’s surface where there is no soil. Occurs after a major disturbance like a volcano eruption and all the soil is removed.

Factoid 306

• Secondary succession occurs when plants have been removed leaving the soil. Secondary succession is the replacement of plant species in an area that has been disturbed.

Factoid 307

• Typically in Mississippi succession happens in this order:

Grassesweeds and wild flowersshrubspine treeshard wood trees

Factoid 308

• When runoff from fields washes fertilizer into pond, algae can grow out of control. This is called algal bloom.

Factoid 309

• When a poison is not excreted from the tissues of an organism, but build up in them instead, it is known as biological magnification.

Factoid 310

• A natural resources can be classified as renewable or non-renewable resources.

• Non-renewable resources (coal, oil, natural gas) take millions of years to form.

• Renewable resources (water, trees) can be replaced quickly.

Factoid 311

• If something is biodegradable, then it can be broken down quickly by microorganisms.

Factoid 312

• Urban development refers to the destruction of natural areas for human use such as shopping malls and houses.

Factoid 313

• The ozone layer protects the earth’s surface from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Some chemicals made used by humans can destroy ozone. Decreased ozone could be a cause for global warming.

Factoid 314

• Global warming refers to the rise of global temperatures. Increased levels of carbon dioxide can increase global temperatures.