Friday, August 31, 2007

Summer HW - Pg. 1

Name____________________________ Period _______
Date____________________

CH. 50: ECOLOGY & THE BIOSPHERE

1. List examples of factors that limit geographic distribution.
A-biotic - Climate (temperature, water, sunlight, wind), rocks & soil, Periodic disturbances
Biotic - Negative interactions with other organisms in the form of predation, parasitism, disease, or competition may limit the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce.

2. Define the terms:
a. Biosphere - global ecosystem: the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems, or all of life and where it lives.
b. Ecosystem - all the abiotic factors in addition to the community of species that exist in a certain area.
c. Community - all the organisms that inhabit an area.
d. Population - a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area.

3. How does dispersal influence distribution?
- The movement of individuals away from centers of high population density or from their area of origin influences distribution. Species introduced to new geographic locations may disrupt the communities and ecosystems to which they are introduced. Species introduced to new geographic locations may disrupt the communities and ecosystems to which they are introduced

4. What are the most important factors influencing terrestrial distribution?
- The geographical distribution of terrestrial biomes is based mainly on regional variation in climate.
All the abiotic factors (listed above), but especially climate.

5. Define: biome
- major types of ecosystems those that occupy broad geographic regions; Ex. taiga, forests, deserts, and grasslands

6. What is the largest biome on Earth?
- Aquatic biomes

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