Download Using the term “range of tolerance,” explain why swallows fly south

Section 1.2 Abiotic Parts of an Ecosystem
1. All mammals, as well as birds, maintain a constant internal body temperature. This
temperature stays the same even when the outside air temperature gets higher or
lower. How does the outside air temperature affect the internal body temperature of
a reptile such as the northern alligator lizard?
Answer:
Reptiles draw their warmth from the air around them. A reptile will have a warmer body
temperature when the outside air temperature is warmer and a colder body
temperature
when the air temperature is cooler.
2. How is a dandelion adapted to windy conditions?
Answer:
A dandelion’s seeds are designed to be carried on the wind; the plant has a flexible stem
that will bend in the wind
3. Name two abiotic conditions found in soil.
Answer:
Abiotic conditions found in soil include temperature, moisture, type of soil (sandy, clay,
rocky), soil acidity, or air.
4. Describe an interaction between any one of the organisms shown in the diagram below
and one abiotic part of its ecosystem.
Answer
• the birds and caribou breathe air
• the birds and caribou drink water
• the plants use the Sun’s energy for photosynthesis
• the plants absorb minerals from the soil
• the worms r require the cool, moist conditions in the soil
5. Name one abiotic factor that is important for the survival of tropical fish in an
aquarium.
Answer:
 water temperature
 the pH level
 amount of oxygen in the water
6. Using the term “range of tolerance,” explain why swallows fly south from
Newfoundland and Labrador during the winter.
Answer:
Swallows have a limited range of tolerance for temperature, so that when temperatures
decrease in Newfoundland they move to an area with a temperature range they can
tolerate.
7. Explain why levels of sunlight may vary in different parts of a forest ecosystem.
Answer:
The variety of trees and plants in a forest cast different levels of shade depending upon
the
size of the organism and the size and density of its leaves. At the edge of the ecosystem,
light will be more intense, but in the depths of the forest with heavy tree canopies, light
will
be less available.
8. Why are there no plants growing at the bottom of a deep lake?
Answer:
There is not enough light at the bottom of a deep lake for plants to photosynthesize.
9. Roses grow best in sunny conditions. What effect might it have on your roses if your
neighbour builds a tall fence next to your rose garden?
Answer:
The fence may cast too much shade and change the light conditions under which roses
can grow (if it’s an opaque fence it will definitely cut off the light the roses need to
grow).
10.You learned on page 17 why there is a treeline on the side of a mountain. Where else
might you find a treeline? Explain.
Answer:
You could find a treeline wherever the conditions are not suitable for growing trees.
Examples are at high latitudes in the Arctic, near a desert, and near conditions that aren’t
suitable for growth (soil that has a high acidity or salinity).