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Chapter 4 Study Guide
1. What are the three major climate zones?
tropical, temperate, & polar
2. How are the major climate zones created?
unequal heating of Earth’s curved surface; poles = less; equator = more direct sunlight
3. Why can’t two species live in the same place at the same time?
due to competitive exclusion principle = no two species can live in the same habitat and
fill the same niche at the same time
4. How can three species of bird live in the same tree without competing with one
another?
by sharing the resources; split parts of tree in which they live so don’t compete directly
for food, shelter, etc
5. List and describe the three types of symbiotic relationships.
parasitism = one benefits, other is harmed; worms in your dog’s intestines
mutualism = both benefit; barberfish picking parasites off shark’s skin
commensalism = one benefits, other is not affected either way; cattle egrets eating
insects that large herds of cattle flush into the air
6. Describe primary succession and give an example of when it would occur.
first time that plant growth (succession) occurs on an area that has no soil, rock only;
after glacial retreat, volcanic eruptions
7. Describe secondary succession and give an example of when it would occur.
second time that plant growth (succession) occurs in an area; starts with a soil base so
happens quicker; after forest fires, abandoned farms, strip mining, land development
8. Describe the change in plants seen during primary succession of an ecosystem
like Indiana’s deciduous hardwood forest.
lichens start to colonize first on bare rock; after dying, organic matter is added and a
thin soil forms so mosses and ferns take over; after dying, more organic matter is
added and the soil thickens further so grasses and wildflowers can take over; after
dying, even more organic matter is added and the soil thickens further so shrubs and
fast growing trees can grow; after those die, the soil is very thick and rich so hardwood
trees will grow – at climax community (hardwood forest!)
9. List the six major land biomes and give general characteristics of each.
rain forest – heavy rainfall; low fertility of soil; contains the most diversity of plant and
animal life of any other biome
temperate deciduous forest – year-round rainfall; obvious seasons with warm
summers, cool winters; trees lose leaves in fall
grasslands – moderate rainfall; hot summers, cold winters; dominated by grasses
(prairie!)
taiga (coniferous/boreal forest) – low rainfall; long cold winters; dominated by
coniferous (pine) trees
desert – little rainfall; extreme temperatures daily; most animals are nocturnal (night
active)
tundra – little precipitation like the desert; very low temperatures; soil is permafrost
10. Which landforms are not classified into a major biome?
mountains & polar ice caps
11. Describe the nutrients available in an aquatic ecosystem.
dissolved amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and other nutrients; lack of
nutrients = lack of life!
12. List the three major freshwater ecosystems and give general characteristics of
each.
streams, rivers, creeks – winding, moving freshwater systems; begin in mountains with
little life, end at ocean with wide & life-filled valleys
ponds, lakes – mostly self-contained systems of water; food webs based on plankton,
algae & plants; water tends to circulate at least during some seasons
wetlands – water covers soil at least part of year; nutrient-rich; extremely important for
preventing floods by absorbing water & filtering groundwater of pollutants
13. Describe characteristics of the open ocean.
begins at continental shelf and extends outward; most of ocean (+90%) falls in this
category; includes photic & aphotic zones; not considered very productive
14. Describe the characteristics of the coastal ocean ecosystem.
from low-tide to edge of continental shelf; water is brightly lit & is most productive
area of ocean that surrounds the continents
15. What are the zones in a marine ecosystem based upon?
depth & distance from shore