Global Environments Introducing Physical Environments

Key Terms: physical environments A community of interacting plants and animals and their physical surroundings Ecosystem Water-based communities of plants and animals Aquatic Ecosystem Land-based communities of plants and animals Terrestrial Ecosystem A vegetation community occupying a large area of the earth’s surface Biome The long-term weather pattern for a place or region Climate

Understanding The Text Read pages of Global Explorations and answer the following questions:  Define the term ‘ecosystem’ in your own words  Distinguish between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems  What important role does climate have in determining the type of ecosystems that exist in an area?

Activity: Interpreting Photographs PhotoType of physical environment or ecosystem Dominant FeaturesClimate 1Coniferous forestTall trees with thin branchesCool (mist/leaves) Examine the photographs on page 106 of Global Explorations and complete the following table. See unit 5.1 for help identifying the ecosystems.

Types of Ecosystems Aquatic OceansRiver estuaries Coastal Wetlands Coral Reefs Terrestrial Tropical RainforestTropical Savanna Temperate grasslandForest MangrovesTundra

Which terrestrial ecosystem was missing from the sorting vortex?

Key Terms: weather & climate The weight of the air pressing down on the earth’s surface Atmospheric Pressure A large body of air with similar temperature and moisture characteristics Air mass The boundary between two air masses Front Any moisture reaching the surface of the earth, such as rain, snow and sleet Precipitation Rainfall that occurs when warm, moist air is forced to rise by a mountain barrier. The rain falls on the mountain’s windward side Orographic rainfall The conversion of liquid water into water vapour Evaporation

Understanding the Text Read page 108 of Global Explorations and answer the following questions:  Explain the difference between weather and climate.  Explain how high-pressure and low-pressure systems develop. Describe the type of weather usually associated with each.  What are air masses?  What is precipitation? Name the various types.

Understanding the Text Read pages of Global Explorations and answer the following questions:  Explain why temperatures are lower at higher latitudes.  Explain how seasonal differences affect climate.  Describe how elevation affects climate.  Outline the ways in which mountain ranges affect climate.  Explain how distance from the sea affects climate.  Describe the impact that warm and cold ocean currents have on climate.

Key Terms: The Water Cycle The conversion of water vapour into droplets of liquid vapour Condensation The loss of water vapour from the leaves of plants Transpiration Th e m ov e m en t of w at er do wn thr ou gh th e soi l Infiltration The movement of water down through the soil to become groundwater Percolation The movement of surface water down slopes Runoff

Key Terms continued The ability of some rock types to store air or water in small spaces between the material it is made from Porous Water stored beneath the earth’s surface Groundwater A layer of rock in which water is found Aquifer The level to which an aquifer is filled Water Table

Understanding the Text Read pages of Global Explorations and answer these questions:  What is the water cycle?  Why is the water cycle referred to as a closed system?  What powers the water cycle?  What is evaporation?  What determines the amount of water vapour in the air?  Why do regions near the Equator receive more rainfall than other areas?  What name is given to the process by which water vapour is converted into droplets of liquid water?  Describe what happens to precipitation once it reaches the earth’s surface.

Key Terms: Ecosystems and food webs Organisms (plants) that produce their own food via the process of photosynthesis Producers An organism that gains its energy requirements by eating plant or animal matter Consumer Organisms that break down the remains of other living things Decomposers The process by which green plants trap the energy from sunlight and use it to make food (such as sugars) from water and carbon dioxide Photosynthesis

Key Terms continued Animals that eat only plants Herbivores Animals that eat only meat Carnivores Animals that eat both plants and meat Omnivores Game: Herbivore, Carnivore or Omnivore?

Understanding the Text Read page115-6 of Global Explorations and answer these questions:  What does each ecosystem have?  Outline the factors that interact to produce the variety of ecosystems on earth.

Understanding the Text Read pages and answer these questions:  Explain how ecosystems get their energy.  Explain the difference between a producer and a consumer in a food chain.  Outline how green plants manufacture their own food.  Explain the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore. What is an omnivore?  Outline the role of decomposers in the food chain.  Explain why there is no waste in an ecosystem.  Identify what a food web shows that a food chain does not.  What happens to the energy that is taken in by an animal when it eats some grass?