3. Biomes = a large group of ecosystems that share the same type of climax community Two factors that will determine which biome will be dominant on land: 1.Temperature 2.Precipitation

6. Characteristics: treeless, long cold winters, little winter sun, poor soil, little rain (less than 5 in) Permafrost – permanently frozen ground Location: Canada, Russia, Alaska Vegetation: grasses, moss, lichen

7. Animals: insects, fox, rodents, caribou, reindeer

9. Characteristics: coniferous forest, poor soil, long severe winter Location: Canada, N. Europe, N. Asia Vegetation: pine, fir, hemlock, spruce Animals: rabbits, lynx, caribou, moose, woodpecker

11. Characteristics: deciduous trees, 4 seasons, vegetation exhibits seasonal changes ◦ Deciduous – trees lose leaves in winter Location: East US, Europe Vegetation: Maple, Oak, Birch, Hickory

12. Animals: bear, deer, robin, raccoon

14. Characteristics: warm, wet, humid, most diversity, up to 17 feet of rainfall annually Location: islands, equatorial regions Vegetation: broad lush plants, flowers, vines, palms, fruit trees ◦ lush with many layers in the canopy that support an incredible diversity of life.

15. Animals: monkey, sloth, frogs, snakes, parrots

17. Characteristics: ideal growing season, good soil quality, little precipitation does not support trees, but grasses and herbs are present in great abundance.

18. Location: central regions Types: ◦ Prairie – US ◦ Steppe – Russia ◦ Savanna – Serengeti ◦ Pampas - Argentina

19. Vegetation: grass, grains, crops, wildflowers Animals: bison, prairie dogs, birds, lions, elephants

21. Characteristics: dry & arid, less than 10 in of rainfall Location: SW US, N. Africa, Middle East ◦ Hot- Mojave, Sahara ◦ Cold- Gobi

22. Vegetation: Plant cover is sparse, and characterized by drought tolerant brushes, succulent (cacti, creosote bushes)

23. Animals: rodents(gerbils, jerboas and kangaroo rats), snakes, lizards, scorpions, turtles, hawks

25. All species occur in groups called populations Limiting factors = factors that are biotic or abiotic that keep a population from continuing to increase indefinitely

26.  2 types of Population-Limiting Factors: density-independent factors density-dependent factors

27. Density-independent factors = Any factor in the environment that does not depend on the number of members in a population per unit area Usually abiotic (natural phenomena) Ex: Weather events (tornadoes, floods, hurricanes) Fire Human alterations of the landscape Air, land, and water pollution

28. Density-dependent factor = Any factor in the environment that depends on the number of members in a population per unit area Usually biotic Ex: ◦ Predation ◦ Disease- (high population density--> disease quickly spreads) ◦ Parasites ◦ Competition – food, space limitations

29. The population growth rate (PGR) explains how fast a given population grows.

30. Exponential growth occurs when the growth rate is proportional to the size of the population. All populations grow exponentially until some limiting factor slows the population’s growth.

31. The population’s growth slows or stops following exponential growth, at the population’s carrying capacity.

32. A population stops increasing when the number of births is less than the number of deaths or when emigration exceeds immigration.

33. Carrying capacity = The maximum number of individuals in a species that an environment can support for the long term. ◦ limited by the energy, water, oxygen, and nutrients available. ◦ Population exceeds carrying capacity- deaths outnumber births because resources are not available to support all individuals

35. If the major food source of seals declines due to pollution or overfishing, which of the following would likely occur? a)The carrying capacity of seals would decrease, as would the seal population. b)The carrying capacity of seals would decrease, but the seal population would remain the same. c)The number of seal deaths would increase, but the number of births would also increase, so the population size would remain the same. d)The carrying capacity of seals would remain the same, but the population of seals would decrease.