Chapter 15 – The Biosphere

Chapter 15 – The Biosphere

Question 1 - 10 • Name the part of Earth where life exists.

Answer 1 – 10 • Biosphere

Question 1 - 20 • Name the 4 interconnected Earth systems.

Answer 1 – 20 • Biosphere • Hydrosphere • Atmosphere • Geosphere

Question 1 - 30 • Explain the relationship between the biota and the biosphere.

Answer 1 – 30 • The biota makes up the living portion of the biosphere. The biosphere also includes the abiotic factors such as land, air, and water.

Question 1 - 40 • A frog jumps into a pond and its skin absorbs water. What spheres has the water moved through?

Answer 1 – 40 • Hydrosphere and Biosphere

Question 1 - 50 • James Lovelock developed this theory which considers Earth itself a kind of living organism.

Answer 1 – 50 • Gaia hypothesis

Question 2 - 10 • Name the three climate zones

Answer 2 – 10 • Polar • Temperate • Tropical

Question 2 - 20 • What is the difference between climate and weather?

Answer 2 – 20 • Weather describes the conditions (temperature, precipitation, wind conditions, etc.) on a day-to-day basis. Climate is the long-term pattern of weather.

Question 2 - 30 • A climate of a small specific place within a larger area

Answer 2 – 30 • Microclimate

Question 2 - 40 • What two factors influence the angle at which the rays of sunlight come in contact with the Earth’s surface?

Answer 2 – 40 • The spherical shape of the planet • The tilt of the Earth on its axis

Question 2 - 50 • Explain the influence that mountains have on rainfall on both the windward (facing the wind) and the downwind side of the mountain.

Answer 2 – 50 • As warm air approaches the mountain it rises and cools causing rain on the windward side • The downwind side then receives drier and cooler air

Question 3 - 10 • This biome has very dry climate (less than 25cm annually). There are 4 types: hot, semiarid, coastal, and cold

Answer 3 – 10 • Desert

Question 3 - 20 • This biome is also known as the boreal forest and is located in cooler climates. It is generally north of the Temperate Forests and South of the Tundra.

Answer 3 – 20 • Taiga

Question 3 - 30 • This biome can be either Tropical or Temperate and the primary plant life is grass.

Answer 3 – 30 • Grassland

Question 3 - 40 • This biome is located beyond the taiga in far northern latitudes. Long winters and short summers result in permafrost.

Answer 3 – 40 • Tundra

Question 3 - 50 • Name the two major Non-Biome Areas and explain why they are not considered Biomes.

Answer 3 – 50 • Polar ice caps – no soil or specific plant communitiy • Mountains – climate and animal communities change depending on elevation

Question 4 - 10 • The strip of land between the high and low tide lines

Answer 4 – 10 • Intertidal zone

Question 4 - 20 • This ocean zone lies below 2000 meters in complete darkness

Answer 4 – 20 • Abyssal Zone

Question 4 - 30 • This ocean zone extends from the edge of the neritic zone to the base of the continental shelf

Answer 4 – 30 • Bathyal zone

Question 4 - 40 Name and define the two types of Plankton

Answer 4 – 40 • Phytoplankton – photosynthetic plankton that produce 70% or more of the Earth’s oxygen • Zooplankton – animal plankton

Question 4 - 50 • Found in the neritic zone, these forests exist in cold, nutrient-rich waters. They can grow to over 30 meters (100 feet)

Answer 4 – 50 • Kelp

Question 5 - 10 • A partially enclosed body of water formed where a river flows into an ocean

Answer 5 – 10 • Estuary

Question 5 - 20 • A region of land that drains into a river, a river system, or another body of water.

Answer 5 – 20 • Watershed

Question 5 - 30 • The zone in a lake or pond located between high and low water marks along the shoreline.

Answer 5 – 30 • Littoral zone

Question 5 - 40 • The zone in a lake or pond making up the open water located away from shore characterized by an abundance of plankton communities

Answer 5 – 40 • Limnetic zone

Chapter 15 – The Biosphere