Environmental Science Notes

Patrick Buzzo
A.P. Environmental Science Notes
C(Continuation of yesterday’s notes). .

Biome
•      Life zones, environments with similar climatic, topographic, and soil conditions, roughly comparable biological communities
•        Tropical grasslands
•      Savanna
•     Grazing
•     Browsing
•         Temperate grasslands
•        Prairies
•      Tall-grass
•      Short-grass
•      Pampas
•      Veldt
•      Steppes
•        Polar Grasslands
•      Arctic tundra
•      Permafrost
Climate and Plants
•      Deserts – succulent plants
•      Rain Forest – Broadleaf Evergreen plants
•      Areas with winter – Broadleaf Deciduous plants
•      Areas with short summer – Coniferous or Evergreen plants
Forests
•       Tropical Rain Forest
•       Tropical Deciduous Forest
•      Tropical monsoon forest
•      Tropical seasonal forest
•       Tropical Scrub forests
•      Temperate Deciduous forests
•      Evergreen Coniferous Forests
•      Boreal Forests
•      Taigas
•      Evergreen Scrub – Mediterranean
•      Chaparral – thicket, California
•      Thorn scrub - Africa
Ocean life zones
Coastal Wetlands
Salt Marsh
Beaches
Sandy Beach – Barrier Island

Reef
Freshwater Lakes
Freshwater Streams
Wetlands
•      Ecosystem in which the land surface is saturated or covered with standing water at least part of the year.
•      Swamps
•      Marshes
Biodiversity
•      Genetic diversity – measure of the variety of genes in a species
•      Species diversity – number of different kinds of organisms
•      Ecological diversity – richness and complexity of community
How many species are there?
Biodiversity Hot Spots
How do we benefit from biodiversity?
•      Food
•      Drugs and Medicines
•      Ecological Benefits
•      Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits
Threat to Biodiversity
•      Extinction
–    Causes of:
•    Continental drift
•    Climate change
•    Catastrophes
–    Background extinction
–    Mass...