Define the following terms: species, population, community, ecotone, biome, and biosphere. What are some of the limiting factors that can determine the species present in an ecosystem? How do the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere interact with the biosphere?
Describe the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus as each moves into and through organisms and back into the environment. What are the major human impacts on these cycles that can lead to unsustainable ecosystems? What are the inputs and outputs of matter and energy related to fuel consumption by a car?
Describe how climate differences cause Earth to be partitioned into major biomes. Identify and describe the biotic and abiotic components of the various biomes and how they compare to the biome of the region in which you live.
Define the terms ecological succession and climax ecosystem. How do disturbances allow for ecological succession and sustainable ecosystems? What role may fire play in ecological succession, and what is meant by ecosystem resilience? How can human activity lead to disturbances that lead to unsustainable ecosystems?
