Question

understand main ideas

1. where is the largest percentage of water located?

a. groundwater b. rivers c. oceans d. glaciers
use the diagram below to answer question 30.

1. in which area of the lake is there likely to be the greatest diversity of plankton?

a. littoral zone b. limnetic zone c. profundal zone d. aphotic zone

1. which best describes the intertidal zone on a rocky shore?

a. the dominant low - energy community is likely to be an estuary.
b. the communities are adapted to shifting sands due to incoming waves.
c. the communities are stratified from the high - tide line to the low - tide line.
d. the organisms in the community constantly require dissolved oxygen.
constructed response

1. short answer how is light a limiting factor in oceans?
2. short answer describe characteristics of an estuary.
3. open ended describe adaptations of an organism living in the abyssal zone of the ocean.

think critically

1. predict the consequences a drought would have on a river such as the mississippi river.
2. main idea compare the intertidal zone with the photic zone in terms of tidal effect.

summative assessment

1. big idea explain the importance of limiting factors and ranges of tolerance for a specific biome or ecosystem.
2. writing in biology choose a biome other than the one in which you live. write an essay explaining what you think you would like and what you think you would dislike about living in your chosen biome.

document - based questions
“leaf mass per area (lma) measures the leaf dry - mass investment per unit of light - intercepting leaf area deployed. species with high lma have a thicker leaf blade or denser tissue, or both.”
“plant ecologists have emphasized broad relationships between leaf traits and climate for at least a century. in particular, a general tendency for species inhabiting arid and semi - arid regions to have leathery, high - lma leaves has been reported. building high - lma leaves needs more investment per unit leaf area. construction cost per unit leaf mass varies relatively little between species; leaves with high protein content (usually low - lma leaves) tend to have low concentrations of other expensive compounds such as lipids or lignin, and high concentrations of cheap constituents such as minerals. leaf traits associated with high lma (for example, thick leaf blade; small, thick - walled cells) have been interpreted as adaptations that allow continued leaf function (or at least post - pone leaf death) under very dry conditions, at least in evergreen species.”
data obtained from: wright, i. j. et al. the worldwide leaf economics spectrum. nature 428:821 - 827

1. from the information presented, would you expect leaves on trees in the tropical rain forest to contain large quantities of lipids? explain your answer in terms of energy investment.
2. hypothesize how high - lma leaves are adapted for dry conditions.

Explanation:

1. Oceans hold the largest percentage of Earth's water.
2. The limnetic zone has more light and nutrients, favoring plankton diversity.
3. In the inter - tidal zone on a rocky shore, communities are stratified from high - tide to low - tide line.
4. Light is a limiting factor in oceans as depth increases, reducing light penetration for photosynthesis.
5. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean, having unique salinity and diverse habitats.
6. Organisms in the abyssal zone have adaptations like bioluminescence, pressure - resistant bodies, and slow metabolism due to cold, dark, and high - pressure conditions.
7. A drought on the Mississippi River could lead to reduced water levels, affecting navigation, water supply, and aquatic ecosystems.
8. The intertidal zone is affected by tides with exposure to air and water at different times, while the photic zone is defined by light availability and may not be directly related to tides in the same way.
9. Limiting factors and tolerance ranges are crucial for the survival and distribution of organisms in a biome. Different biomes have different optimal ranges for factors like temperature, moisture, etc.
10. Answers will vary based on personal choice of biome. One should consider factors like climate, available resources, and presence of predators.
11. Tropical rainforest trees likely have low lipid - containing leaves as they are in a moist environment and don't need high - LMA adaptations which are more common in arid regions. High - LMA leaves require more energy investment.
12. High - LMA leaves are adapted for dry conditions as they have thick blades or dense tissues which can retain water better and continue leaf function under drought.

Answer:

1. C. oceans
2. B. limnetic zone
3. C. The communities are stratified from the high - tide line to the low - tide line.
4. Light is a limiting factor in oceans because as depth increases, light penetration decreases, reducing the amount of light available for photosynthesis by aquatic plants and phytoplankton.
5. An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. It has variable salinity levels, diverse habitats such as mudflats and salt marshes, and supports a wide variety of plant and animal species adapted to the fluctuating environmental conditions.
6. Organisms living in the abyssal zone of the ocean have adaptations such as bioluminescence to attract prey or mates in the dark environment, pressure - resistant bodies to withstand the high hydrostatic pressure, and slow metabolic rates to conserve energy in the nutrient - poor conditions.
7. A drought on a river such as the Mississippi River could result in reduced water levels, which would impact navigation for boats and ships, decrease water availability for human consumption and agricultural irrigation, and disrupt aquatic ecosystems by reducing habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms and altering water temperature and oxygen levels.
8. The intertidal zone is directly affected by tides, being exposed to air during low - tide and submerged during high - tide, with organisms adapted to these periodic changes. The photic zone is the upper layer of the ocean where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis, and while tides may have some indirect effects on light availability in near - shore photic zones, the main defining characteristic of the photic zone is light rather than tides.
9. Limiting factors are environmental factors such as temperature, water availability, and nutrient levels that restrict the growth, survival, or distribution of organisms in a biome. Ranges of tolerance are the limits within which an organism can function and survive for each of these factors. For a specific biome, these factors determine which species can inhabit it. For example, in a desert biome, water availability is a major limiting factor, and organisms must have a high tolerance for arid conditions.
10. (Answer depends on personal choice of biome. For example, if choosing a tundra biome) I would like the wide - open spaces and unique wildlife like caribou and arctic foxes. However, I would dislike the extremely cold temperatures, long winters with limited sunlight, and the scarcity of plant life.
11. No. Tropical rainforest trees are in a moist environment. High - LMA leaves, which are more likely to contain large amounts of lipids in arid regions for energy investment and water conservation, are not as necessary in a rainforest. The energy investment in leaves in the rainforest is likely allocated differently to support rapid growth in a resource - rich (in terms of water) environment.
12. High - LMA leaves are adapted for dry conditions as they have thick leaf blades or small, thick - walled cells. These features reduce water loss through transpiration and allow the leaves to maintain function even when water is scarce. The dense tissues can also store more water and nutrients, enabling the plant to survive in arid conditions.