tailieunhanh - Environmental studies part 2

UNIT 2 : BIOMES AND ECOSYSTEMS Influenced by latitude, elevation, and associated moisture and temperature regimes, terrestrial biomes vary geographically from the tropics through the arctic and include various types of forest, grassland, shrub land, and desert. These biomes also include their associated freshwater communities: streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Marine environments, also considered biomes by some ecologists, comprise the open ocean, littoral (shallow water) regions, benthic (bottom) regions, rocky shores, sandy shores, estuaries, and associated tidal marshes. A more useful way of looking at the terrestrial and aquatic landscapes is to view them as ecosystems, a word coined in 1935. | UNIT 2 BIOMES AND ECOSYSTEMS 9 Influenced by latitude elevation and associated moisture and temperature regimes terrestrial biomes vary geographically from the tropics through the arctic and include various types of forest grassland shrub land and desert. These biomes also include their associated freshwater communities streams lakes ponds and wetlands. Marine environments also considered biomes by some ecologists comprise the open ocean littoral shallow water regions benthic bottom regions rocky shores sandy shores estuaries and associated tidal marshes. A more useful way of looking at the terrestrial and aquatic landscapes is to view them as ecosystems a word coined in 1935 by the British plant ecologist Sir Arthur George Tansley to stress the concept of each locale or habitat as an integrated whole. A system is a collection of interdependent parts that function as a unit and involve inputs and outputs. The major parts of an ecosystem are the producers green plants the consumers herbivores and carnivores the decomposers fungi and bacteria and the nonliving or abiotic component consisting of dead organic matter and nutrients in the soil and water. Inputs into the ecosystem are solar energy water oxygen carbon dioxide nitrogen and other elements and compounds. Outputs from the ecosystem include water oxygen carbon dioxide nutrient losses and the heat released in cellular respiration or heat of respiration. The major driving force is solar energy. Relationship among biotic components of the ecosystem 10 ENGLISH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES READING COMPREHENSION A. QUESTIONS Answer the questions about the reading. 1 What is the biosphere 2 What is a biome 3 Why does terrestrial biomes vary geographically from the tropics through the arctic 4 What is an ecosystem 5 What are the major parts of an ecosystem B. TRUE-FALSE Write T if the sentence is true and F if it is false. 1 Plant formations do not include associated animal life. 2 The major driving force in an ecosystem