4-1 Reading Guide                                                                         Name:  ________________________________

  1.  _____________________ is the day to day condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place. 
  2. Climate refers to the average ____________________    __________________     _____________
    conditions of  temperature and precipitation in a particular region.
  3. _______________________,  _____________________,  ___________________ and a few other atmospheric   gases trap heat energy and maintain Earth’s temperature range.
  4. If these gases were not present the Earth would be _________° cooler.
  5. Because Earth is a sphere that is tilted on its axis, solar radiation strikes different parts of the Earth’s surface at an angle that  __________________________________________________________________________.
  6. Earth’s three main climate zones are ____________________, ___________________, _____________________.
  7. The upward movement of ____________________air and the downward movement of _______________ air create air currents, or winds.
  8. ___________________________ patterns of heating and cooling occur in the Earth’s oceans.
  9. _________________________ and other ______________________ can also affect winds and ocean currents.

4-2  What shapes an Ecosystem?                          

  1.  Define biotic factors: __________________________________________________________________
    Define abiotic factors: __________________________________________________________________
  2. The area where an organism lives is called its _________________________________.
  3. If an organism’s habitat is its _____________________________, it niche is its _________________________.
  4. No two species can ______________________ the same niche in the same __________________________.
  5. What is competition? ______________________________________________________________________
  6. The competitive exclusion principle states that _________________________________________________
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
  7. Give an example of a predator and its prey.  ____________________________________________________
  8. What are the three types of symbiosis?  _______________, _______________, and _______________.
  9. In figure 4-6, what would happen to the aphids if the ant died? _____________________________________
  10. _______________ are constantly changing in response to natural and ___________________ disturbances.
  11. Compare and contrast primary and secondary succession. ________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________________________________ 
  12.  What are pioneer species?  ___________________________________________________________________
    And give an example.  _______________________________________________________________________
  13. Figure 4-9 illustrates the stages in a ___________________   --   _______________________ community.
  14. What are the first organisms to be attracted to the whale carcass? __________________________________
  15. What organisms decompose whale oil? ___________________________________