Piedmont Region

● Characterized by hilly, rolling land● Located between the Coastal Plain and the Mountain

regions● The word 'Piedmont” is a French word meaning "foot

of the mountain.● The land of the Piedmont is called a plateau because it

is high and mostly flat.

The white-tailed deer are foundall over Georgia, but is mainly centered in the Piedmont. It’s also the smallest deer in North America. It’s diet consists of mushrooms,fruits,twigs, acorns, buds, and leaves

The Great Horned Owl is the largest owl in the US.It's nocturnal and hunts duringthe night ; And it lives in wooded Areas. It's diet is made up of smallmammals, birds, insects, and fish.

An opossum lives inthe Piedmont, and is a nocturnal animal. The opossum is an omnivore in which theirdiet includes, fruits, berries,insects, crayfish, smallrodents, dead animal flesh, and human garbage.

Racoons are a widespread throughout Georgia, but like thewhite-tailed deer they arecentered in the Piedmont.Racoons have also been the most adaptable type of animalliving in the Piedmont. Their diet consists of fruits, acorns, vegetables,insects,and garbage

Key Terms● Biodiversity – the assortment, or variety, of living things in an

ecosystem. An area with a high amount of biodiversity has a large assortment of different species living near one another.'

● Abiotic factors – nonliving things such as moisture, temperature, wind, sunlight, ad soil. The balance of these factors determines which living things can survive in a particular environment.

● Biotic factors – living things, such as plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Each organism plays a particular role in the ecosystem.

Explain how biotic and abiotic factors determine biome classification.

● Rivers & Streams: Rivers provide a home for fish, shoal bass, sunfish, and catfish. Beavers build dams and lodges on the smaller streams.(types of animals).

Explain how biotic and abiotic factors determine biome classification.

Red Clay Soil: Plants that grow on red soils generally draw nutrients from organic material that is sitting on top of the soil layer.(types of plants)

Explain how biotic and abiotic factors determine biome classification.

Atmosphere/Air: Global patterns of circulations affect rainfall patterns and the prevailing wind directions.(rainfall

Compare the impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on biodiversity.

● A long period of increased rainfall:

Allows one plant species to grow better than others. As the plant continues to grow, it may crowd out other plant species.(Abiotic factor)

Compare the impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on biodiversity.

● Beavers:

A greater number and wider variety of fish are able to live in the still waters of the pond. The fish attract fish-eating birds, such as herons and kingfishers. Insects inhabit the pond and the dead trees along the shore. Animals that prey on birds or their eggs are also attracted to the pond.

Compare the impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on biodiversity.

● Animal Birth Rate:

If animals/species multiply or reproduce very swiftly, the area will become greatly populated and can cause overcrowding. Overcrowding can cause species to become endangered because of being eaten by a large amount of species.

Compare the impacts of abiotic and biotic factors on biodiversity.

● Ecological Changes:

In climate(temperatures, flooding, warming, and freezing) will probably eliminate some species, and these species losses may cause the elimination of entire ecosystems.

Key Terms

● Symbiosis- a close relationship between two or more different species.

● Mutualism- A relationship where both species benefit from the relationship.

● Commensalism- A relationship where one species obtains food or shelter from the other species. Does not harm or help the other species.

● Parasitism- A relationship between two species in which one species (the parasite) nourishes itself to the disadvantage of the other species (the host).

Describe the relationships between animalsand plants, and the environment:

● Animals of the same species or different species may form cooperate relationships. A close association of two or more species is called symbiosis. The three types of symbiotic relationship are mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Describe the relationships between animalsand plants, and the environment:

● Parasitism-Many species of animals and plants, such as ticks, lice, tapeworms, and heart worms, feed on other animals and plants. Parasites feed on their hosts, slowly weakening them. Usually a parasite does not kill the organism it feeds on, but it does kill the organism it feeds on, but it does cause the host organism harm.

Describe the relationships between animalsand plants, and the environment:

● Mutualism-Ox peckers land on rhinos or zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The ox peckers get food and the beasts get pest control. Also, when there is danger, the ox peckers fly upward and scream a warning, which helps the symbiont (a name for the other partner in a relationship).

Describe the relationships between animalsand plants, and the environment:

● Commensalism- One of the popular examples of commensalism is the relationship between cattle egrets and livestock. The cattle egret is a common species of heron that is found in most regions of the world, and is mostly seen moving along with herds of cattle. This bird moves about in the pastures, and follows livestock such as cattle and horses. The cattle egret eats up the insects hiding under vegetation close to the grounds, which get stirred up when the cattle walk through them. In this example of commensalism, the cattle egret benefits by eating up the insects, but the livestock remains totally unaffected.

Explain the global impact of loss of biodiversity.

● Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular or short supply. major change in the food chain upon which we depend, water sources may change, recede or disappear, medicines and other resources we rely on may be harder to obtain as the plants and forna they are derived from may reduce or disappear, etc.

Explain the effects of human populationgrowth, habitat alternation, introduction

of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animalspecies in NC.

● Human Population Growth-Human Population-destroys resources, such as water and forests, needed to sustain plants and animals,decreases the level of biodiversity,unclean water, along with poor sanitation, global warming, which could cause droughts and disrupt agriculture, the loss of tens of thousands of plant and wildlife species.

Explain the effects of human populationgrowth, habitat alternation, introduction

of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animalspecies in NC.

● Habitat Alteration-are changes made to the environment that adversely affect ecosystem function.

● Livestock grazing can occur, a serious problem for amphibians and other organisms that occur in aquatic environments. Livestock, such as cattle can effectively trample aquatic vegetation and cause accelerated bank erosion (especially in streams)and this can result in unsuitable habitat for amphibians

Explain the effects of human populationgrowth, habitat alternation, introduction

of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animalspecies in NC.

● Introduction of Invasive Species- Invasive species threaten biodiversity by (1) causing disease, (2) acting as predators or parasites, (3) acting as competitors, (4) altering habitat, or (5) hybridizing(combining) with local species.

Explain the effects of human populationgrowth, habitat alternation, introduction

of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animalspecies in NC.

● Pollution-Pollution can cause sicknesses and even deaths in living organisms such as cancer, physical deformities such as extra and missing limbs, and etc. Chemical reactions involving air pollutants can create acidic compounds which can cause harm to vegetation. Air pollution generates acid rain and when acid rain falls over an area, it can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife. Acid rain destroys the leaves of plants.

Explain the effects of human populationgrowth, habitat alternation, introduction

of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animalspecies in NC.

● Overharvesting- Overharvesting is the endangerment and extinction of species from overhunting and overfishing.

● As a result there wont't be as many variety of species and therefore organisms will focus on one species and can cause extinction.

Explain the effects of invasive nonnative species(plant or animal) on

an NC ecosystem.● An invasive non-native species is any non-native animal or plant that has

the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way we live.

● Can impact marine and freshwater ecosystems. A voracious predator that will consume a range of invertebrate species and the eggs of fish leading to competition with native species and impacting invertebrate and fish populations. Will burrow into river banks, increasing erosion and river turbidity, and causing bank collapse. Burrowing will also lead to the siltation of gravel beds, including those used for fish spawning.

Summarize ways to mitigate human impact on the biosphere.

● Minimize the use of fossil fuels -because Burning fossil fuels produces large amounts of air pollution including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and etc

● Lessen reproduction, because it's causing population growth, which cause resource depletion and degradation.

● Reduce industrialization, because the chemical inputs(raw materials) and power inputs(gas, coal, and oil) causes air, land, and water pollution

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