Earth Science Project

2. 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
●
.

3. The white-tailed deer are
found
all 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
An opossum lives in
the Piedmont, and is
a nocturnal animal.
The opossum is an
omnivore in which their
diet includes, fruits,
berries,
insects, crayfish, small
rodents, dead animal flesh,
and
human garbage.
The Great Horned Owl is
the largest owl in the US.
It's nocturnal and hunts during
the night ; And it lives in wooded
Areas. It's diet is made up of small
mammals, birds, insects, and fish.
Racoons are a wide
spread throughout
Georgia, but like the
white-tailed deer they are
centered in the Piedmont.
Racoons have also been the
most adaptable type of anima
living in the Piedmont. Their
diet consists of fruits, acorns,
vegetables,insects,and garbag

4. Key Terms
●
●
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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.

5. 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).

6. 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)

7. Explain how biotic and abiotic factors
determine biome classification.
Atmosphere/Air: Global
patterns of circulations
affect rainfall patterns
and the prevailing wind
directions.(rainfall

8. 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)

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Key Terms
●
●
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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).

13. Describe the relationships between animals
and 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.

14. Describe the relationships between animals
and 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.

15. Describe the relationships between animals
and 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).

16. Describe the relationships between animals
and 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.

17. 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.

18. Explain the effects of human population
growth, habitat alternation, introduction
of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animal
species in NC.
●
Human Population Growth-Human Populationdestroys 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.

19. Explain the effects of human population
growth, habitat alternation, introduction
of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animal
species 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

20. Explain the effects of human population
growth, habitat alternation, introduction
of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animal
species 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.

21. Explain the effects of human population
growth, habitat alternation, introduction
of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animal
species 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.

22. Explain the effects of human population
growth, habitat alternation, introduction
of invasive species,pollution and overharvesting on various plant and animal
species in NC.
●
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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.

23. Explain the effects of invasive
nonnative species(plant or animal) on
an NC ecosystem.
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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.

24. Summarize ways to mitigate human
impact on the biosphere.
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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

25. Thanks For Watching My
Presentation