14. Climate and Other Niche Axes

Question 1

A species’ place in the world - the combination of physiological tolerances and resource requirements of a species

Answer 1

The ecological niche

Question 2

Heated air cools as it rises, water vapour condenses and falls as rain near the equator, repeat cycle (strongest atmospheric cell)

Answer 2

Hadley cells

Question 3

A narrow zone near the equator where the 2 Hadley cells converge, typically producing rain clouds across the pacific

Answer 3

Intertropical Convergence Zone

Question 4

The Earth’s rotation deflects winds (ex. Hurricanes in the US follow an arc-like pattern)

Answer 4

Coriolis effect

Question 5

Strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees - there is more land in North to break wind

Answer 5

The Roaring Forties

Question 6

Air forced up mountainsides undergoes cooling, precipitates on upper windward slopes

Answer 6

Orographic precipitation

Question 7

Uses data from a species’ present distribution to predict where a species can live - usually relies on climate data

Answer 7

Ecological niche modelling

Question 8

A region (n-dimensional hypervolume) in a multi-dimensional space of environmental factors that affect the welfare of a species

Answer 8

Hutchinsonian niche

Question 9

Natural oscillations in temperature have caused shifts in the geographic location of species habitat and range

Answer 9

Range shifts