abiotic factors Flashcards
what is our source of radiant energy
the sun
what are all organisms directly or indirectly dependent on
the radiant energy from the sun
what is the greenhouse effect
when sunlight warms the earth but the heat can’t escape the atmosphere
what are the main greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide, methane gas and water vapour
what does the atmosphere consist of
nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide
why is the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increasing
- more people on earth who exhale carbon dioxide
- more vehicles that release carbon dioxide
- more factories
- more rain forests that are chopped down (fewer green plants that use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis)
what is wind caused by
high and low pressure systems in the atmosphere
what does wind influence
the transpiration rate of plants
what is wind and rain caused by
as the air rises and cools off, it loses moisture in the form of rain and snow
what local conditions are rainfall influenced by
- gradient
- rain-shadow
- altitude
- global positioning
(physiographic factors)
how can animals escape high temperatures and light intensity
by being active at night
why does temperature go hand in hand with light intensity
the brighter the sun, the higher the temperature
what is estivation (summer sleep)
an inactive phase to escape hot, dry conditions
why do animals go into hibernation (winter sleep)
to escape extremely low temperatures
soil is the medium in which
plants grow from which they get their nutrients and into which the decomposers replace these nutrients
