Abiotic Factors

Question 1

Ecological succession`

Answer 1

Predictable process of one community replacing another over a long period of time.

Question 2

An example of ecological succession involving terrestrial plants?

Answer 2

—>time—>

Annual plants..perrenials/grasses..shrubs..softwood trees (pine)…hardwood trees

Question 3

What type of aquatic plant often takes over a lake/pond when eutrification occurs? How does the water’s appearance change?

Answer 3

Algae takes over; the lake may have been blue/clear-looking before, but algae blooms create its color after eutrification.

Question 4

What used to carry out material from bodies of water? Why does it not do that as often anymore?

Answer 4

Seasonal flooding. Human structures like dams slow or prevent flooding now.

Question 5

Secondary succession

Answer 5

Usually after a big disaster (like Mt. St. Helens). It is the first signs of life/recolonization of an area by plants and animals.

Question 6

What are some abiotic factors?

Answer 6

Water, wind, climate, soil, light, temperature, gases

Question 7

What are terrestrial biomes?

Answer 7

Large groups of similar plants and animals.

Question 8

Where are deserts mostly located?

Answer 8

30 degrees latitude N/S

Question 9

Below 30 S?

Answer 9

There is not much in this area.

Question 10

What kind of biome is the equator?

Answer 10

Tropical forests.

Question 11

What kinds of biomes are far north? (Think Canada, North Pole)

Answer 11

Tundra and coniferous forests.

Question 12

What are some other biomes?

Answer 12

Savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland

Question 13

Weather vs. climate

Answer 13

Weather is day-to-day; climate is the prevailing average weather conditions.

Question 14

What is climate largely determined by?

Answer 14

Latitude of the area.

Question 15

Why does sunlight play a large role in weather and climate?

Answer 15

It affects moisture and temperature.

Question 16

What are the climates of these areas:

1) Tundra
2) Tropical forest

Answer 16

1) Low rain, low temperature

2) Rainy and warm

Question 17

What are two more factors that affect climate?

Answer 17

Solar radiation and latitude.

Question 18

How does solar radiation affect the equator?

Answer 18

There is intense solar radiation mostly at the equator which increases air circulation and evaporation of water.

Question 19

What is unique about the tropics?

Answer 19

They have the greatest input of radiation and the least seasonal variation.

Question 20

What is an equinox?

Answer 20

It is when the sun directly faces the equator.

Question 21

Global air circulation and precipitation

Answer 21

Descending dry air absorbs moisture at 30 degrees, clouds/precipitation at equator, dry air at 30 degrees.

Question 22

Where is the greatest rainfall?

Answer 22

Equator

Question 23

Where are the driest places?

Answer 23

Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn; they don’t have much rainfall.

Question 24

Equator winds

Answer 24

Called “Easterlies.” They blow east to west.

Question 25

Winds at 60 degrees North

Answer 25

Called “Westerlies.” They blow west to east. —>

Question 26

What is an example of how the local geography, specifically the rain shadow effect, affects climate?

Answer 26

Mountains affect rainfall, even if latitude is the same.
The sea has wet air that blows to the mountains, but by the time the clouds are over the mountains, the precipitation is gone.

Question 27

Seasonal effects on climate

Answer 27

When the northern hemisphere tips toward the sun: June solstice. When the southern hemisphere tips toward the sun: December solstice. Equinoxes: Equator faces sun directly.

Question 28

Water cycle

Answer 28

Transpiration/evaporation, condensation, precipitation, surface runoff that either becomes ground water or part of a body of water.

Question 29

Cohesion Adhesion Transpiration Theory

Answer 29

Water molecules stick to each other from the roots of plants all the way to the highest leaf and pull on each other in a long chain as long as there’s sunlight. Water vapor exits through pores in the leaves.

Question 30

What can the Transpiration Theory allow large forests to do?

Answer 30

Make their own weather. Example: The Olympic Peninsula causes Seattle’s weather to be rainy.

Question 31

Nitrogen fixation

Answer 31

Certain plants (legumes) take N2 gas from air and put into soil as usable nitrates/ammonia for plants to grow with the help of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots (mutualism)

Question 32

Dentrification

Answer 32

When organisms containing nitrates die, decomposing dentrifying bacteria convert nitrates into N2 gas.

Question 33

The nitrogen cycle

Answer 33

Nitrogen in air because of dentrifying bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria in roots/soil convert it to ammonium, converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria, turned to gas by dentrifying bacteria.

Question 34

Carbon cycle

Answer 34

Respiration of organisms, combustion, and fossil fuels put CO2 into air. Photosynthesis and decomposition of organisms put carbon into the ground, creating fossil fuels.

Question 35

About how much of earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen?

Answer 35

78%.

Question 36

Where does most of the nitrogen cycle take place?

Answer 36

Underground.