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Geography > Biogeography > Flashcards

Biogeography Flashcards

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1
Q

What defines a species?

A

A group of individuals that has the potential to produce fertile offspring and cannot reproduce with other groups

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2
Q

Genetic diversity?

A

Variation in individuals genetics between and within populations
Higher potential to survive long term as they have higher resilience

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3
Q

Ecosystem/ecological diversity?

A

the variety of ecosystems within the biosphere

Variety in flora and fauna

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4
Q

Species diversity?

A

the variety of species in a given area.

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5
Q

Why is biodiversity so important?

A

Different reasons. Insures carbon storage

as well as water resource and pollination for food production can be provided

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6
Q

Tropical biomes

A

Tropical forests = warm and humid all year around, equal temperature and a lot of energy and water. Nutrients cannot enter deeply in soil. Soil fertility stays in top layer. Big animals are high up in the trees competing for sunlight for photosynthesis.

Hot deserts = Extremely dry climate. No vegetation usually occurs.

Savannah = Warmer climate, close to tropical rainforest but has dry season. Growing of trees is therefore limited by amount of water falling. One large transition zone from rainforest to desert

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7
Q

Temperate biomes

A

Mediterranean, evergreen, grassland

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8
Q

Cold biomes - higher latitudes

A

Tundra = competition for nutrients. Many bulbs - a way to survive as it grows underground. Short growing season above ground. Short succession stages mostly mosses and no trees can grow

Taiga = cool climate and little precipitation.
Podzolic soils.
Coniferous forests

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9
Q

Epiphytes

A

Plants that grow on another plant.

Example is pineapple. Often in rainforest. Cannot capture roots in the soil themselves.

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10
Q

Coral reefs biome

A

Covering small areas but accounting for over 1/4 of the oceans total species biodiversity.
Can help us reveal the past climatic history.

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11
Q

Estuaries

A

Transition zones where the freshwater of the river meets the salt water of the ocean (examples include: mud flats and mangrove forests)

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12
Q

Succession

A

The sequential change in species over time following a disturbance event.
Disturbance: forest fire or volcanic eruption
Example: Taiga - Final succession stage is coniferous trees as its too cold for further development of forest

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13
Q

Primary succession

A

Starts in an area that has a complete lack of life (perhaps because of a volcano erupting)
Lacks competition

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14
Q

Secondary succession

A

Takes place after less dramatic disturbances (forest fires for instance, deforestation or construction activities). Soil existed before and can therefore progress faster than soil in primary succession

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15
Q

Habitat corridors

A

Can help to deal with fragmentation in nature. To connect patches of an ecosystem. To help species migrate. Examples could be tunnels under big highways to join two habits together.

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16
Q

Island biogeography theory

A

Islands tend to be less biodiverse because of water or other features blocking access to mainland for species to migrate.
However niches develop for special species that become endemic (only existing at a certain spot)

Larger islands = greater richness in species than smaller islands as larger islands probably have more resources and different habits.

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17
Q

Ecosystem services

A

The direct and indirect contribution of ecosystems to human-well being

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18
Q

4 categorises of Ecosystem services

A

Provisioning, cultural, regulating and supporting

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19
Q

Regulating ecosystem services

A

Indirect services of ecosystems. The benefits of having a regulating water system, climate system and erosion system
Example: presence of trees allows the impact of heavy rainfall on the soil to be moderated by a barrier (leaves or branches) to allow a longer period for soil water replenishment.

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20
Q

Cultural ecosystem services

A

The non-material benefits. The aesthetic, knowledge, social and spiritual (ethical too).
Difficult to put a price on.
What we leave for the future (the lost biodiversity).

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21
Q

Supporting ecosystem services

A

Indirect services.

The soil formation, photosynthesis, water cycle

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22
Q

Provisioning

A

The direct supply from ecosystems. The products. The food, the fuel, fibre and pharmaceuticals.

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23
Q

What essential functions does soil perform?

A

Reservoir for water (aquafiers etc), medium for plant growth and food, filters the air and the water, recycles dead plants/animals, storing huge amounts of carbon

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24
Q

Climatic variables affecting plants - light

A

Leaves capture light via photons (green pigments -chlorophylls) which leads to carbon being absorbed and converted into glucose which is needed for future growth

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25
Q

Climatic variables affecting plants - water

A

Supply of water needed for growth. Drought can be dealt with by shedding the green leaves for instance.
The turgor needs water to keep leaves up

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26
Q

Climatic variables affecting plants - temperature

A

Reactions involved in photosynthesis require warmth. Best between 10 and 30 degrees.

27
Q

Climatic variables affecting plants - carbon dioxide concentration

A

Increase in co2 leads to increase in photosynthesis.

28
Q

Which environmental factors determine plant growth?

A

Sun radiation, soil moisture, climate but also human interference

29
Q

Vegetational change

A

Noted differences in different vegetation land due to warmer temperatures. Vegetation is moving upwards - shift in northern tree line

30
Q

Phenology

A

The study of the timing of natural phenomena related to the climate such as time of flowering and seed formation

31
Q

Vegetation studies with pollen change

A

Analyse pollen to show a shift from shrubs to trees as a result of climate becoming warmer

32
Q

Modelling plants response to climatic variables

A
  • link individual species to biomes
    (deciduous broadleaf forests for instance)
    = PFT
    To understand how much carbon dioxide is up taken by plants - more clouds are formed and less carbon released to space
33
Q

Biogeography

A

global scale -
Why are some animal and plants placed on certain areas on earth?
Study of geographical distribution of animals, life, plants and vegetation.
covers adaption and change over time

34
Q

Abiotic vs biotic

A

Abiotic - soil, water etc

Biotic - competition among organisms or diseases

35
Q

Tolerance limit

A

a range of what a specie can tolerate in their natural environment

36
Q

Limiting factors

A

Plants can only grow if the minimum limit is reached in the environment and there is a maximum limit of how much an organism can grow

37
Q

Ecosystems and ecotype

A

Ecotope: all the plants and animals living within the ecosystem (biotic environment)

biotope: the physical (abiotic environment)
ecology: the study of ecosystems

38
Q

Savannah ecosystem

A

Drier environment but if more drought would occur it would lead to less moisture in the soil, leading to loss in grass and less food for ungulates and they will migrate to find grass (grazing)

39
Q

Niche

A

Specific habitat for a specific specie

40
Q

Heath field stage of succession

A

Bushes

Unstable succession

41
Q

Competition between species

A

Between and within habitats. They have to adapt to disturbance to survive.

42
Q

Movements and migration

A

movement back and forth on regular basis most often in between summer and winter

43
Q

Biomes

A

Zones that have certain characteristics that shape and form life and composition of plants and animals. Based on vegetation but related to soil and climate with large regional difference

44
Q

vegetation

A

System of more or less spontaneously growing plants

45
Q

Hotspot theory

A

In some areas you can find a larger biodiversity - different around the world. Some species might only live there and therefore essential to protect.

46
Q

Terraced crop growing

A

Sustainable way to farm to avoid soil erosion with “steps” in slopes.

47
Q

What are ecosystem services?

A

Different definitions. “A wide range of conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems and the species that are a part of them, help sustain and fulfill human life”
or
“Contributions of ecosystems structure and function in combination with other inputs to human well-being”

48
Q

Food as a part of provisioning services

A

Animal: Dairy, eggs, meat
Plant: Seeds, fruits
Other: bacteria and seaweed

49
Q

Feeding as part of provisioning services

A

Animal: fish, bone meal
Plant: Corn, soybeans, oat
Other: seaweed

50
Q

Fiber as part of provisioning

A

Animal: Collagen, feather, fur, silk, wool
Plant: Cotton, Bamboo, Hemp, Jute
Other: Seaweed

51
Q

Fuel as part of provisioning

A

Animal: Dung, fat, biomass
Plant: Biomass, Oil, fossil fuels
Other: Microalgae

52
Q

Pharmaceuticals as part of provisioning

A

Animal: Gallstones, Venom, Urine, insulin
Plant: Expectorant, Diaphoretic, Febrifuge, Astringent
Other: Microalgae, seaweed, microorganisms

53
Q

Others things part of provisioning

A

Animal: Shellac, Beeswax, Tallow
Plant: Resin, wax, dyes, soups
Other: biopesticides, seaweed, dendrology

54
Q

Regulating + supporting services

A

Purification of water and air
Reducing drought and floods
detoxification of wastes (decomposition)
Pollination of crops (dispersal of seeds)
Cycling of nutrients
Maintaining biodiversity
Protects shore from erosion
Protects from harmful UV rays
Partial stabilisation of the climate
moderation of weather extremes and their impacts

55
Q

What problems are ecosystem (+ services) facing?

A

Ecosystems are often undervalued (especially the regulating and supporting services) as we dont see them directly
Disruptions of the ecosystems are caused by humans are impossible to reverse on a human relevant time scale
So a continued lack of awareness will dramatically alter earths remaining natural ecosystems within a few decades

56
Q

Provisioning services: fishing for food

A

2016 - 7.6 billion people
average 20 kg of fish per person
= 152 million tones of fish in a year
90% of worlds largest fish stocks are fully exploited or overexploited

57
Q

Provisioning services: Medicine

A

Brazil earns millions of dollars a year on medicine found in the Amazon but now grown in greenhouses which could lead to lost gen variability

58
Q

Regulating + supporting services: Atmosphere

A

Helps to alter the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which leads to cooling.
A positive feedback loop of cooling (lower sea levels, more eroded land, fertile waters with phytoplankton that helps deal with carbon leading to more cooling)
Deforestation could dramatically reduce total precipitation

59
Q

Regulating + supporting services: Floods/droughts

A

Water is dispersed to plants, aquifers and streams by soil
The plants help protect the soil from erosion
If we strip the forest and plants we get more mud and less ability for soil to absorb the water leading to more erosion, less nutrients to grow crops and disrupts water quality and can increase severity of flooding

Solution? Wetlands! Slowing down water flow and minimising pressure + allowing for deposition and less sediment to fill up water streams

60
Q

Regulating + supporting services: Soil

A

Soils provide recycling of nutrients, provides plants with physical support, retains + deliver nutrients to plants, plays a role in decomposition of organic matter and regulates carbon/nitrogen/sulphur cycle

61
Q

Hydroponic systems

A

A way to save space when dealing with soil as a provision for physical support. Very expensive method

62
Q

Regulating + supporting services: Pollination

A

Flowering plants require animal pollination as over 100.000 animals acts as pollinators
They require complex ecosystems to stay alive
Diseases, decline in diversity and invasive species threatens pollinators

63
Q

Regulating + supporting services: Pest control

A

Huge issue for agriculture. 99% of all potential pests are controlled naturally via ecosystems.
Can lead to decline in sperm count and lead to resistance for future use

Geography (5 decks)

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