Biogeography Flashcards
Environment
a natural system including all vegetation, animals, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere, water (the physical, chemical and biological features) that make up an organism’s surroundings.
Climate
Typically thought of a combination of precipitation + temperature, but also includes other abiotic features of winds, latitude, daylight, and proximity to ocean
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Temporal scale. Climate = over a long period of time (what we expect). Weather = what is happening on a daily basis (what we get)
What does the biological features of an environment include?
plants, animals, microorganisms, and soil structure
Milankovitch Cycles
the collective effects of changes in the earth’s movement on climate
Eccentricity
orbital shape of the Earth
Precession
axial rotation of the Earth
Obliquity
axial tilt of the Earth
What causes wind?
Tilt of the earth –> uneven heating (warmer near equator) –> warm air rises, cool air falls –> wind
Movement of wind is influenced by the coriolis effect (deflection of objects due to the spinning of the Earth)
Coriolis Effect
the deflection of objects due to the spinning of the Earth (shoot a cannon north, it’ll deflect to the right because of spin)
Soil
a mix of living/non-living materials from interactions of climate, organisms, topology, and parent mateiral
Places with similar types of plants and animals tend to have _____.
Similar temperature and precipitation patterns. What makes them different is evolution.
Fundamental/potential range
The entire breadth of conditions where species could potentially live
Realized range
The actual places where a species occurs
Microclimate
A location’s altitude, aspect, vegetation, ground cover, and rugosity all shape the localized climate–the microclimate
