Biomes Flashcards
Areas that have distinct climates and organisms
Biome
What are the two most important factors of a biome
Climate and Weather
What is happening at one place at one time
Weather
The average weather over time of a certain area
Climate
What are the two main reasons tropical rain forests are being cleared?
- Agricultural purposes
2. Commercial logging
Besides cutting the trees else is the forest harmed?
Machinery used such as bulldozers, road graders, log skidders
Why do nations allow deforestation?
Governments sell logging concessions to raise money for projects, to pay international debt, or to develop industry
How does CO2 affect the atmosphere and climate?
It enhances the greenhouse effect
The trees and plants return large quantities of water to the local atmosphere, prompting the formation of clouds and precipitation
Evaotranspiration
How does deforestation affect the hydrogen cycle?
It reduces the evaporative cooling that takes place from both soil and plant life. Temp of earth
Where are the nutrients of the tropical rain forests held?
The plants and trees
Why is clean-cutting most devastating to forests?
The bare ground is left behind with very little regrowth
What are the plant adaptations of a template deciduous forest?
In the autumn, the leaves drop and provide nutrients for the trees roots; in the summer, the leaves grow back for nutrients from the sun
When are leaves dropped?
Autumn
Forest layers
Canopy
Floor of the forests
Understory
Period of inactivity with a low metabolic rate
Hibernate
Animals move where the is a warmer climate
Migrate
Why is sunlight important to trees+
It regenerates the tree
Describe how understory trees survive
They have larger leaves and tend to have reduced expressions of lobes and edges
How does the shape of arctic trees differ from the trees at the equator? Why
Arctic trees are more cone shaped. This shape allows for snow to easily glide off the branches
This leaf resembles a feather in having parts or branches arranged on each side of a common axis
Pinnate
This leaf has the shape of a hand
Palmate
One leaf on a branch
Simple leaf
A branch with multiple leaves
Compound leaf
- Alternating leafs on a branch
2. Opposite leafs on a branch
Alternate and Opposite leaf arrangement