Ch. 46-47 (Test 3) Flashcards
What is Climate?
Climate is the prevailing weather conditions in a particular region.
What is Climate dictated by and how are they influenced?
Temperature and rainfall- Influenced by variations in solar radiation du to the tilt of the Earth and topography/body of waters nearby
What are seasons caused by?
The tilt of the Earth on its axis as it rotates the sun
Because Earth is a sphere, how does this affect where sunlight hits?
Direct sunlight at equator but indirect sunlight at the poles
Why doesn’t the equator have seasons?
The tilt of the Earth
Rising air creates what?
Areas of lower air pressure
What is the flow of air modified by?
Continents, Ocean, Tilt, Rotation
Explain how global air circulation patterns are associated with temperature and rainfall patters.
Sun heats the air and evaporates water which rises; Cools and loses most of its moisture as rain; greatest amounts of rainfall near equator; rising air flows towards poles; cools before it get’s there and sinks; dry air descends and warms = high pressure (low rainfall)
Air flows towards poles and the equator; dry air moves across Earth ; moisture gets absorbed; warmed air rises and cools producing low-pressure area (high rainfall)
How is pressure linked to rainfall?
High pressure = low rainfall
What is the Vernal Equinox?
Sun aims directly at equator (March/Spring)
What is the Winter Solstice?
Northern Hemisphere tilts away from Sun (December)
What is the Summer solstice?
Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the Sun (June)
What is the Autumnal equinox?
Sun aims directly at equator (September)
Explain the global wind circulation.
Northern Hemisphere- Winds bend clockwise
Southern Hemisphere- Winds bend counterclockwise
Caused by Earth rotating eastward
What are doldrums?
Regions of calm (winds) accusing at the equator
What are trade winds?
Winds blowing from doldrums towards poles
What are the westerlies and easterlies?
Westerlies- blow from west to east, strong winds
easterlies- blow east to west, weak winds
What is topography?
Physical features of the land
Explain the affect of mountains on topography. (Include rain shadow)
Air blows up and over coastal mountain range causing it to rise and cool; coastal side of mountain (windward side) receives more rainfall than the other side; interior side (leeward side/ rain shadow) air depends, absorb moisture from the ground, and produces dry air and clear weather.
How does water affect temperature and why?
Stabilizes it- Land warms more quickly and the air above land rises pulling a sea breeze from ocean; night: reverse happens
What is a monsoon? How is it created?
Climate in which set ocean winds blow onshore for almost half the year- The land heats more rapidly than the waters of the Indian Ocean during the spring causing a difference in temperature between the land and the ocean which causes an enormous circulation of air (Warm air rises over the land, and cooler air comes in off the ocean to replace it and as the warm air rises, it loses its moisture)
What is a biome?
Major terrestrial ecosystems characterized by their climate and geography that has a particular mix of plants and animals that are adapted to living within a specific range of environmental conditions in a given region
N.B. Biome supports characteristic types of animals but many migrate from one region to another (Breeding?)
Describe biomes on a mountain.
From Top to bottom: (Ice), Alpine tundra, montane coniferous forest, deciduous forest, tropical forest, temperate deciduous forest, coniferous forest, tundra, (Ice)
Describe characteristics of the Arctic Tundra.
Cold and dark most of the year; long, harsh winters and short summers; Rainfall only 20cm (Considered a desert); located just south of ice covered polar seas in Northern Hemisphere
Life: No trees; Summer- ground is covered with short grasses; a few animals live in tundra year round (snowy owls)
What is permafrost?
In Arctic- layer that remains permanently frozen (results in minimal drainage)
Describe characteristics of Coniferous Forests.
Long, cold, snowy winters; warm humid summers; dominated by cone-bearing trees; can be found in the taiga, near mountaintops, and along the Pacific coast of North America.
Temperate Rain Forest
Located along west coast of Canada and US
Plentiful Rain and rich soil
Describe characteristics of Temperate deciduous forests
Moderate climate, high rainfall, well defined seasons, trees have broad leaves has a canopy an understory (stratification); enormous diversity; most animals live in trees
Describe Characteristics of Tropical Rain Forests.
Always warm; plentiful rainfall; 12 hours of sunlight every day; riches land biomes on Earth
Describe the structure of a Tropical Rain Forest.
Forest floor- Vegetation tends to be sparse
Understory- consists of smaller plants
Canopy- most productive level (Many animals and plants spend entire lives here)
What are Epiphytes?
Plants that grow on other plants
Describe Characteristics of Shrublands.
Dry summers and receive most of their rainfall in the winter
Located- cape of South Africa, the western coast of North America and the southwestern and southern shores of Australia, as well as around the Mediterranean Sea and in central Chile
What is a chaparral?
Type of shrubland that lacks an understory and ground litter and is highly flammable
Located- California
What is a chaparral?
Type of shrubland that lacks an understory and ground litter and is highly flammable
Located- California
Describe characteristics of Grasslands.
Occur where annual rainfall is greater than 25 cm but generally insufficient to support trees, despite fertile soil
Describe characteristics of Temperate grasslands.
Bitterly cold winters; hot dry summers
Describe Characteristics of Savannas.
Relatively cool dry season followed by a hot rainy season; large expanses of grasses with relatively few trees
Describe characteristics of Deserts
Hot days (no clouds); cold nights (heat escapes easily); little rainfall (<25cm per year);
How are aquatic ecosystems classified?
Freshwater (inland), salt water, brackish water
What is the groundwater table?
Layer of water in the ground
Describe characteristics of Wetlands.
Areas that are wet for at least part of the year; classified into marshes, swamps, and bogs by vegetation
How do you distinguish between wetlands?
Marshes- Continually flooded by water with rushes, reeds, and other grasses
Swamps- dominated by woody plants and shrubs
Bogs- acidic waters, nutrient poor
What have humans done to wetlands?
Channeled and diverted rivers to fill wetland with the idea that it is useless
What are some benefits of wetlands?
Prevent flooding, purify waters, absorb storm waters, protect cities from effects of floods
Describe characteristics of lakes.
bodies of fresh water that can e classified by their nutrient status
Oligotrophic-Nutrient poor
Eutrophic-Nutrient rich
What is Eutrophication
process in which a body of water receives a large input of nutrients
What is lake overturn?
Summer stratification: Everything is still; water in the three layers
Fall Overturn: Cold water sinks causing the temperature to be uniform (wind is an aid)
Winter stratification: see summer (with ice at the top)
Spring: Ice melts and same as fall happens
What are the three temperate zones in a lake?
Epilimnion: 24º-25º at top
Thermocline: Middle
Hypolimnion: 5-8º at bottom
What is Plankton
Free drifting microscopic organisms in both fresh an salt water; vital to ecosystem
What is phytoplankton?
Photosynthesizing algae that act as the producer base of the lake ecosystem
What is zooplankton?
tiny animals that feed on phytoplankton
What are the life zones in lakes and ponds?
Littoral Zone: Closest to the shore
Limnetic Zone: Forms the sunlit part of the lake
Profundal Zone: Below the level of light penetration
Benthic Zone: includes the sediment at the soil-water interface
What are benthic species?
Bottom dwelling organisms
Describe characteristics of an Estuary.
A portion of the ocean where fresh water and salt water meet and mix.
Organisms must be able to withstand constant changes in salinity
Acts as a nutrient tap (abundance of nutrients)
What is the intertidal zone?
Region of shoreline that lies between the high and low tide marks
What is the euphoric zone and what are its characteristics?
Shallow ocean waters with contain the greatest concentration of organisms in the sea.
Describe characteristics of coral reefs.
Areas of biological abundance that are primarily found in shallow warm tropical waters
Feed at night and the algae photosynthesize during the day (Mutualism)
What are the pelagic zones?
Where most of the ocean’s volume lies
(From top to bottom)
Epipelagic- Lacks the inorganic nutrients of shallow waters
Mesopelagic zone- Organisms are carnivores and adapted to the absence of life
Bathypelagic- Deepest waters are in complete darkness except for flashes of bioluminescent life (House Carnivores and Scavengers)
Abyssal Plain- Minimal life; intense pressure; extreme cold
What are hydrothermic vents?
Found at the bottom of the ocean where seawater percolates through cracks and is heated to about 350ºC causing sulfate to react with water and form hydrogen sulfide
What is biomagnification?
When pollutants become concentrated as they move up the web
What is a current?
Once wind causes water to be set in motion its momentum keeps moving in a steady flow
What is a current?
Once wind causes water to be set in motion its momentum keeps moving in a steady flow
What is upwelling?
Process where cold offshore winds cause cold nutrient rich waters to rise and take the place of warm nutrient poor waters
Describe the phenomenon “El Nino- Souther Oscillation (ENSO)”
When upwelling does not occur causing fisheries to decline in South America.
What is conservation biology?
Studies all aspects of biodiversity with the goal of conserving natural resources
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life on Earth
Describe the relationship between biodiversity and the human population.
High level of biodiversity = stable ecosystems = overall health of human population
What is bioinformatics?
Collecting, analyzing, and making biological information readily available
What is an endangered species?
Species in peril of immediate extinction through all or most of its range
What is a threatened species?
Species likely to become endangered in the near future
What are the three levels of biological organization and why are the important?
Used in developing a meaningful understanding of life on Earth
Genetic diversity: genetic variations among members of a population
Community diversity: Dependent on the interactions between species in a community
Landscape diversity: Involves studying landscape interactions
Describe the distribution of biodiversity.
Higher in tropics and declines towards poles
What are biodiversity hotspots?
Areas that contain a large concentration of species (Great Barrier Reef)
What are direct values of increased biodiversity? (Define and give examples)
Derived an economic value for humans
Medicinal Value: Some derived from organisms
Agricultural Vale:
Consumptive Use: Need help in fish/shellfish
What are indirect values of increased biodiversity? (Define and give examples)
Based on services they provide that do not have a measurable economic value
Biogeochemical Cycles: Dependent on cycles
Waste Recycling: Decomposers (reduces waste)
Provision of Fresh Water: Water cycle
Prevention of Soil Erosion:
Regulation of Climate: Forests restore climate
Ecotourism: vacationing
Simpson’s Diversity Index
Explain (See notes)
Running Article
Explain (See Handout/Questions)
What is the impact of massive changes in biodiversity on ecosystems?
Ecosystem performance; overall resource use; rate of photosynthesis
Give example of what causes Extinction.
Habitat Loss: Tropical rain forests and coral reefs
Exotic Species (Invasive): Colonization; horticulture and agriculture; accidental transport; especially impacts islands
Pollution: main cause of extinction; acid deposition; eutrophication; Ozone depletion; Organic Chemical
Climate Change:
Overexploiting:
What is Pollution?
Any contaminant introduced into the environment that adversely affects the lives and health of living organisms
What is Overexploition?
Process of taking more individuals from a wild population than can be naturally replaced resulting in decreased population
Give examples of Conservation Techniques.
Habitat Preservation: Keystone species, flagship species; metapopulation; landscape preservation
Edge Effect:
What is the difference between keystone and flagship species?
Keystone: influence the viability of a community although their numbers many not be excessively high
Flagship: evoke strong emotional response in humans (Cute, beauty, strength)
What is a metapopulation? What is a source population? What is a sink population?
Metapopulation: A large population that has been subdivided into several isolated populations due to habitat fragmentation
Source: Stable of growing in size
Sink: Birthrate <= Deathrate
What is the Edge Effect?
An edge is a transition from one habitat to another and reduces the amount of habitat typical of an ecosystem
