Chapter 10-Plant Geography

Question 1

What is biogeography?

Answer 1

geographical distributions of organisms, their habitats, and the
environmental or historical factors which
produced them.

Question 2

What are autotrophs?

Answer 2

Organisms that synthesize their own food using heat or light as the source of energy

Question 3

What are heterotrophs?

Answer 3

Organisms that consume complex organic substances for food.

Question 4

What are decomposers?

Answer 4

Organisms that
consume dead or decaying organic substances for nutrition.

Question 5

What are the inputs for photosynthesis?

Answer 5

Water + carbon dioxide + sunlight

Question 6

What are the outputs for photosynthesis?

Answer 6

Sugar (glucose) + Oxygen

Question 7

What are biomes?

Answer 7

definable geographic regions that are classified and mapped according to predominant vegetation and organisms

Question 8

What is the most important factor influencing geographic distribution of vegetation?

Answer 8

Climate

Question 9

What are transitional zones called?

Answer 9

Ecotones

Question 10

What are epiphytes?

Answer 10

plants that grow without touching
the ground

Question 11

What are boreal forests?

Answer 11

subartic, low diversity,

Question 12

Are all deserts hot?

Answer 12

No

Question 13

What are xerophytes?

Answer 13

Plants in very dry places that have a number of survival mechanisms in response to prolonged periods of drought

Question 14

Where are cold deserts located?

Answer 14

Midlatitudes

Question 15

What is the tundra biome like?

Answer 15

Short growing season and low plants

Question 16

What are lichens?

Answer 16

mix of algae, bacteria,
and fungi that can grow on rocky surfaces

Question 17

What are treelines?

Answer 17

the elevation above
which conditions are too harsh

Question 18

What is plant succession?

Answer 18

the natural changes that occur in a biome over time

Question 19

What is primary succession?

Answer 19

Begins on new sediments

Question 20

What is secondary succession?

Answer 20

areas disturbed by fire or other catastrophic event

Question 21

What are pioneer species?

Answer 21

First to occupy the area

Question 22

What are riparian zones?

Answer 22

areas immediately adjacent to a stream

Question 23

How does slope affect biomes?

Answer 23

As slope increases, the amount of water runoff usually increases

Question 24

What are human impacts on biomes?

Answer 24

Overgrazing, agriculture