Chapter 10-Plant Geography Flashcards
What is biogeography?
geographical distributions of organisms, their habitats, and the
environmental or historical factors which
produced them.
What are autotrophs?
Organisms that synthesize their own food using heat or light as the source of energy
What are heterotrophs?
Organisms that consume complex organic substances for food.
What are decomposers?
Organisms that
consume dead or decaying organic substances for nutrition.
What are the inputs for photosynthesis?
Water + carbon dioxide + sunlight
What are the outputs for photosynthesis?
Sugar (glucose) + Oxygen
What are biomes?
definable geographic regions that are classified and mapped according to predominant vegetation and organisms
What is the most important factor influencing geographic distribution of vegetation?
Climate
What are transitional zones called?
Ecotones
What are epiphytes?
plants that grow without touching
the ground
What are boreal forests?
subartic, low diversity,
Are all deserts hot?
No
What are xerophytes?
Plants in very dry places that have a number of survival mechanisms in response to prolonged periods of drought
Where are cold deserts located?
Midlatitudes
What is the tundra biome like?
Short growing season and low plants
What are lichens?
mix of algae, bacteria,
and fungi that can grow on rocky surfaces
What are treelines?
the elevation above
which conditions are too harsh
What is plant succession?
the natural changes that occur in a biome over time
What is primary succession?
Begins on new sediments
What is secondary succession?
areas disturbed by fire or other catastrophic event
What are pioneer species?
First to occupy the area
What are riparian zones?
areas immediately adjacent to a stream
How does slope affect biomes?
As slope increases, the amount of water runoff usually increases
What are human impacts on biomes?
Overgrazing, agriculture
