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Biology 410 Exam 3 > Chapter 23: Terrestrial Ecosystems > Flashcards

Chapter 23: Terrestrial Ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

Major regional ecological community of plants and animals;

Usually corresponds to plant ecologists’ and European ecologists’ classification of plant formations and life zones

A

biomes

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2
Q

Of leaves, shed during a certain season (winter in temperate regions; dry season in the tropics);

Of trees, having deciduous parts

A

deciduous

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3
Q

Applied to trees and shrubs for which there is no complete seasonal loss of leaves;

2 types:

  • Broadleaf
  • Needle-leaf
A

evergreen

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4
Q

Plant-like outgrowths developed by many large trees;

They function as prop roots to support trees rooted in shallow soil that offer poor anchorage

A

buttresses

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5
Q

tropical forest

A

Its types are classified by seasonality of rainfall:

  • Tropical rain forests, which have high seasonal rainfall and are dominated by broadleaf evergreen trees
  • Dry tropical forests, which have varying lengths of dry season and are dominated by drought-deciduous trees
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6
Q

tropical rain forest vertical stratification

A

From top to bottom:

  • Emergent canopy
  • Upper canopy
  • Lower canopy
  • Understory
  • Ground cover
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7
Q

Tropical rain forest vertical layer that includes trees widely spaced

30 or more meters aboveground

A

emergent canopy

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8
Q

Tropical rain forest vertical layer that includes medium-spaced crowns

About 15 to 30 meters aboveground

A

upper canopy

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9
Q

Tropical rain forest vertical layer that includes low trees

About 5 to 15 meters aboveground

A

lower canopy

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10
Q

Tropical rain forest vertical layer that includes shrubs and saplings

About 1 to 5 meters aboveground

A

understory

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11
Q

Tropical rain forest vertical layer that includes herbs and ferns

About 0 to 1 meters aboveground

A

ground cover

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12
Q

A broad category of forests found between the tropical and subtropical regions and the barren, treeless lands of the far north and extreme south

A

temperate forest

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13
Q

3 main categories of temperate forest

A
  • Coniferous forests
  • Mixed broadleaved/coniferous forests
  • Broadleaved forests
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14
Q

Forest dominated by needle-leaf evergreen trees and found primarily in a broad circumpolar belt across the Northern Hemisphere and on mountain ranges, where low temperatures limit the growing season to a few months each year;

The largest expanse of this type of forest is the boreal forest, or taiga

A

conifer forest

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15
Q

The northern circumpolar boreal forest;

The largest biome on Earth;

Characterized by a cold continental climate, consists of 4 major zones:

  • Forest ecotone
  • Open boreal woodland
  • Main boreal forest
  • Boreal-mixed forest ecotone
A

taiga

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16
Q

A biome characterized by semiarid regions with seasonal rainfall;

Has tall grasses and occasional trees

A

tropical savanna

17
Q

This climate has recurring drought, and much of the diversity of vegetation cover reflects differences;

At its worst where precipitation is lowest and the temperatures are high

A

temperate grassland

18
Q

3 main types of the native grasslands of North America, influenced by declining precipitation from east to west, distinguished by the height of the dominant species

A
  • Tallgrass prairie
  • Mixed-grass prairie
  • Shortgrass prairie
19
Q

A narrow belt of tall grasses dominated by big bluestem that once ran north and south adjacent to the deciduous forest of eastern North America;

Presence maintained by fire;

Largely destroyed by cultivation

A

tallgrass prairie

20
Q

Grassland in mid North America, characterized by great variation in precipitation and a mixture of largely cool-season shortgrass and tallgrass species

A

mixed-grass prairie

21
Q

Westernmost grasslands of the Great Plains, characterized by infrequent rainfall, low humidity, and high winds;

Dominated by shallow-rooted, sod-forming grasses

A

shortgrass prairie

22
Q

Name given to Eurasian grasslands that extend from eastern Europe to western Siberia and China

A

steppe

23
Q

Extensive grasslands in the east of the interior of South Africa, largely confined to high terrain

A

veld

24
Q

Temperate South American grassland, dominated by bunchgrasses;

Much of the moister ones are under cultivation

A

pampas

25
Q

Dominated by evergreen shrubs and sclerophyll trees, this biome has adapted to the distinctive climate of summer drought and cool, moist winters;

The shrublands are fire-adapted and highly flammable

A

mediterranean or chaparral

26
Q

Describes vegetation that possesses small leaves, thickened cuticles, glandular hairs, and sunken stomata — all characteristics that function to reduce water loss during the hot, dry summer period;

This type of vegetation is found in all five regions of the mediterranean ecosystems

A

sclerophyllous

27
Q

Area in an arctic or alpine (high mountain) region, characterized by bare ground, absence of trees, and growth of mosses, lichens, sedges, forbs, and low shrubs

A

tundra

28
Q

A type of ecosystem that results from dry descending air masses within the regions between 15 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitude, the rain shadows of coastal mountain ranges, and remoteness from oceanic moisture

A

desert

29
Q

4 broad types of desert

A
  • Hot
  • Cold
  • Extreme
  • Semidesert
30
Q

This type of desert ranges from those lacking vegetation to ones with some combination of chenopods, dwarf shrubs, and succulents

Ex: Mojave Desert

A

Hot desert

31
Q

A desert that has a continental climate, with warm summers and prolonged cold winters;

Its vegetation falls into 2 main associations:

  • Sagebrush
  • Shadscale

Ex: Gobi Desert

A

Cold desert

32
Q

A climate characterized by long winters and short, cool-to-mild summers;

Also called subarctic climate

A

boreal

33
Q

A climate characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life

A

arid

34
Q

Permanently frozen soil in arctic regions

A

permafrost

35
Q

Forest harvesting procedure in which all trees on the site are cut and removed

A

clear-cutting

36
Q

extent of deforestation since Pleistocene

A

Globally, about half of the forest that was present under modern (post-Pleistocene) climatic conditions — and before the spread of human influence — has disappeared largely through the impact of human activities

Biology 410 Exam 3 (7 decks)

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