Chapter 52 and 56.4 terms and concepts

Question 1

What factors affect earth’s climate and explain how the influence patterns at different scales: globally, regionally, and locally

Answer 1

Climate varies by latitude and season and is changing rapidly

Global: determined largely by the input of solar energy and Earth’s movement in space.
1. Sun warms the atmosphere, land and water
2. Warming causes temperature variation, movements of air and water, and evaporation of water that causes dramatic latitudinal variations in climate

Regional: climate can be affected by other factors, like large bodies of water/mountain ranges

1. Seasonality - Earth’s axis is angled and thus its position in orbit determines the seasons of latitudes depending on region
2. Bodies of water - ocean currents influence climate along coasts of continents by warming/or cooling air above. They tend to moderate the climate of nearby land
3. Mountains - also influence air flow over land. Warm moist air approaches on windward side, then rises, cooling and drying, leaving cool dry air on the leeward side. The cold dry air descends and absorbs moisture, thus producing a “rain shadow”. They also affect the amount of sunlight reaching an area, and thus temperature and rainfall are also affected

Question 2

What are the 3 biomes in MN and why is this unusual for a non-mountainous state?

Answer 2

1. Coniferous forest (NorthEast)
2. Deciduous forest (narrow band from NW to SE)
3. Prairie: in 3 corners (not NE corner) and west of the state

Influenced by our location - we have warm humid summers and dry cold winters

cool dry air coming from the NW (due to the presence of the mountains - rain shadow effect), and warm moist air coming from the south (gulf stream) pushing warm air to higher latitudes

Question 3

How do ecological change and evolution affect one another over short and long periods of time?

Answer 3

Ecological change alters selective pressures in a population, thus providing evolutionary change (due to natural selection) which alters the outcome of ecological interactions, which then produces ecological change.

Rapid evolution -> can cause rapid evolutionary change. Ex: guppies that change their feeding patterns and morphology depending on predation. Guppies fed on algae (under low predation levels) and thus changed the ecosystem.

Diversification of plant species allowed for new habitats for animals (long periods of time)

Question 4

How is the distribution of species limited by abiotic and biotic factors?

Answer 4

Limited by dispersal and immigration

1. Abiotic factors (limiting): weather, precipitation, acidity, salinity, windspeed, etc.
2. Biotic factors (limiting): species interactions

Question 5

Earth’s Energy Balance

Answer 5

1. Solar radiation passes thru atmosphere (UV interacts with ozone)
2. Radiation is absorbed and warms Earth’s surface
3. Energy is emitted as heat (IR)
4. Heat is then trapped by greenhouse gasses, increasing atmosphere temp. Some heat escapes the atmosphere which helps it cool

Question 6

How have humans thrown off Earth’s Energy Balance?

Answer 6

The creation of excess greenhouse gasses present in the atmosphere - which allows more heat to be trapped, and thus warming the atmosphere too much

Question 7

Biological consequences of climate change both globally and in MN (biotic and abiotic)

Answer 7

Biotic: animal and plant species distribution patterns, phenotype changes and new adaptations, and extinction

Abiotic: The poles and northern hemisphere are warming dramatically, Gulf Stream is getting colder because of glacial melt, some areas are getting too much precip, while others are getting too little.