Climate Flashcards
How does latitude impact ecosystems and rainfall?
Drying gradient as you go north and south
How doe altitude impact ecosystems?
Species diversity decreases and canopy height decreases (or disappears)
What is the result of varying altitudes and latitudes in the tropics?
Gradients in ecosystems (from taller
What are structural components of rainforests?
Productivity
What is Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)?
All energy captured by species or community per unit time (g/m2/yr)
What is Net Primary Productivity?
All energy store per unit time (g/m2/yr)
How does temperature affect productivity?
Plant are more productive at warm temperatures (unless over 30 deg. C)
How does the amount of water affect productivity?
Productivity increases with more water (up to 4m)
What does the effect of water and temperature on productivity mean for the tropics?
The most productive forests are found in the tropics
How does the length of the growing season relate to productivity?
A longer growing season (found close to equator) is more productive
What two types of forests have the highest NPP?
Tropical rain and seasonal forest
What type of forest represents almost _ of the Earth’s NPP?
Tropical rain forest (even though its only a small % of Earth’s surface)
What is biomass?
Total mass of standing
How are measurements for biomass and productivity?
Biomass is a measure at a set time
Which type of ecosystem has the most biomass?
Tropical rain forest
Where does most productivity in tropical forests come from?
Leaves (not wood)
Why is there so much production of leaves in tropical rain forests compared to other forests?
Higher canopies
What are the requirements of plants?
CO2 and h2o from atmosphere, (Ca, Mg) micronutrients (B, Co etc.) (?)
Why are macronutrients (likely P) often deficient in the tropics?
Rain water will wash away nutrients (especially those that are water soluble)
What are occlusions?
“Rocks” made of soil that are high in aluminum and iron (toxic for plants)
How does tropical soil conditions affect root systems of trees?
Not many deep roots
What does soil in lowland tropical rain forests provide for plants?
Water and support (really no nutrients)
Why is soil quality not as poor in seasonal forests?
Drying season will draw nutrients back up
Why do higher altitudes have better soils?
Temperature lowers rate of weathering (often also results from volcanoes)
How have tropical plants adapted to low fertility?
More nutrients stored in living plants, more biomass as roots, more roots at surface, smaller
What organisms make up the rich decomposer community of a tropical rain forest?
Termites, slime mold, protists
What is the benefit of Mycorrhizal fungi?
90-95% plant roots associated with fungi
What is the recycling efficiency in tropical rain forests?
60-80% (compared to 40% in temperate forests)
How does rain compare to throughfall?
Throughfall is richer in nutrients because it passes through the canopies
Where do the outside nutrients come from?
Volcanoes
What factors affect soil drainage?
Topography
What types of soils are good in wet places? In dry places?
Wet= sand /gravel
Why are plants and soils releasing more carbon than they store?
Deforestation
Which is increasing faster: the carbon from fossil fuels or the carbon from burning rainforests?
The carbon from burning rainforests
Can intact tropical forests utilize excess carbon in the atmosphere?
Yes
What is REDD?
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation- payment for countries to not mess with forests
