Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

ECOLOGY 1 > ecology 4 > Flashcards

ecology 4 Flashcards

1
Q

The greatest constraint imposed by terrestrial environments, referring to the loss of water from living cells to the air through diffusion.

A

Desiccation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

The balance of water between organisms and their surrounding environment, crucial for hydration and continued function.

A

Water Balance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

A waxy surface on the aerial parts of plants, such as stems and leaves, that prevents water loss but also restricts gas exchange.

A

Waxy Cuticle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Pores on the leaf surface that allow gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen to diffuse into the interior of the leaf.

A

Stomata

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Specialized cells joined into tubes that transport water and nutrients throughout the plant body, evolved in land plants to maintain water balance.

A

Vascular Tissues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

On land, organisms must overcome gravitational forces without the buoyancy provided by water, leading to adaptations like skeletons in animals and cellulose in plants.

A

Gravity Constraint

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

The upward force resulting from the displacement of water that helps aquatic organisms overcome gravitational constraints.

A

Buoyancy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Structural materials in plants that help provide support against gravity, especially in terrestrial plants like trees.

A

Cellulose and Lignin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

The timing and quantity of rainfall in terrestrial environments, which constrain water availability for plants and animals.

A

Precipitation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

The dominant factor influencing the vertical gradient of light in terrestrial environments is the absorption and reflection of solar radiation by plants.

A

Vertical Gradient of Light in Terrestrial Environments

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

The surface area of one or both sides of a leaf, used to express foliage density.

A

Leaf Area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

The area of leaves per unit ground area (m² leaf area/m² ground area).

A

Leaf Area Index (LAI)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Describes the relationship between available light and Leaf Area Index (LAI), where light decreases as LAI increases.

A

Beer’s Law

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

A pigment that allows plants to perceive shading by other plants, affected by the shift in spectral quality of light.

A

Phytochrome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

The angle at which a leaf is oriented relative to the Sun influences the amount of light it absorbs, with angled leaves absorbing less light than perpendicular ones.

A

Leaf Orientation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

a natural product formed and synthesized by the weathering of rocks and the action of living organisms.

A

soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

is a collection of natural bodies of earth, composed of mineral and organic matter, capable of supporting plant growth.

A

soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

a pioneer of modern soil studies, expressed difficulty in defining soil precisely, acknowledging the complexity of soil’s nature and functions.

A

Hans Jenny,

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

not just an abiotic environment for plants; it is teeming with life, including billions of minute animals, bacteria, and fungi.

A

soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

The unconsolidated layer of debris that overlies hard, unweathered rock, varying in depth from nonexistent to tens of meters, where soil is formed.

A

regolith

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

results from the interaction of forces like water, wind, and temperature, causing rock surfaces to flake and peel away. It breaks down rock and minerals into smaller particles without significantly altering their composition.

A

mechanical weathering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Causes of Mechanical Weathering

A
  1. Water seeps into crevices, freezes, expands, and cracks the rock.
  2. Wind-borne particles, such as dust and sand, wear away the rock surface.
    3.Growing roots of trees split rock apart.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

involves the alteration and breakdown of rock particles due to the presence of water, oxygen, and acids from soil organisms, as well as organic matter.

A

Chemical Weathering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Five Factors of Soil Formation

A

parent material, climate, biotic factors, topography, and time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

the material from which soil develops. It can originate from bedrock, glacial deposits (till), wind-carried sand and silt (eolian), gravity-driven material (colluvium), or sediments from flowing water (fluvial).

A

parent material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi contribute to soil formation by breaking up parent material, stabilizing the soil surface, and adding organic matter.

A

Biotic Factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

or land contour, affects how climate influences weathering. Steeper slopes have more runoff and less soil infiltration, while flatter land accumulates more water.

A

topography

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

allows the factors of soil formation—weathering, organic material decomposition, mineral loss, and material movement through soil—to take effect, requiring 2,000 to 20,000 years for well-developed soils to form.

A

time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Physical Properties of Soil

A

color, texture, structure, moisture, and depth, which are highly variable from one soil to another.

30
Q

influenced by organic matter and chemical composition. Dark or black soil is rich in organic matter, while oxides of iron give yellowish-brown to red colors, and manganese oxides give a purplish to black color.

A

soil color

31
Q

Soil color is classified using standardized color charts, such as the __.

A

Munsell Soil Color Charts

32
Q

refers to the proportion of different-sized soil particles, including gravel, sand, silt, and clay. It affects soil’s physical properties, including water-holding capacity and ion exchange.

A

soil texture

33
Q

spaces within and between soil particles, essential for air and water movement, and root penetration.

A

pore space

34
Q

have large pore spaces, favoring rapid water infiltration, percolation, and drainage.

A

Coarse-Textured Soils

35
Q

have smaller pores, greater water adhesion, and chemical activity. Heavy soils like clays can become compacted, poorly aerated, and hard for roots to penetrate.

A

Fine-textured soils

36
Q

varies based on slope, weathering, parent materials, and vegetation

A

soil depth

37
Q

A sequence of horizontal layers in the soil, differentiated by physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, which together constitute a soil profile.

A

Soil Profile

38
Q

The horizontal layers of soil, including the O, A, B, and C horizons, each with distinct characteristics.

A

Horizons

39
Q

layer dominated by organic material, consisting of partially decomposed plant materials such as leaves, needles, twigs, mosses, and lichens. (organic layer)

A

O Horizon

40
Q

sublayer of O horizon (undecomposed leaves and twigs)

A

Oi

41
Q

sublayer of O horizon
(partially decomposed tissues)

A

Oe

42
Q

sublayer of O horizon (humus)

A

Oa

43
Q

composed of material derived from parent materials and enriched with organic matter (humus) from above. It often has a darker color due to organic accumulation. (topsoil)

A

A horizon

44
Q

zone of maximum leaching (eluviation), where minerals and finer soil particles such as clay are washed out from the A horizon. Common in soils developed under forests.

A

E horizon

45
Q

The process of washing out minerals and finer soil particles from the upper soil layers to lower portions of the soil profile

A

eluvation

46
Q

Contains accumulations of mineral particles, such as clay and salts, leached from the topsoil. It is denser and contains less organic matter than the A horizon, making it harder for roots to penetrate. (Subsoil)

A

B Horizon

47
Q

The process of accumulation of minerals and particles from upper soil layers in the B horizon

A

Illuviation

48
Q

The unconsolidated material beneath the subsoil, largely unaltered by soil-forming processes and retaining characteristics of the parent material. Below it lies the bedrock.

A

C horizon

49
Q

The process by which water moves into the soil by gravity into the open pore spaces, with the size of soil particles and their spacing determining how much water can flow in.

A

Infiltration

50
Q

When the pore space in the soil is fully filled with water, and excess water drains freely from the soil.

A

Saturated Soil

51
Q

The amount of water a soil holds when all pore spaces are filled and water is held by internal capillary forces

A

field capacity

52
Q

Water held between soil particles by capillary forces after infiltration.

A

Capillary Water

53
Q

The point at which soil moisture decreases to a level where plants can no longer extract water

A

Wilting Point

54
Q

The amount of water retained by the soil between field capacity and wilting point, representing the water available for plant uptake.

A

Available Water Capacity (AWC)

55
Q

have low field capacity and low wilting points

A

Coarse-textured soils

56
Q

have higher values for field capacity and wilting points.

A

fine-textured soils

57
Q

AWC is highest in

A

intermediate clay loam soils.

58
Q

Chemical nutrients dissolved in soil water that are most readily available for uptake and use by plants.

A

exchangeable nutrients

59
Q

A charged particle, with cations carrying a positive charge and anions carrying a negative charge.

A

ion

60
Q

The total number of negatively charged sites on soil particles (clay and humus) that bind and prevent the leaching of positively charged nutrient cations.

A

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

61
Q

Anions, such as nitrate (NO3=) and phosphate (PO43=), are not retained on exchange sites in soils and tend to leach away if not taken up by plants.

A

Anions and Leaching

62
Q

The order of cations based on their strength of bonding to cation

A

Lyotropic Series

63
Q

The process that gives rise to different classes of soils, involving five main processes: laterization, calcification, salinization, podzolization, and gleization.

A

Soil Formation (Pedogenesis)

64
Q

A soil formation process common in humid tropical and subtropical regions, involving rapid weathering, heavy leaching, and the retention of iron and aluminum compounds, giving the soil a reddish color.

A

Laterization

65
Q

Occurs when evaporation and plant water uptake exceed precipitation, leading to the upward movement of alkaline salts (typically calcium carbonate) and their deposition in the B horizon, sometimes forming a hard layer called caliche.

A

Calcification

66
Q

Similar to calcification, but in drier climates, resulting in the accumulation of salt deposits at or near the soil surface, common in deserts and coastal regions.

A

Salinization

67
Q

Occurs in cool, moist mid-latitude climates with coniferous vegetation, leading to acidic soil conditions, leaching of cations and compounds of iron and aluminum, and the creation of a white- to gray-colored sand layer in the A horizon.

A

Podzolization

68
Q

A process in waterlogged, poorly drained areas where organic matter accumulates due to slow decomposition, releasing acids that react with iron and give the soil a black to bluish-gray color.

A

Gleization

69
Q

An environmental disaster in the 1930s caused by wind erosion, leading to the loss of topsoil, destruction of farmland, and mass migration. It prompted the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service and the Prairie States Forestry Project.

A

Dust Bowl

70
Q

The removal of soil, particularly topsoil, by wind or water, which destabilizes soil surfaces and reduces agricultural productivity.

A

soil erosion

71
Q

A farming practice where crops are planted directly into the soil without plowing, dramatically reducing soil erosion to as low as 0.14 tons per hectare per year.

A

No-Till Techniques

72
Q

A soil conservation technique that involves planting different crops in the same area in sequential seasons to reduce soil erosion, with rates as low as 3 tons per hectare per year compared to 44 tons per hectare per year with continuous cropping.

A

Crop Rotation

ECOLOGY 1 (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions