Ecology Chap 7 definitions

Question 1

biomes

Answer 1

large terrestrial regions, each characterized by certan types of climate & domiant plant life

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

physical properties of large area (precip/temperature) as measure over a long period of time. [area’s general pattern of atmospheric conditions over periods of at least three decads and up to thousands of years]

Question 3

ocean currents

Answer 3

mass movements of surface water produced by prevailing winds blowing over oceans

Question 4

greenhouse gases

Answer 4

water vapor (H2O) carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4 nitrous oxide N2O-fermintation, OZONE, chloroflurocarbons [image: guy driving car on cold day, breathing out, farting, banana ferminting, fertialzer back, and spray self with aerosale (chloroflourocarbons).

Question 5

natural greenhouse effect

Answer 5

natural warming effect of troposphere. Natural effect that releases heat in atomposhere near earth’s surface. Greenhouse gases (above + ozone) and other gases in lowere atmopshere (troposphere) absor some of infared radiation heat radiated by earths surface. Molecules vibrate and transform absorbed energy into longer wavelenght infared radiation in troposphere. IF atomosphere concentrations of green house gases increase and other natural processes do not remove the, AVG TEMP of lower atmosphere will increase (compare to global warming: warming of earths lower atmosphere (troposphere) b/c increase in concentrations of one or more greenhouse gases. Can result in climate change that last for decades to thousands of years.

Question 6

3 types desserts grasslands and forests

Answer 6

tropical temperate cold

Question 7

desert

Answer 7

biome in which evaporation exceeds precipiation and avg amount of precipitation is less than 25cm (10inches) per year. Little vegetation OR have widely spaced mostely low vegetation.

Question 8

grasslands

Answer 8

biome found in regions where enough annual avg precipitation to support growth of grass and small plants but not enough to support large stands of trees

Question 9

permafrost (grasslands)

Answer 9

perennially frozen layer of soil that forms when water there freezes. Found artic tundra. Part of the Hydrosphere.

Question 10

forrest

Answer 10

biome with enough average annual precipitation to support growth of tree species and smaller forms of vegetation

Question 11

mountains

Answer 11

step or high lands which cover aboute 1/4 of earths land surface. Dramatic changes altitude, slope,climate,soil, and vegation take place over very short distance. Compare latitude to altitude – the parallel each other

Question 12

second law of thermodynamics

Answer 12

whenever energy is converted from one form to another in physical or chemcial change, we end up with lower-quality or less usable energy than we started with. In any conversion of heat energy to useful work, some initial energy input is always degraded to lower-quality, more dispersed, less useful energy–usually low-temp heat that flows into environment; you cannot break even in terms of energy quality

Question 13

first law of thermodynamics

Answer 13

whenever energy is converted from one form to another in physical or chemical change, no energy is created or destroyed, but energy can be changed from one form to another; you cannot get more energ out of something than you put in; in terms of energy quantity, you cannot get something for nothing. This law dos not apply to nuclear changes, in which large amounts of energy can be produced from small amounts of matter