Ecology Quiz 2

Question 1

The difference between weather and climate

Answer 1

The difference between weather (short term) and climate (temporal long term temp precipitation):

Weather: Current conditions such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud cover.

Climate: Long-term description of weather, based on averages and variation measured over decades
- Includes daily and seasonal cycles, as well as yearly and decadal cycles.

Question 2

The importance of weather variability for ecological processes (seasons and extreme events influence organism that live there)

Answer 2

• Climate determines the geographic distribution of organisms
• Climate is characterized by average conditions; but extreme conditions are also important to organisms because they can contribute to mortality.
• Climate also influences rate of periodic disturbances such as wildfires which can kill organisms and disrupt communities BUT Can also create opportunities for growth of new organisms and communities
  Examples: floods, hurricane, rock slides, avalanches

Question 3

Seasonality
Mediterranean
Grasslands

Answer 3

In a Mediterranean- type climate, most precipitation is in winter; summers are dry, which promotes fire.

Grasslands may receive the same amount of annual precipitation, but it is spread evenly throughout the year.

Question 4

How temperature is determined by the gains and losses of energy at Earth’s surface

Answer 4

(gains are sun solar radiation and how energy is lost from the system affects earth’s temp)

• The sun is the ultimate source of energy that drives the global climate system
• Climate driven by how much radiation is absorbed by service this dictates the temp of the globe and energy being held
• Energy gains from solar radiation must be offset by energy losses if Earth’s temperature is to remain the same - most energy lost to stratusphere is infrared is immediate off earth’s surfaces and then reflected back because of greenhouse gasses
• Much of the solar radiation absorbed by Earth’s surface is emitted to the atmosphere as infrared (longwave) radiation.
• Earth’s surface is also cooled when water at the surface evaporates and absorbs energy.
• Energy is also transferred through the exchange of kinetic energy by molecules in direct contact with one another (conduction) and by the movement of currents of air (wind) and water (convection).

Question 5

Sensible heat flux:

Answer 5

Energy transfer from warm air immediately above the surface to the cooler atmosphere by convection and conduction.

Question 6

The angle of the sun’s rays affects the intensity of the solar radiation that strikes Earth’s surface.

Answer 6

• Towards the poles, the sun’s rays are spread over a larger area and take a longer path through the atmosphere
• Near the equator the sun’s rays strike earth’s surface perpendicularly
• This establishes latitudinal gradients in temperature and is the driving force for climate dynamics.
• Local or regional influences that can govern climate like mountains

Question 7

Greenhouse gasses:

Answer 7

Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate the infrared radiation emitted by Earth.
- Water vapor (H2O)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Some are produced through biological activity, linking the biosphere to the climate system.
Without greenhouse gasses, Earth’s climate would be about 33°C cooler.
Increased concentrations of greenhouse gasses due to human activities are altering Earth’s energy balance, changing the climate system, and causing global warming.
Increase green gas then more radiation back to atmosphere so hotter
Biological activity that produces water vapor is transpiration - plants take up water send to leaf and release water to atmosphere
Biological activity that produces carbon dioxide is respiration which all heterotrophs do
Biological activity that produces methane is cows instead of CO2
Biological activity that produces nitrous oxide free living bacteria will use nitrogen as an electron receptor instead of CO2

Question 8

Connections between differential heat gain across Earth’s surface and the development of atmospheric circulation cells (understand hadley cell is generated and drives climate)

Answer 8

Atmospheric circulation:
- Solar radiation heats Earth’s surface, which emits infrared radiation and warms the air above it.
- A pocket of warm air is less dense than cool air, and it rises (uplift).
- Atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, so the rising air expands and cools.
- Cool air holds less water vapor than warm air; water vapor condenses to form clouds.
- Condensation is a warming process, so the pocket of air stays warmer than the surrounding air, enhancing its uplift.
- Tropical regions receive the most solar radiation and the most precipitation.
- Uplift of air in the tropics results in a low atmospheric pressure zone.
- When air masses reach the troposphere–stratosphere boundary, air flows towards the poles.

Question 9

Subsidence:

Answer 9

Air descends when it cools and forms a high pressure zone at about 30° N and 30° S. Major deserts of the world are at these latitudes.

Question 10

Hadley Cell:

Answer 10

• Large scale circulation patterns resulting from uplift in the tropics.
• High solar radiation in the tropics (near equator) cause moist air to rise
• This causes cloud formation and air cools high rainfall near the equator
• The cool and DRY air falls at 30° (N or S)
• VERY limited precipitation
• Mid-latitude (Ferrell) and Polar cell not as powerful
• These circulation cells result in the major climatic zones in each hemisphere—tropical, temperate, and polar zones.

Question 11

How surface winds and ocean currents move heat between the tropics and the poles

Answer 11

Prevailing winds:
The atmospheric circulation cells create surface wind patterns:
- Air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, resulting in consistent patterns of air movements called prevailing winds.
- The winds are deflected due to the rotation of the Earth—the Coriolis effect.

Oceanic circulation:
- Driven by prevailing winds. Major ocean surface currents are driven by surface winds, so patterns are similar.
- When warm tropical surface currents reach polar areas, the water cools, ice forms, the water becomes more saline and more dense and sinks (downwelling).
- The downwelling water mass moves back toward the equator, carrying cold, polar water.
- Upwelling occurs where prevailing winds blow parallel to a coastline. Surface water flows away from the coast and deeper, colder ocean water rises up to replace it.
- Ocean currents influence regional climate.
- The warm Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift warm the climate of Great Britain and Scandinavia. At the same latitude, Labrador is much cooler because of the cold Labrador Current.
- Ocean currents are sometimes referred to as the “heat pumps” or “thermal conveyers” of the planet.

Question 12

Vertical ocean circulation:

Answer 12

Surface waters are warmer and less saline (less dense) than deep waters, so the two layers generally do not mix.

Question 13

Upwellings influence

Answer 13

• coastal climates
• bring nutrients from the deep sediments to the photic zone, where light penetrates and phytoplankton grow.
• This provides food for zooplankton and their consumers.
• These areas are the most productive in the open oceans.

Question 14

The great ocean conveyor belt

Answer 14

The great ocean conveyor belt is an interconnected system of ocean currents that link all the oceans and transfers heat from the tropics to the poles.

Question 15

Global climate patterns:

Answer 15

• Average annual temperatures become progressively cooler from the equator toward the poles, explained by the global pattern of solar radiation.
• This pattern is altered by ocean currents, continental topography, and distribution of land and water masses.
• Air temperatures over land vary more with the seasons than over oceans, which impacts the distribution of organisms.
• Map: Seasonal temperature variation is expressed as the difference in average monthly temperature between the warmest and coldest months
• Temperature also decreases with elevation above sea level (lapse rate):
  Air pressure and density decrease with elevation; there are fewer air molecules to absorb infrared radiation.
  Wind speed also increases at high elevations due to less friction with the ground surface.
• Precipitation patterns associated with the atmospheric circulation cells are modified by mountain ranges and semi permanent high- and low-pressure zones.
• Pressure cells influence movement of moist air from oceans to continents and cloud formation.

Question 16

Regional climate is influenced by:

Answer 16

1. Proximity to large bodies of water
2. Mountains
3. Vegetation

Question 17

Regional climate: Bodies of water

Answer 17

• Coastal areas have a maritime climate
• Little daily and seasonal variation in temperature, and high humidity.
• Areas in the center of large continents have continental climates— much greater variation in daily and seasonal temperatures, especially in temperate zones.

Question 18

Regional climate: Mountains

Answer 18

• Mountains influence regional climate
• Temperature decreases and precipitation and wind speed increase with elevation; vegetation types change as you move upslope.
• When air masses meet mountain ranges, they are forced upward, cooling and releasing precipitation.
• Rain shadow effect: The windward mountain slope facing the prevailing winds has high precipitation and lush vegetation; the leeward slope gets little precipitation.

Question 19

Regional climate: Vegetation

Answer 19

• Albedo: Amount of solar radiation a surface reflects; light-colored surfaces have highest albedo.
• A coniferous forest has a darker color and lower albedo than bare soil or dormant grassland and absorbs more solar energy.
• The texture of Earth’s surface changes with vegetation.
• A continuous grassland has a smooth surface, which allows greater transfer of energy to the atmosphere by wind than a rough surface, such as mixed forest and grassland.
• Vegetation can cool the atmosphere through transpiration (evaporation of water from inside a plant via its leaves).

Question 20

Albedo:

Answer 20

Amount of solar radiation a surface reflects; light-colored surfaces have highest albedo.

Question 21

Evapotranspiration:

Answer 21

Water loss by transpiration, plus evaporation from the soil.

Evapotranspiration transfers water and energy (as latent heat) into the atmosphere, thereby affecting air temperature and moisture.

Question 22

The biosphere:

Answer 22

The biosphere is the zone of life on Earth
It lies between:
The lithosphere—Earth’s surface crust and upper mantle
The troposphere—the lowest layer of the atmosphere

Question 23

Terrestrial Biomes:

Answer 23

• Biomes: large-scale terrestrial communities shaped by the physical environment, categorized by dominant plant growth forms and characteristics such as leaf deciduousness or succulence.
• Use plants to characterize biomass and not animals bc they can’t move around and must cope with the environment
• Taxonomic relationships are not taken into account; the biome concept relies on similarities in the morphological responses of organisms to the physical environment.
• Plants occupy sites for a long time and are good indicators of climatic conditions and disturbances.
• Plant form responds to selection pressures such as aridity, extreme temperatures, etc.
• Similar growth forms occur in similar climates on different continents, even if the plants are not genetically related.
• Latitude dedicates where a biome is distributed which plays a role with solar radiation that drives climate

Question 24

Convergence:

Answer 24

evolution of similar growth forms in response to similar selection pressures.

Question 25

​​Biome distribution:

Answer 25

Distribution of the terrestrial biomes is determined by Earth’s climate zones.
Example: Major deserts of the world are associated with zones of high pressure at 30°N and 30°S.

Temperature has direct physiological effects on plant growth form.
- Precipitation and temperature act together to influence water availability and water loss by plants.
- Water availability and soil temperature determine the supply of nutrients in the soil.

Average annual temperature and precipitation predict biome distributions quite well, but seasonal variation is also important.
- Climate extremes can sometimes be more important than average conditions.

Question 26

Human activities also influence the distribution of biomes.

Answer 26

• Land use change: Conversion of land for agriculture, logging, resource extraction, urban development.
• The potential and actual distributions of biomes are markedly different.
• Temperate zones nice to live huge footprint

Question 27

Climate diagram:

Answer 27

A graph of average monthly temperature and precipitation at a location, showing the characteristic seasonal climate pattern. For a given biome, understand vegetation when plants are able to grow. Temperature and precipitation, what would you expect, know how to read diagrams.

Question 28

Tropical rainforests:

Tropical seasonal forests:

Deserts:

Temperate shrublands and woodlands:

Temperate deciduous forests:

Temperate evergreen forests:

Boreal forests (Taiga):

Tundra:

Answer 28

Tropical rainforests: Abundant rainfall and High biomass, high diversity

Tropical seasonal forests: Wet and dry seasons

Deserts: High temperatures, low moisture, Sparse vegetation and animal populations, Low water availability constrains plant abundance but diversity can be high.
Humans use deserts for agriculture and livestock grazing.

Temperate shrublands and woodlands: Evergreen shrubs and trees Mediterranean-type climates—cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Evergreen leaves: plants can be active during cool, wet winters; lowers nutrient requirements—plants don’t have to make new leaves every year.
Sclerophyllous leaves deter herbivores and prevent wilting. - hard herbivores get energy

​​Temperate deciduous forests: syracuse - continental edges with enough rainfall for tree growth
Leaves are deciduous in winter
Oaks, maples, and beeches occur everywhere in this biome
Species diversity is lower than tropical rainforests

Temperate evergreen forests: coastal, continental, and maritime zones
Temperate rainforests: high rainfall and mild winters; located on west coasts.
Lower diversity than tropical and deciduous forests
Leaves tend to be acidic, and soils nutrient-poor

Boreal forests (Taiga):
Long, severe winters
Permafrost (soil that remains frozen year- round) prevents drainage and results in saturated soils
Trees are conifers—pines, spruces, larches—and birches
Cold, wet conditions limit decomposition in soils; soils have high levels of organic matter.
In summer droughts, forest fires can be set by lightning and can burn both trees and soil.
Peat bogs form in low- lying areas.

Tundra: mostly in the Arctic
Cold temperatures, low precipitation
Short summers with long days
Vegetation: sedges, forbs, grasses, low growing shrubs, lichens, and mosses
Widespread permafrost