Final Exam Ch. 22 Flashcards
Legacy effects
A long lasting influence of historical processes on the current ecology of an area
Local diversity
The number of species in a relatively small area of homogenous habitat
Regional diversity
The number of species in all of the habitats that comprise a large geographic area
Species area curve
A graphical relationship in which increases in area are associated with increases in the number of species
Equilibrium theory of island biogeography
A theory stating that the number of species on an island reflects a balance between the colonization of new species and the extinction of existing species
Potential evapotranspiration
The amount of water that could be evaporated from the soil and transpired by plants given the average temperature and humidity
Energy diversity hypothesis
Sites with higher amounts of energy are able to support more species
Continental drift
Movement of landmasses across earths surface
Pangaea
The single landmass that existed on earth 250 Mya
Laurasia
The northern landmass that seperated from Pangaea 150 Mya split into NA EU Asia
Gondwana
The southern landmass that seperated from Pangaea split into S America Africa Antartica India
Landscape ecology
The field of study that considers the spatial arrangement of habitats at different scales and examines how they influence individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems
