Habitats and niches Flashcards
define tundra
a dry and cold area
define desert
dry and hot
define temperate grassland. does any woody vegetation grow there? what does this suggest about precipitation levels?
moderate temp with very little rainfall- woody plants cannot grow
define savannah. what kind of rainfall do they receive?
high temp with seasonal rainfall affecting seasonal flora growth ad fauna migration
what is taiga?
boreal forest
define taiga (boreal forest)
low temp with good rainfall- coniferous forest
define temperate deciduous forest
temperate climate with good rainfall- found in the UK
define temperate rainforest
temperate climate with lots of rainfall- found in Alaska and north east of US and south east of South America
define tropical rainforest
high temp and high rainfall
what kind of weather does high air pressure on the equator and around the tropics cause?
fine clear weather as clouds cannot form.
define the Hadley cell
a convention of air that rises at the equator and flows above ground towards the poles. it sinks at about 30º north and south of the equator and then flows back to the equator at ground level
define fundamental niche
the entire area in which an individual can operate given its physiology and behaviour
define realised niche
the actual space available when competition, predators and other limiting factors are considered
why is biodiversity high in rainforests?
niches are densely vertically stratified- due to different light levels setting varying levels of floral existence allowing many organisms to inhabit close spaces
how does parallel evolution occur in similar niches?
due to respective niches being similar in different places across the globe, different unrelated species have similar traits (camo)
