Lec 4- terrestrial biomes

Question 1

biome

Answer 1

major divisions of land enviro based on specific climate w common plant species
- constantly evolving
- boundaries are subjective

Question 2

terrestrial biomes

Answer 2

large terrestrial regions with similar climate and vegetation
- follow latitudinal arrangement of climate cells
- alignment is distorted in some regions due to tall mountain ranges and uneven distribution of water and land mass
- identified based on geography, mean annual temp and precipitation and predominant vegetation

Question 3

geography

Answer 3

vary across latitudes based on:
- mean annual temp and precipitation sum (climate) (limits where organisms can survive and thrive)
- predominant vegetation (food and habitat for rest of ecosystem)

Question 4

climate diagrams

Answer 4

• describe climate at locality
• Walter Lieth diagrams: display absolute and relative info about avg climate properties at location
• pack with info and can inform about climate of locality

Question 5

What can we learn from climate diagrams?

Answer 5

absolute values:
how hot/cold across year?
how much yr was frost free?
how much precipitation?
how variable precipitation?

relative arrangement of curves:
when do periods of drought or extensive period of rain occur?

Question 6

Yellow area

Answer 6

indicates drought
temp > 2x preciptation
temp above precipitation

Question 7

Light blue area

Answer 7

lack of drought
- temp < 2x precipitation

Question 8

Dark blue areas

Answer 8

excessively moist periods
- switches in scale and dark blue shading necessary for graphical reasons (too tall otherwise)

Question 9

Canada biomes

Answer 9

temperate grassland
temperate forest
boreal forest
tundra

Question 10

tropical rainforest

Answer 10

• high mean annual T
• high monthly mean T
• high mean annual precipitation sum
• low seasonality (almost no change in precipitation or temp across months)
• biomass-rich, evergreen (non-deciduous) forest vegetation

Question 11

desert

Answer 11

• low or high mean annual temp (hot or cold)
• very low mean annual precipitation sum (v. dry)
• strong to moderate seasonality in temp
• sparse, short-stature, mostly tree-less, vegetation

Question 12

temperate grasslands

Answer 12

• low mean annual t
• low mean annual precipitation sum
• strong seasonality in temp (hot summer and cold winters)
• tree-less vegetation dominated by grasses and shrubs
• v. fertile soils, biome with highest land loss (conversion to crop land)

Question 13

temperate forest

Answer 13

• moderate mean annual t
• high mean annual precipitation sum
• moderate seasonality in temp
• forest vegetation (deciduous, broadleaf forests or coniferous forests

Question 14

boreal forest

Answer 14

• v. low mean annual t
• moderate mean annual precipitation sum
• strong seasonality in temp
• conifer forest vegetation
• extensive wetland and peatland vegetation (muskeg)

Question 15

tundra

Answer 15

• v. low mean annual t (cool summer, v. cold winters)
• moderate mean annual precipitation sum
• moderate seasonality in temp and precip
• low shrub and grass vegetation, tree-less and permafrost (ground remains frozen)

Question 16

Whittaker diagram- purpose/fxn

Answer 16

• displays major biomes as a fxn of mean annual temp and mean annual precip
• each biome show map and mat
• considers climactic variation within biomes

Question 17

Whittaker Diagram - deserts

Answer 17

desert biome: spans huge temp range bc of hot and cold deserts
- hot: influenced by warm and dry air of Hadley cells (warm throughout year)
- cold: dry bc of rain shadow effect and continentality (v. cold season) (higher latitudes)

Question 18

Ecozones of Canada

Answer 18

gov’t of canada developed its own classification

Question 19

soil

Answer 19

complex mixture of living and non-living material upon which most terrestrial life depends

Question 20

mechanical weathering

Answer 20

breakdown of rock into smaller particles from combined action of water, wind and plants

Question 21

chemical weathering

Answer 21

action of chemical processes such as solution, hydrolysis and oxidation

Question 22

horizons of soil (5)

Answer 22

o (organic) also called LFH horizon: starts everything
a (surface): high organic content and root density
b (subsoil): less organic and root depth
c (substratum): little to no matter and roots, more large inorganic components
r (bedrock): inorganic

Question 23

soil depth matters

Answer 23

influenced by slope, weathering, parent materials, and vegetation
the deeper the soil, the deeper root penetrate
deeper soils can also hold more water and minerals

Question 24

soils

Answer 24

lots of species to describe and processes to understand
underappreciated biodiversity hotspots

Question 25

why are soil organisms important?

Answer 25

• form soil strucutre
• regulate soil moisture
• perform gas exchange and carbon sequestration
• vital in nutrient cycling
• decompose dead matter
• control plant growth