Life 54- Ecology and the Distribution of life Flashcards
Biogeographic region
One of several defined, continental-scale regions of Earth, each of which has a biota distinct from that of the others.
Cold desert
Biome with great seasonal temperature changes found in dry regions at middle to high latitudes, especially in the interiors of large continents in the rain shadows of mountain ranges.
Thorn forest.
Biome with a semiarid climate found on the equatorial sides of hot deserts, and having little or no rainfall during winter, but rainfall may be heavy during summer.
Climate
The long-term average atmospheric conditions (temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind direction and velocity) found in a region.
Abiotic
Non living
Coastal zone
The marine life zone that extends from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf. Characterised by relatively shallow, well-oxygenated water and relatively stable temperatures and salinities.
Biotic
Alive
Area phylogenies
Phylogenies in which the name of the taxi are replaced with the names of the places where those taxa live or lived
Microclimate
A subset of climate conditions in a small specific area, which generally differ from those in the environment at large, as in an animal’s underground burrow
Endemic
Confined to a particular region, thus often having a comparatively restricted distribution
Littoral zone
The costal zone from the upper limits of tidal action down to the depths where the water is throughly stirred by wave action
Ecology
The scientific study of the interaction of organisms with their living (biotic) and no living (abiotic) environments.
Pelagic zone
The open ocean
Rain shadow
The relatively dry area on the leeward side of a mountain range
Tundra
Biome that is found in the Arctic and high mountains at all latitudes with very short summers, very long, cold winters, and little precipitation
Tropical evergreen forest
Biome found in equatorial regions where total rainfall exceeds 250 cm annually and the dry season lasts no longer than 2 or 3 months.
Biotic interchange
The dispersal of species from two different biotas into the region they had not previously inhabited, as when two formerly separated land masses fuse.
Benthic zone
The bottom of the ocean.
Vicariant event
The splitting of a taxon’s range by the imposition of some barrier to dispersal.
Temperate deciduous forest
Biome that is found in eastern North America, Eastern Asia, and Europe, with temperatures fluctuating dramatically between summer and winter, and relatively even distributed precipitation throughout the year.
Environmentalism
The use of ecological knowledge, along with economics, ethics, and many other consideration, to inform both personal decisions and public policy relating to stewardship of natural resources and ecosystems
Biogeography
The scientific study of the patterns of distribution of populations, species, and ecological communities across Earth
Biome
A major division of the ecological communities of Earth, characterised primarily by distinctive vegetation.
Tropical deciduous forest
Biome that occurs in hot lowlands and replaces the thorn forest as the length of the rainy season increases toward the equator. It has very warm, dry winters and warm, wet summers.
Abyssal plain
The deep ocean floor
Hot desert
Biome that is found in two belts, centered around 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south latitude and receives most of its rainfall in summer, but also receives winter rains from storms that form over the mid-latitude oceans.
Temperate grassland
Biome that is found in many parts of the world such as the pampas of Argentina, the veldt of South Africa, and the Great Plains of North America and are relatively dry for much of the year. Most grasslands have hot summers and relatively cold winters.
Chaparral
Biome with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers found on the west sides of continents at moderate latitudes, where cool ocean water flow offshore (such as Mediterranean region of Europe, costal California, central Chile, extreme Southern Africa, and southwestern Australia.)
