Midterm 2 Flashcards
What is required for vernal pools to form?
- A hard pan
- Some sort of feature to create a mound pool landscape structure
How much of sunlight is received in the epipelagic zone in the ocean?
very high amount of sunlight
How much of sunlight is received in the bathypelagic zone in the ocean?
very low or no sunlight
Is kelp a type of plant?
No
What is convergent evolution?
When unrelated species in regions distant from one another have similar morphological or physiological traits
What are obligate resprouters?
they have a deep tap root, lack a dormant seed bank and have low seedling recruitment
What are obligate seeders?
completely destroyed by fires but their seeds require fire to germinate
What are facultative seeders?
may resprout following fire and also have seeds that are cued to germinate by fire.
What is a forb?
A herbaceous flowering plant
What occurs in the distribution of organisms in the intertidal zone?
Predation from marine environment (fish, crabs, starfish) increases competition for space at upper/higher end of the intertidal zone
What happens in California’s current?
Cold, nutrient-rich water flows south from Alaska
What are types of estuaries?
Drowned river mouth
Tectonic
Barrier spit
A littoral cell is….
A cycle of sediment movement from land to sea (and vice verse) and along the shore
What are the major drivers of habitat diversity and zonation in estuaries?
Salinity gradients
Distance to shore
Elevational gradients
What is a keystone species?
A species that has a disproportionally large effect on its environment relative to its abundance
