Semester 2 Quiz 1 Flashcards
What is a biome?
Contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from, and are adapted to, its climate
Examples of major terrestrial biomes
Taiga, temperate rainforests, temperate seasonal forests, tropical rainforests, scrubland, temperate grassland, savanna, desert, and tundra
How is the worldwide distribution of biomes?
Dynamic, but has changed in the past and may shift as a result of global climate changes
What do freshwater biomes include?
Streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are a vital source for drinking water
What do marine biomes include?
Oceans, coral reefs, marshland, and estuaries
How is algae beneficial?
Supplies a large portion of the Earth’s atmosphere and takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
What is primary productivity?
The rate at which solar energy (sunlight) is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis over a unit of time
What is gross primary productivity?
The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area
What is net primary productivity?
The rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers in a given area, after subtracting the energy lost to respiration
How is productivity measured?
In units of energy per unit area per unit time
Where is most red light absorbed?
In the upper 1m of water
Where is most blue light absorbed?
Deeper than 100m in the clearest water
How do global wind patterns result?
Result from the most intense solar radiation arriving at the equator, resulting in density differences and the Coriolis effect
What is the Earth’s main source of energy dependent on season and latitude?
Incoming solar radiation (insulation)
What determines the intensity of solar radiation?
The angle of the sun’s rays
What latitude receives the highest intensity of solar radiation?
The latitude directly horizontal to the solar radiation
When is the most solar radiation received?
On the location’s longest summer day
When is the least solar radiation received?
On the location’s shortest winter day
What causes the Earth’s seasons?
The tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation
What are weather and climate affected by?
The sun’s energy as well as geologic and geographic factors, like mountains and ocean temperature
What is a rain shadow?
A region of land that has become drier and drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation from reaching land
