Slide Set 4 Flashcards
what are the 3 scales to the physical environment and what do they affect?
- Local (effects on individuals and populations)
- regional (effects on populations and species distributions)
- global (effects on communities and ecosystems)
local influences on individuals are a matter of life or death because?
they affect survival, growth and reproduction of an individual
factors of local influences include what 3 main things?
- light
- temp
- chemical conditions (nutrients and toxins)
what are tolerance and optimal conditions?
tolerance ( a set of temperature and light conditions that a species can tolerate, outside of which they cannot survive)
optimal ( best combination for them to thrive)
tolerance and optimal conditions can be superimposed on maps to indicate the _______ ________ of a particular type of organism
geographic range
a species _____ range can survive but may be at risk of being out competed by other organisms
possible
a species _____ range where one might expect the species to be competitively superior to other species with different optima
optimal
there will be more of a particular species in an _______ range than in a _______ range
optimal, marginal
local light and temperature factors can be scaled up to regional _______ and __________
weather and climate
local chemical factors can be scaled up to ____________ ______
biogeochemical cycles
what does biogeochemical cycles influence?
soil development, nutrient retention, water dynamics
biotic effects can be scaled up from individual and population responses at a habitat scale to ______ and________ responses at a ________ or _______ scale
population and species
regional or landscape
what is an ecotone?
- border between two different types of ecosystems
- a spacial transition from one type of ecosystem to another
- a zone where two ecosystems overlap
in an _______ you can find species characteristic of _____ ecosystems as well as species found only in the ecotone
ecotone, both
what is an example of ecotone?
- mt sentinel montana an ecotone from forest to grassland, covered by woody shrubs
- Key factor: amount of moisture
- mangrove marsh in florida everglades, mangrove forest at the edge of the water to saw grass dominated plain
key factor: rise in sea level - freshwater riparian zone
key factor: soil moisture
the distribution range of saguaro cactus is limited by duration of periods of _____
frost, it must thaw each day
northern and eastern distribution limits are closely related to boundaries of what?
the sonoran desert
what is the definition of weather?
the pattern of light, temperature and precipitation that influences the dynamics of a population
*the pattern must be relevant to the scale of the life histories of the organisms
biogeochemical cycles involve what?
lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere
ex. nitrogen cycle
research at the landscape level includes what ?
investigation of the effects of clear cutting on forest dynamics and water quality
how was forest dynamics and investigates with clear cutting ?
clear cut areas were sprayed with herbacide to prevent regrowth, forested and deforested areas were assesed for nutrient input and output, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium.
what were the outcomes fo clear cutting?
export of nutrients via streamflow increased dramatically, increased leaching and weathering, transpiration decreased, decomposition decreased
how can recovery occur of deforested areas?
enhanced if nutrient loss is limited, especially nitrogen and calcium
terrestrial systems are dependent on what happens in the soil; including?
- soil formation
- soil age
- soil type
soil formation includes
CLORPT
Climate Organisms Relief/ topography Parental material Time
higher temperature can ___
___chemical reactions
speed up
higher amounts of precipitation can cause ________ leaching
increased
what is the role of plants, fungi and bacteria in the soil?
- source of exudates (acids and enzymes)
- physical alterations of the soil
what is the role of burrowing animals in the soil?
soil mixing
topography affects what 4 main things?
- rate of runoff and erosion
- light availability
- temperature
- plant growth and organic matter accumulation
underlying geology and sediment history affects ?
- mineral availability
- water capacity
- nutrient movement
- plant growth and organic matter accumulation
age of soils affect?
degree of weathering, soil depth, soil fertility
types fo soils are based on what 3 things?
- soil texture, sand, silt, clay
- soil structure
- soil porosity
what is topography?
slope and orientation can affect the type of vegetation, animals and organisms
aquatic ecosystems are influenced by what 6 factors?
- landform
- energy
- water chemistry
- water physics
- substrates/ sediments
- nutrient inputs
weather can be scaled up to ______
climate
have climate celts been static through geological time?
no
movements of tectonic plates have caused what affects?
alterations in ocean basins, ocean currents, patterns in major climate events, and occurrence of climate belts
what is the example of axel heiberg island?
in the past it was around 18 degrees celcius with lush vegetation, now it is around -16 cold and airid. the forest was subject to major floods and long time scales
the earths axis is tilter ______ away from perpendicular?
23.5
______ _________ drives circulation of the atmosphere
solar radiation
what is the heating and cooling pattern of the earth?
air warmed at 60 N or S rises and moves toward the poles
air cooling at 30 N of S descends then moves over surface back toward equator (Hadkey cells) or towards 60N or S (Ferrel cells)
westerlies lie at ________, polar easterlies lie at _________
mid latitudes, high latitudes
