Text Chapters 15 & 16: Ecology- Biomes

Question 1

Influences of the Sun

Answer 1

temperatures are highest at the equator and decline at areas toward the poles

Question 2

Influences of the Rotation and Tilt of the Earth

Answer 2

hemisphere tilted toward the sun changes as earth orbits the sun

Question 3

Influences of Topography (Elevation and Rain Shadow)

Answer 3

wind blows from oceans towards land, rising when it hits mountains, rising air cools and holds less moisture, leading to cloud formation and rain, air passes over mountain tops and falls, becoming warmer and increasing the moisture it can hold. This reduces rainfall and results in dry areas

Question 4

Influences of Ocean Currents

Answer 4

there are several large, circular patterns of flowing water in the oceans due to a combination of forces including wind, the earth’s rotation, the gravitational pull of the moon, temperature, and salt concentration

Question 5

Tropical Rainforest Biome

Answer 5

warm temperature, large amounts of rainfall, greatest diversity of species on the planet

Question 6

Savanna

Answer 6

short rainy season, long, severe droughts, grasses with scattered clumps of trees, large mammals

Question 7

Desert

Answer 7

less than 10 inches of annual rainfall, temperature extremes

Question 8

Chaparral

Answer 8

Mild rainy winters, long, hot, dry summers

Question 9

Grasslands

Answer 9

10-30 inches of rainfall, snow in winter, periodic droughts , frequent fires, grazing animals

Question 10

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Answer 10

30-60 inches of annual rainfall-most during the summer, cold winters, deciduous trees- loose leaves in cold, dry weather, layered vegetation- trees, shrubs, wildflowers, abundant animal species

Question 11

Taiga

Answer 11

short growing season, long, cold winters, evergreen confiners, limited species diversity

Question 12

Tundra

Answer 12

long, cold winters, short, cold summers 10 or fewer inches of precipitation, permafrost limits plant growth, grasses, perennial flowering plants, breeding area for birds

Question 13

How the Introduction of Exotic Species could Affect the Ecological Balance of an Ecosystem of Biome

Answer 13

when introduced to the island of Guam, brown tree snakes eradicated most of the native species of birds who have never experienced predation by snakes and had not developed defense mechanisms- when introduced to the US as a gardening plant, purple loosestrife escaped from cultivation and has invaded wetlands in every state except Florida, the aggressive plant outgrows native plants, sedges, and flowering plants- when introduced to the Great Lakes, Zebra mussels can cause damage to industrial facilities by clogging water-intake pipes, depleting resources available to small fish, and eliminating the food supply for larger game fish