Vocab

Question 1

Explicate

Answer 1

• to explain or analyze (such as an idea or work of literature);
• give a detailed explanation of
• develop the implications of (analyze logically)

Question 2

Phenology

Answer 2

• branch of science dealing with the relations between climate and periodic biological phenomena
• periodic biological phenomena that are correlated with climatic conditions

Question 3

Labile

Answer 3

• readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown; unstable; open to change

Question 4

Substrate

Answer 4

• the base on which an organism lives (soil is substratum of most seed plants)
• a substance acted upon (as by an enzyme)

Question 5

Heterogeneous

Answer 5

made of parts that are different; consisting of dissimilar or diverse ingredients or constituents; mixed

Question 6

Heterotrophic

Answer 6

requiring complex organic compounds of nitrogen and carbon for metabolic synthesis (such as from plants or animal matter) (vs. autotrophs which can create their own such as via photosynthesis)

Question 7

Cryosphere

Answer 7

the frozen water part of Earth’s system

Question 8

Albedo

Answer 8

• the fraction of solar energy (short wave radiation - SWR) reflected from the Earth back into space.
• a measure of the reflectivity of the earth’s surface

Question 9

Paleoclimatic

Answer 9

of, relating to, or being a climate distinctive to a past geological age

Question 10

Proxy data

Answer 10

data that paleoclimatologists gather from natural recorders of climate variability (tree rings, ice cores, fossil pollen, ocean sediments, etc.)

Question 11

External forcing

Answer 11

processes external to Earth and its atmosphere that influence Earth’s climate (galactic variations, orbital variations, sunspots)

Question 12

Normative

Answer 12

Based on what is considered the normal or correct way of doing things

Question 13

Positivism

Answer 13

a theory that theology and metaphysics are earlier imperfect modes of knowledge and that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations as verified by the empirical sciences

Question 14

Colluvial soils

Answer 14

Colluvium is a loose deposit of sharp edged rock debris accumulated through the action of gravity at the base of a cliff or slope. Colluvium is sediment that has moved downhill to the bottom of the slope without the help of running water in streams.

Question 15

Acrisol soils

Answer 15

Acrisols occur dominantly in the wetter parts of the tropics and subtropics and the warm temperate regions in relatively young landscapes.

Question 16

Stochastic

Answer 16

Random, involving a random variable; involving chance or probability

Question 17

Primary Productivity

Answer 17

The flow of energy through any ecosystem starts with the fixation of sunlight by plants and other autotrophic organisms. In this way the plant accumulates energy and this energy is called primary production. The rate at which this energy accumulates is called primary productivity.

Question 18

Gross primary production

Answer 18

The total energy accumulated through gross primary production is gross primary production, however, since plants use some of this energy themselves, it is not all available for the food web.

Question 19

Net primary production

Answer 19

The difference between energy accumulated (gross primary production) and what is available for the food web is called net primary production

Expressed in kilocalories or grams m-2 y-1 or kcal or g/m2/y. This is measured by sequentially measuring growth of the biomass over time by marking the plants somehow, or measuring a total at the end of the growing season. Alternatively you can measure oxygen production or CO2 consumption both of which equal grams C produced. (experiment possiblities!)

In general, swamps and marshes have the highest primary production of all the world’s ecosystems.

Question 20

heuristic

Answer 20

using experience to learn and improve;
involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially trial-and-error methods

Question 21

recruitment

Answer 21

the process of adding new individuals to a population or subpopulation (as of breeding or legally catchable individuals) by growth, reproduction, immigration, and stocking