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z Geog 111 > Week 11 - Biogeography III > Flashcards

Week 11 - Biogeography III Flashcards

1
Q

What is a biome?

A

A large, stable ecosystem characterized by specific plant and animal communities.

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2
Q

What are biomes usually characterized by?

A

The dominant vegetation.

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3
Q

What are the major terrestrial ecosystems named after?

A

Generally, the dominant plant communities.

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4
Q

What is the major cause of biome disturbance?

A

Urban environments

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5
Q

Are there any undisturbed biomes?

A

No, not really, especially considering air circulation and pollution.

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6
Q

Why are temperature and precipitation considered “groups” of factors?

A

Because there are so many variables under each heading.

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7
Q

What is convergent evolution?

A

The evolution of similar features in species of different lineage.

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8
Q

What causes convergent evolution?

A

Natural selection combined with similar climatic conditions.

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9
Q

Are bioregions historical or environmental?

A

Historical

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10
Q

What are the primary controls on the geographical distribution and productivity of biomes?

A

Precipitation and temperature.

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11
Q

What are the 8 main biomes?

A

Tropical Rainforest, Savannah, Desert, Chaparral, Grassland, Temperate Forest, Boreal Forest, Arctic and Alpine Tundra

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12
Q

Why do biomes look a lot like the Köppen classification?

A

Because they are both defined by temperature and precipitation.

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13
Q

What is the research focus on mapping and ecotones?

A

How to depict fuzzy lines.

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14
Q

Are ecotones usually narrow or broad?

A

Climatic ecotones are usually quite broad, whereas ecotones based on soil or drainage can be very narrow.

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15
Q

Is biodiversity high or low in ecotones, and why?

A

Usually quite high due to the overlap of two ecosystems.

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16
Q

What were the continents previous to what we have now?

A

Originally one continent, Pangea, which split into a northern and southern continent, Laurasia and Gondwanaland respectively.

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17
Q

What is the tropical rainforest biome like?

A

Consistent year round daylight, high temperature, high insolation, lots of precipitation, abundant species populations and diversity.

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18
Q

How much of the world’s forests are tropical?

A

Roughly half.

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19
Q

Why is biodiversity so high in tropical areas?

A

Very little climatic change, therefore lots of time to diverge.

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20
Q

What is the rate of biodiversity in the tropics?

A

1 sq km may have over 100 species.

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21
Q

What is the main species found in the tropics?

A

Insects.

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22
Q

The tropics represent what percentage of Earth’s species?

A

Maybe 30-50%

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23
Q

How has species identification happened in the past?

A

Kill it to identify it.

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24
Q

How are ecological niches distributed in the tropics?

A

Vertically; the canopy is important here for light availability.

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25
Q

Why are tropical soils so devoid of nutrients?

A

It’s mostly contained in the biomass, sucked up by the vegetation itself.

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26
Q

What to tropical trees need because of thin soils?

A

Buttresses.

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27
Q

What is the main problem with turning rainforest into agricultural land?

A

The soil is pretty nutrient-bare.

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28
Q

What are the issues with logging in the rainforest?

A

Major species loss, major carbon sink loss, timber is valuable but often burnt, and it’s often pointless.

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29
Q

Where did apes develop?

A

In the savanna.

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30
Q

Why is the savanna good for apes?

A

Easy to see predators coming.

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31
Q

The savanna is a transition between…

A

…deserts and tropics.

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32
Q

What is the vegetation like in the savanna?

A

Grasslands with a few trees and shrubs.

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33
Q

Why is the savanna becoming less extensive?

A

Desertification.

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34
Q

How often does precipitation occur in the savanna?

A

Less than six months in the year.

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35
Q

What word means “a plant that has adapted for dry conditions”?

A

Xerophyte

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36
Q

What do fires do for the savanna?

A

Preserves the ecosystem by not allowing it to become forest.

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37
Q

Why are fires common in the savanna?

A

Because moisture deficits are common.

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38
Q

What kind of animals would you find in the savanna?

A

Large mammal; grazing animals provide food for many large predators.

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39
Q

What are soils like in the savanna?

A

More nutrient-rich than the tropics.

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40
Q

What is the difference between a desert as a climate and a desert as a biome?

A

Antarctica is not a desert as a biome.

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41
Q

How much of the terrestrial biomes are covered in deserts?

A

Roughly 1/3

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42
Q

Where are deserts usually located latitudinally?

A

Between 25 N and S

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43
Q

Why don’t deserts have precipitation?

A

Descending air.

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44
Q

How do plants cope with deserts?

A

They may be ephemeral, have deep tap roots, spreading root systems, or toxins

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45
Q

When are animals active in the desert?

A

At night.

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46
Q

What is chaparral?

A

Grassy, shrubby, meadow

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47
Q

What grows on ice?

A

Algae

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48
Q

Who is the “other” guy, the not-Darwin?

A

Alfred Wallace

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49
Q

If the climate changes, a species must move. What are some problems?

A

Some species will move faster than others and is there even any place for them to go?

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50
Q

What parts of geological history are especially important when considering biogeography?

A

Shifting continents and climate change.

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51
Q

To whom is the theory of continental drift usually attributed?

A

Wegener

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52
Q

How is Wegener always depicted?

A

In a parka with a pipe in his mouth

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53
Q

What is the theory of continental drift based on?

A

The fit of continents if you cut out a map

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54
Q

What is the summer like in chaparrals?

A

Dry

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55
Q

Where do chaparrals occur latitudinally?

A

32-40 N and S

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56
Q

Where do chaparrals occur geographically?

A

Mediterranean, California, and Australia

57
Q

How are chaparrals adapted to fires?

A

They have deep-rooted plants

58
Q

What kind of trees are common in chaparrals?

A

Olive, acacia, eucalyptus, and cork oak.

59
Q

Sclerophyllous – what’s that?

A

It means “hard-leaved”, to withstand summer drought. They do not drop their leaves.

60
Q

What kind of protective measures to plants in chaparrals generally have?

A

Thorns to protect from herbivores.

61
Q

Are chaparrals good for agriculture?

A

Yes, but they require irrigation.

62
Q

What is the decomp rate like in chaparrals?

A

Slow

63
Q

What are the characteristics of grasslands?

A

Flat, prairie areas.

64
Q

How abundant are natural grasslands?

A

Rare. They are the world’s bread baskets and have been highly modified for grazing.

65
Q

What do you call tall grasslands and where would you find them?

A

Prairies; found in the US and Argentina/Uruguay

66
Q

What do you call short grasslands and where would you find them?

A

Steppes; found in US, E Europe, Veldt in South Africa.

67
Q

What are the nutrients contents like in grasslands?

A

Extremely nutrient-rich

68
Q

What kind of herbivores would you find in grasslands?

A

Small burrowing herbivores (dogs, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, and gophers) and larger running herbivores (. bison, pronghorn antelope, and elk)

69
Q

What kind of carnivores would you find in grasslands?

A

Badgers, coyotes, ferrets, wolfs, and cougars

70
Q

Why are many grassland species threatened?

A

Because of ecosystem changes.

71
Q

What happened when Manitoba tried to create a natural grassland reserve?

A

They couldn’t find a natural grassland.

72
Q

What are the three types of temperate forests?

A

Mid-latitude broad-leaf and mixed forest;
Temperate rainforest;
Boreal forest.

73
Q

What are the seasons like in mid-latitude broad-leaf and mixed forests?

A

Warm to hot summers, cool to cold winters.

74
Q

What do mid-latitude broadleaf and mixed forests transition to in the north?

A

Boreal forest

75
Q

Deciduous trees lose their leaves, but what do pines depend on?

A

Fires

76
Q

Geographically, where would you find mid-latitude broadleaf and mixed forests?

A

N.America, Europe, and Asia

77
Q

Where are temperate rainforests found latitudinally?

A

Mid to high latitudes.

78
Q

Where are temperate rainforests found geographically?

A

Mostly along the Pacific coast of N.America.

79
Q

What is the biodiversity of temperate rainforests like?

A

Low compared to tropical forests.

80
Q

What are the characteristics of temperate rainforests?

A

Old and large, e.g. redwoods

81
Q

What are the best shoes for a boreal forest?

A

Galoshes!

82
Q

What should you bring to a Boreal forest?

A

Bug spray!

83
Q

What is the name for the sub-Boreal forests?

A

Taiga

84
Q

What kind of trees grow mostly in the Boreal?

A

Evergreen fir, pine, and spruce

85
Q

Why is vegetation limited by in the understory of the Boreal?

A

Because of low light penetration.

86
Q

What kind of plants would you find in the understory of the Boreal?

A

Cranberries, blueberries, orchids, roses

87
Q

What is the climate like in Boreal forests?

A

Short summer, cold winter, fair amount of precipitation.

88
Q

Where is the Boreal located geographically?

A

Fairly continuous band across N. America and Europe

89
Q

What kind of mammals would you find in the Boreal?

A

Moose, bear, deer, wolverine, marten, lynx, wolf, snowshoe hare, voles, chimpmunks, shrews, and bats

90
Q

What are soils like in the Boreal?

A

Deep litter, slow decomp, thin and acidic.

91
Q

Why are soils thin and acidic in the Boreal?

A

Because of large quantities of water and subsequent leaching.

92
Q

What does tundra mean?

A

Marshy plain.

93
Q

Where would you find tundra, both geographically and latitudinally?

A

Extreme north of North America and Russia, mostly north of 60N

94
Q

What is the difference between tundra and alpine tundra?

A

Alpine tundra has no permafrost and better drainage.

95
Q

What kind of plant life can be found in the tundra?

A

Treeless, dwarf shrubs, mosses, lichens and short grass

96
Q

What is species diversity like in the tundra?

A

Low

97
Q

What are the principal herbivores in the tundra?

A

Caribou, musk ox, arctic, hare, voles and lemmings.

98
Q

How do birds handle the tundra?

A

They migrate for the winter.

99
Q

What are the main carnivores in the tundra?

A

Fox, snow owl, polar bear, and wolves.

100
Q

What is the ground surface like in the tundra?

A

Spongy and hummocky

101
Q

What is the climate and soil like in the tundra?

A

Cold, poor drainage, permafrost, and low rates of evapotranspiration.

102
Q

What acts as a physical barrier to plant growth in the Arctic?

A

The permafrost line.

103
Q

When did the dinosaurs die out?

A

65 million years ago

104
Q

What is some of the evidence for continental drift?

A

The existence of similar fossils on different continents

105
Q

What is a classic example of a fossil found on multiple continents?

A

Glossopteris, an extinct fern.

106
Q

Where are Glossopteris fossils found?

A

S.America, Africa, India, Oz, and the Antarctic

107
Q

When and why was the idea of continental drift accepted?

A

1960, with the development of plate tectonics

108
Q

What is interesting about continental drift and fossil groupings?

A

You find groupings similar to biomes.

109
Q

What is the period of time that we are currently in?

A

The Quaternary

110
Q

How long has the Quaternary period lasted?

A

About 2 million years

111
Q

When did the last glaciation terminate?

A

About 20,000 years ago

112
Q

Which ice sheet covered present day BC?

A

The Cordilleran ice sheet.

113
Q

What use to be where the Bering Strait is now?

A

The Beringia land bridge

114
Q

What is dispersal?

A

The movement of species from one area to another.

115
Q

What is the point of species dispersal?

A

To escape inhospitable environments and reach new habitats.

116
Q

What is colonization?

A

When a breeding population is set up

117
Q

What is passive dispersal?

A

Outside forces causing dispersal, e.g. wind, water, birds, animals, people

118
Q

What is active dispersal?

A

Providing your own movement, e.g. flying, walking, swimming

119
Q

What are irruptions?

A

Temporary explosions, e.g. locusts

120
Q

The limit of individuals that can live in an area, be stable, and support itself is called what?

A

Carrying capacity.

121
Q

Which factors limit colonization?

A

Biological and environmental factors

122
Q

What is another name for exponential population growth^

A

Geometric growth.

123
Q

When does geometric growth happen?

A

It’s usually only possible in the early stages of colonization.

124
Q

What is the more general kind of growth seen after the initial stages of colonization?

A

Logistic growth

125
Q

What is logistic growth related to?

A

Carrying capacity

126
Q

What is a supertramp?

A

An animal that follows the strategy of high dispersion among many different habitats, towards none of which it is particularly specialized. (think, literally, of a tramp)

127
Q

What is a corridor?

A

A path from one place to another.

128
Q

Which corridor facilitated the Great American Interchange?

A

The Isthmus of Panama

129
Q

What do corridors promote?

A

Dispersal and colonization

130
Q

How are exotic species introduced?

A

By humans

131
Q

Why are some species introductions deliberate?

A

Agriculture or gardens

132
Q

What percentage of flora is thought to be introduced in Canada and America?

A

10-25%

133
Q

What happened during the Great American Interchange?

A

Species were exchanged across North and South America when the Isthmus of Panama opened up.

134
Q

What is Cope’s rule?

A

The trend in evolution is toward larger size, but many exceptions exist. Also toward more species, but we have an incomplete fossil record to prove or disprove this.

135
Q

What causes extinction?

A

Normally, it’s caused by change events (e.g. dry periods) where there is a lack of genetic diversity to cope. There is also competition from evolving species and overspecialization.

136
Q

Which animals are more susceptible to extinction?

A

Large animals because they require more resources.

137
Q

What is the difference between a biogeographic region and a biome?

A

A biogeographic region is an historic division, where as a biome is an environmental division. Think deserts in Oz and Cali.

138
Q

What are the six major biogeographic realms?

A

Nearctic, Neotropic, Palaearctic, Ethiopic, Madagassian, Oriental, Australian

z Geog 111 (11 decks)

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