APES Unit 3

Question 1

climate

Answer 1

general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions

Question 2

weather

Answer 2

local area’s short-term temperature or other physical conditions

Question 3

3 factors that affect distribution of air

Answer 3

Properties of air, water, and land
Uneven heating of the earth’s surface
Rotation of the earth on its axis

Question 4

Coriolis effect

Answer 4

the earth’s rotation causes winds to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 5

currents

Answer 5

caused by prevailing winds and the rotation of the earth

Question 6

thermocline

Answer 6

differences in water temperature

Question 7

upwelling

Answer 7

water density differentials

Question 8

El Niño

Answer 8

disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system

Question 9

Rain Shadow Effect

Answer 9

Air travels over mountaintops and into slopes creating warm air. It has a lot of moisture but doesn’t release it. This creates dry plants and soil.

Question 10

The Greenhouse Gases

Answer 10

Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Water, Nitrous Oxide

Question 11

The Greenhouse Effect

Answer 11

the gases get trapped in the atmosphere and warm the earth

Question 12

biomes

Answer 12

large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate

Question 13

Tropical Rain Forests

Answer 13

year round warmth with high humidity and heavy rainfall
evergreen vegetation
high biodiversity
canopy, emergent, sapling, and ground zones
poor soil quality

Question 14

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Answer 14

moderate temperature fluctuates
few species: maple, beech, oak
slow decomposition of leaves

Question 15

Boreal Forests (Taigas)

Answer 15

long dry and cold winters
few species: pine, cedar, spruce
needle leaves
low plant biodiversity
slow decomposition of needles

Question 16

Tropical Grasslands (Savannas)

Answer 16

warm temperatures and alternating warm and dry seasons
large grazing herbivores
deep rooted plants

Question 17

Temperate Grasslands (prairie)

Answer 17

rainfall
cold winters hot and dry summer
productive for crops
high winds

Question 18

Cold Grasslands (Arctic Tundra)

Answer 18

frigid treeless plains
extreme cold (permafrost)
limited vegetation
animals like Arctic Fox

Question 19

Tropical Deserts

Answer 19

little vegetation

extreme high daytime temperatures

Question 20

Temperate Deserts

Answer 20

more precipitation than tropical deserts
drought resistant plants (cacti)
high daytime and low nighttime temperature

Question 21

Cold Deserts

Answer 21

sparse vegetation

extremely cold winters

Question 22

Turbidity

Answer 22

measure of how cloudy water is due to sedimetn

Question 23

Salinity

Answer 23

concentration of salts in given water

Question 24

Plankton

Answer 24

bottom trophic levels

Question 25

Phytoplankton

Answer 25

dominant primary producers

Question 26

Euphotic zones

Answer 26

upper layers of ocean that receives most sunlight

Question 27

Zooplankton

Answer 27

drifting herbivores

Question 28

Nekton

Answer 28

strong swimming like fish

Question 29

Benthos

Answer 29

bottom welling organisms

Question 30

Dissolved Oxygen

Answer 30

marine life depend on this

Question 31

Coastal Zones

Answer 31

high tide mark in oceans to the continental shelf

Question 32

Estuaries

Answer 32

freshwater meets saltwater

Question 33

Intertidal

Answer 33

rising and falling tides

Question 34

Coral Reefs

Answer 34

slow growing diverse ecosystems exist along equator in warm waters

Question 35

Open Ocean and Sea Floor

Answer 35

great expanse of the continental shelf

Question 36

Bathyl Zone

Answer 36

middle layer of ocean with little sunlught

Question 37

Abyssal Zone

Answer 37

bottom lower receives very little sunlight

Question 38

marine snow

Answer 38

organic waste that settles at floor from top layers

Question 39

Freshwater life zones: lentic

Answer 39

standing bodies of water (lakes, inland wetlands, bogs , and ponds)

Question 40

Freshwater life zones: lotic

Answer 40

moving bodies of water such as rivers and streams

Question 41

submergent

Answer 41

underwater

Question 42

emergent

Answer 42

rooted in water yet penetrates air/water boundary

Question 43

oligotrophic

Answer 43

Clear, deep lakes that have low nutrient levels and therefore limited primary productivity

Question 44

eutrophic

Answer 44

Once lakes have accumulated a high concentration of nutrients that support high levels of net primary productivity by producers

Question 45

Cultural eutrophication

Answer 45

Large amounts of nutrients added due to lake systems due to human activities, such as runoff of fertilizers

Question 46

runoff

Answer 46

Freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows from the earth's surface and into bodies of water

Question 47

watershed

Answer 47

The land area that delivers runoff to the river or small streams

Question 48

Source zone

Answer 48

Contains rivers and streams that are directly fed by mountain snowmelt

Question 49

Transition zone

Answer 49

Has streams and rivers with more turbid water due to the increase in sediments flowing into them.

Question 50

Background extinction

Answer 50

Normal extinction of various species as a result of changes in local environmental conditions

Question 51

Mass extinction

Answer 51

Major groups of species wiped out within a short time

Question 52

Biological extinctions

Answer 52

Complete disappearance of a species from the earth

Question 53

Endangered species

Answer 53

Organisms whose population size has decreased to such a low level that they are at extreme risk of becoming extinct

Question 54

Threatened species

Answer 54

Organisms whose populations are declining due to human activity and could potentially become endangered in the near future

Question 55

Old-growth forest

Answer 55

Has not been modified by human activities or natural disasters in 200 years or more

Question 56

Secondary-growth forest

Answer 56

Form from secondary succession once land has been cleared due to human activity or some type of natural disaster

Question 57

Deforestation

Answer 57

Removes large tracts of forested land for fuelwood, agriculture, or urban development

Question 58

Tree plantations

Answer 58

Areas commercially maintained for timber resources

Question 59

rangelands

Answer 59

Wide-open, Non-restricted areas for grazing by grass eating and shrub-eating livestock

Question 60

pastures

Answer 60

Fenced areas that are maintained by ranchers through planting of domesticated grasses or shrubs

Question 61

Rotational grazing

Answer 61

Cattle or livestock are contained in fenced-off spaces where they are rotated from one field to another over the course of the year.

Question 62

bycatch

Answer 62

The unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species