APS124 Flashcards
(104 cards)
1
Q
When was The Devension Cold Stage
A
115,000-10,000BP
2
Q
What are interstadials
A
embedded periods of temporarily warm conditions
3
Q
what are stadials
A
embedded periods of cold conditions
4
Q
When was the Chelford Interstadial
A
60,000BP
5
Q
Mean temp (degrees C) of Chelford Interstadial (Feb and July)
A
Feb: -10 (now 4)
July: 16 (now 17)
6
Q
Vegetation of the Chelford Interstadial
A
birch, pine, spruce
7
Q
Fauna of the Chelford Interstadial (8)
A
brown bear, fox, red deer, spotted hyeana, reindeer, woolly rhino, horse and elk
8
Q
When was the Upton Warren Interstadial Complex
A
42,000-38,000 BP
9
Q
July mean temp of Upton Warren IC
A
16 degrees C (now 17)
10
Q
Flora found in Upton Warren IC? (vegetation)
A
Thermophilous species, arctic alpines, dwarf pillows and birch (NO TREES)
11
Q
Fauna found in Upton Warren IC?
A
Mammoth, woolly rhino, bison, reindeer, horse
12
Q
Dimlington Stadial key features
A
A long period of cold Maximum expansion of the Devensian ice Extensive ice sheets Large Herbivores forces south July mean temp: 17 Park-tundra vegetation
13
Q
Windemere Interstadial
A
strong reduction of the ice caps,
Herb and moss tundra became replaced by shrubs, trees ‘park-tundra’ and woodland.
14
Q
Lochlomond Stadial
A
Return to colder conditions for about 1000 years
July mean temp: 10-12
Caused by disruption of the gulf stream?
Ended with a very rapid temperature rise
Leads to post glacial (flandrian) period
Tree birches and pine survived
————-> 10,000 years ago
15
Q
Suggested climate and date and zone:
Pre-boreal
A
Sub-arctic, 9500 bc, IV
16
Q
Suggested climate and date and zone:
Boreal
A
Warmer and Dry, 7600 bc, V & VI
17
Q
Suggested climate and date and zone:
Atlantic
A
Warm and Wet, oceanic, 5500 bc, VIIa
18
Q
Suggested climate and date and zone:
Sub-boreal
A
Warm and Dry, continental, 3000 bc, VIIb
19
Q
Suggested climate and date and zone:
Sub atlantic
A
Cool and Wet, oceanic, 500 bc, VIII
20
Q
Zone I
A
pre-windemere
21
Q
Zone II
A
Windemere Interstadial
22
Q
Zone III
A
Loch Lomond Stadial
23
Q
Zone IV
A
Post glacial birch zone, 9500 bc
24
Q
Zone V
A
Hazel pine birch, 7600-5500 bc
25
Zone VI
Hazel pine period
26
Zone VII
Alder/mixed oak
27
What is the Forest Maximum
when most of the UK was covered in forest
28
what is The Atlantic Period
the 'climatic optimum' of the past glacial period
29
Zone VIII
Alder-birch, oak-beech period
30
3 main types of (semi) natural woodland?
Native, Ancient, Recent
31
What is Primary woodland?
Survived continually since ice age
32
What is secondary woodland?
Planted or established since last ice age
33
How much of the UK is wooded?
~ 12%
34
What is community structure
The spatial organisation of a plant material within a community
35
3 components of community structure?
Vertical structure
Horizontal structure
Species abundance
36
Woodland vertical structure:
| What are the 3 layers?
Ground layer
Field layer
Shrub layer
37
3 main distributing types of horizontal structure?
Regular
Random
Clumped
38
The pattern shown by a species is a product of:
Morphology and growth characteristics,
Seed dispersal mechanisms,
Environmental heterogeneity
Species interactions
39
4 ways to measure species abundance:
Abundance guesstimates (DAFOR)
Density
Frequency
Cover
40
Species Abundance
the amount a species contributes to the vegetation
41
2 approaches to plant survival on the forest floor
Shade Tolerance
| Complementation (growing when the light intensity is relatively high)
42
3 characteristics of shade plants?
Large thin leaves
Single palisade layer
Large SA:weight ratio
43
What is phenology?
The study of the seasonal periodicity and timing of plant growth
44
Vernal species
Spring
45
Aestival species
Summer
46
Hiemal species
winter
47
Groundlayer of oak woods dominated by what species?
Deschampia Flexuosa
48
Brown forest soils
Active mixing of mineral and organic matter by organisms. No sharp boundaries between horizons
49
Podzol soil
Almost no mixing. Sharp boundaries between horizons, and district horizons, higher acidity.
Characteristic of cool, wet climates.
Major store of carbon.
Heaths
50
Reason for the 'Elm Decline'
Disease,
Selective cropping,
Trees pollarded to provide leaves for livestock food
51
Adaptations of grassland
Intercalary meristems
Adpressed growth
Low palatability
Ephemeral life history (short lived)
52
Calcifuge species found in...
...acidic soils
53
Calcicole species found in...
..calcareous soils (calcium carbonate)
54
Rendzina soils are...
...immature soils
55
Heathland dominated by...
Ericoid dwarf species (HEATHER)
| Low floristic diversity, high conservation status.
56
What is the Largest carbon reserve in the uk?
Peatlands (3 billion tonnes)
57
Management technique for red grouse
Rotational burning (8-15 year cycles) for eating and nesting
58
How much is grouse shooting worth a year in the UK?
100 million
59
Problems with deforestation
Loss of diversity or distinct species
| Loss of visual appeal value
60
Soil changes with deforestation
Increase earthworms
Gradual breakdown of old calluna
Decrease in exchangeable H
Increase in pH, exchangeable Ca and total P
61
How are wetlands formed?
Vegetation succession
62
Allogenic succession
driven by environmental change
63
Autogenic succession
occurs when the vegetation itself induces environmental change
64
Primary Succession
on surfaces that have not previously supported vegetation
65
Secondary Succession
On surfaces that have previously supported soil and vegetation
66
2 ways in which peat accumulates
Territorialisation
| Paludification
67
What is Territorialisation
Filling in of lakes and pool
68
What is Paludification
Once dry land gets wetter (increased sea levels, increased precipitation)
69
Two types of Territorialisation?
Rafting
| Rooting
70
Rafting territorialisation
Open water becomes overgrown directly by peat
71
Rooting territorialisation
Infilling of open water
In situ (Autochthonous) or
In-washed (Allochthonos)
72
3 adaptations to oxygen deficiency in roots
Anaerobic respiration in roots
Transport of oxygen to roots
Release of oxygen into the rhizosphere (soil around root)
73
Wetland plants have high tissue porosity. What provides this porosity?
Aerenchyma
Cavities and channels
Other special oxygenating structures
74
What are Pheumataphores?
Upward growing roots
Mangroves (have lenticels)
Take air directly into the rooting system
75
Oxygenation of the Rhizosphere occurs by
Diffusion of oxygen out of the roots
| Enzymic oxidation on the root surface
76
3 factors of plant distribution
Climatic factors
Physiographic factors
Edaphic factors (soil features)
77
Anthropogenic atmospheric N deposition:
| Oxidised N examples:
Wet: Nitrates (No3)
Dry: Nitrous oxides (N20)
78
Anthropogenic atmospheric N deposition:
| Reduced N examples:
Wet: NH4+ (ammonium)
Dry: NH3 (ammoinia)
79
Anthropogenic N sources?
Fossil fuel combustion
| Agriculture
80
Factors affection N deposition?
Distance from source
Surface roughness
Rainfall
81
4 mechanisms of N deposition as an ecological threat:
Eutrophication
Soil acidification
Increased susceptibility of plants to secondary success
Direct Toxicity to plants
82
Floristic diversity can decline with increasing soil (a)?
| Floristic diversity can decline with decreasing soil (b)?
a) N
| b) pH
83
What does Global Warming Potential compare? (GWP)
comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gasses.
It measures of how much energy the emissions of 1 ton of a gas will absorb over a given period of time, relative to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2). The larger the GWP, the more that a given gas warms the Earth compared to CO2 over that time period.
84
Sea water is approx. 35g/1000g seawater, what are the consequences of this?
Freezing point lowers to -1.89%
| Density increases to 1029kg.m-3
85
What % of the suns energy is captured by marine photoautotrophs when its hits the sea?
3%
86
What are Macrophytes?
'Sea weeds' , need to be attached to the sea bed, need light.
87
What is Phytoplankton?
Single celled organisms, produce half of the atmospheres oxygen.
88
4 main classes of phytoplankton:
Cyanobacteria, Haptophytes, Dinoflagellates, Diatoms
89
What are the problems with phytoplankton?
tend to sink
90
Implications of Philippians super typhoon (October 2013)
6000 deaths
| $8-$15billion in damage
91
Define "Extreme" both climatically and ecologically:
Climatically: 95% percentile
Ecologically: abruptness
92
Give on example of a trophic interactions driven by extreme events:
3 herbivores: Svalbard reindeer & rock ptarmigan and sibling vole. 1 consumer: Arctic fox. (Affected by ground ice from rain and snow.)
93
What is the current UKCP?
UKCP09
94
Describe the haze effect:
El chichon volcano Mexico, 1982
| Temp change -0.2 to -0.5
95
Give 2 consequences of the North Atlantic Oscillations:
Wet winters in Europe
| Cold and dry winters in N Canada and Greenland
96
What is the predicted future temperature rise:
Winter +2-3 degrees
| Summer +2.5-4 degrees
97
What is the predicted future sea level rise:
+12-76cm
98
What is the predicted precipitation change:
Winters +10-30%
Summer -40%
(Little change predicted annually)
99
Give 3 impacts on recent change in climate (all species)
Native plant species 28%decreased
Native breeding birds 54% decline
Native butterfly species 71% decline
100
Name 2 classic studies of UK limestone grasslands:
Buxton, Derbyshire
| Wytham, Oxfordshire (more fertile)- large divergence of communities
101
What is polar amplification? (Why does the arctic warm faster than lower latitudes?)
As snow melts, dark surface is exposed, absorbs more solar energy
More energy goes into warming that evaporation
Shallower atmospheric layer in the arctic
Atmospheric and oceanic circulation can increase warming.
Sea ice retreats and water gives off more heat energy
102
What is permafrost?
Permanently frozen ground
24% land in the Northern hemisphere
Stores carbon as peat and methane
over 2x as much C than the atmosphere
103
Permafrost thaw positive or negative feedback?
Positive feedback on climate
104
What are the results of Arctic Greening?
Increased plant growth
| Expansion of more productive plants (shrubification)
