BIOL1104 midterm 2 info Flashcards
(134 cards)
Adiabatic lapse rate
10 degrees/1000m
environmental lapse rate
4 degrees/1000m
ecology
study of how factors such as climate and interaction with other species influence the distribution and abundance of organisms (occur at a hierarchy of scales)
environmentalism
social movement based on various backgrounds whose collective goal is to reduce humanities ecological footprint
natural history
study of plants or animals leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study; published more in magazines than academic journals
Climate
- four physical factors: temperature , precipitation, sunlight, wind
- the most significant influence on the distribution of organisms on lands and in the oceans
troposphere
- warmest air is found near the ground (sensible heat)
- as we increase in altitude it gets cooler cause there are less molecules
- adiabatic expansion
adiabatic expansion
- air mass above the ground is heated up and the area of the air mass is increased
- mass is buoyant and rises up
- as it rises t cools because the molecules are more spread out
- other air masses come to fill the space and the cycle continues
mesosphere
temperature drop because theres not enough oxygen to continue the ozone rxn
thermosphere
temperature increase because of the presence of gamma and xrays
coriolis effect
makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
also you move slower at the poles
Coriolis effect
makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
also you move slower at the poles
polar cells
60-70 degrees north
cool and moist temperate rain forest
Hadley cells
30-40degrees north
hot and wet tropical rainforest
ferrel cells
60-70 degrees north
hot and dry dessert
why do tree lines exist?
- coniferous trees keep their needles in the winter
- they lose their moisture
- tree line is a function of how long the winter season is because if the trees are higher on the mountain, the winter will be longer and they will dry out
- tree lines exist because of winter desiccation
why do deciduous trees drop their leaves in the winter?
- theres no source of moisture in the winter
- if they don’t they will dry out and die
- to prevent winter desiccation
how are camels and saguaros alike?
- they reduce heat gain: small surface area on cactus and high density of white needles + spine on the cactus reduces air flow from the outside environment , camels face the sun to reduce body exposure to the sun+have dense hair that prevents hot air from heating up their body
- they reduce water loss: camels don’t sweat which allows body temp to increase; cactus closes its stomata and allows its body temp to increase
how have plants in the tundra adapted?
- most plants are small therefore less surface area for water loss and getting cold
- very dense growth reduces convection flow
- succulents retain water which retains heat
- pubescents (fine hair) prevent air flow directly on the plant itself
- reflect sun rays to the stigma and the stamen to increase the temperature to those areas which enables germination and pollination
variables that limit the distribution of species in terrestrial biome
moisture & temperature
macro climate
- when warm and moist air approaches a mountain, the air rises and cools releasing moisture on the windward side of the peak
- on the leeward side, cooler, dry air descends absorbing moisture and producing rain shadow (shadow determines where many deserts are found)
micro climate
forrest trees often moderate the microclimate below them
-cleared areas experience greater temperature extremes than the forrest interior because of greater solar radiation and wind currents that arise from the rapid heating and cooling of open land
biomes
characterized by vegetation type (terrestrial biome) and physical environment (aquatic biome)
terrestrial biomes
- because of latitudinal patterns of climate, terrestrial biomes show strong latitudinal patterns
- usually grade into each other without sharp boundaries
- vertical layering