Biomes Flashcards
(8 cards)
What are biomes and how are they classified?
an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome.
are geographically classified or defined as aquatic (water) or terrestrial (land); in addition to, the types of plant and animal populations that predominantly occupy the area. influenced by climate, biomes can shift over time.
Give example of terrestial and aquatic biomes examples.
land region on the earth’s surface covered by biological communities that group under the same climatic patterns like rainfall and temperature, such as tundra, taiga or rainforest
large community of living organisms that are distributed in bodies of fresh water (freshwater biomes) or salt water (marine biomes). There are two main types of aquatic biomes, defined according to their salinity
What are the main factors affecting biome location. Explain how latitude and altitude affects biomes.
Temperature range, latitude, altitude, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome.
Generally speaking, biomes at higher latitudes (further away from the equator) are cooler and drier. Closer to the equator, biomes are generally warmer and wetter, as warmer air holds more moisture than colder air; precipitation decreases as one moves away from the Equator toward the poles
The temperature drops as the altitude increases. This would alter the structure and composition of our biome. Precipitation and height are a little more complicated. Higher elevations typically get snow instead of rain so the temperature is lower. roughly proportional to vertical uplift, precipitation rates often increase with elevation.
angle of incoming solar radiation influences seasonal temperatures of locations at different latitudes. When the sun’s rays strike Earth’s surface near the equator, the incoming solar radiation is more direct
How does precipitation affect biomes.
Higher precipitation leads to tall grass prairie with a high biodiversity of grasses and forbs. Lower precipitation leads to short grass prairies and arid grasslands. Savannas are located north and south of tropical forest biomes and are characterized by lower yearly rainfall and longer dry seasons.
Define evapotranspiration
term used to describe the part of the water cycle which removes liquid water from an area with vegetation and into the atmosphere by the processes of both transpiration and evaporation
What are the types of rainfail.
convectional:occur when the heated air from the earth’s surface rises upwards along with the water vapor & gets condensed when it reaches a higher altitude. clouds carrying the water vapor are not carried away by the wind and hence, it rains in the same place
* orographic:produced when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range. As the air rises and cools, orographic clouds form and serve as the source of the precipitation, most of which falls upwind of the mountain ridge
* cyclonic:caused when the warm moist air comes in contact with cool dry air. At the end of summer, the air above the water heats up and rises creating an area of low pressure. So, the high pressure cold air starts rushing in
What affect does the distance of the sea and ocean currents have?
Ocean currents act much like a conveyer belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth’s surface
areas near the coast tend to be warmer than inland areas during winter, but during the summer coastal areas tend to be cooler. water takes longer to heat up than land, but retains its heat longer than land. therefore, inland areas can warm up very quickly but during the night or winter months they can be very cold
