ch 40 Flashcards
(36 cards)
abiotic factors
nonliving factors that influence distribution and abundance of organisms
biotic factors
living factors
what determines global climate patterns
input of solar energy and earths movement in space
sun warms atmosphere land,water> causes temp variations, air movement, and evap> causes latitudinal climate variations
What causes regional and local effects on climate
tilted axis and yearly passage around the sun causes cycles in day lenth, radiation, and temp
why is the equator hotter
sunlight reflect onto in directly
how do ocean currents effect climate
cooling or heating overyling air masses that pass across the land as well as creating moisture
how does the high specific heat of oceans and large lakes effect climate
when land is warmer than the water, air over land heats and rises, drawing a cool breeze from water
how do mountains effect moisture
when moist air is blown from a body of water over a mountain, the side of the mountain that the air is blowing on filters out the moisture, leaving the land on the other side of the mountain more dry
rain shadow
when a mountain blocks the precipitation from getting to the other side
how do forests effect climate
forests absorb more solar energy because they are darker and it reflect less which contributes to the warming of forested areas. this is offset when the plants evaporate water which reduced earths surface temp and increases precipitation
biomes
majore life zones characterized by vegetation type in terrestrial biomes or by physical enviro in aquatic biomes.
climograph
plot of annual mean temps and precipitation in a particular region
what factors play a role in what biomes exist where that isnt shown on climatograph
climographs show AVERAGES when PATTERNS are also important. like if a place get extremely heavy rainfall, but not frequently, it could still show the same avg as somewhre that gets steady light rainfall.
disturbance
a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community, removing organisms and altering resource availability.
layers of a terrestrial biome
upper canopy > low tree layer > shrub understory > ground layer of herbacious plants >forest floor > root layer
Tropical Forests
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: equatorial and subequitorial
Climate: high temp 25-29 , little seasonal variation. rainforests have heavy rain 200-400cm, dry forests have a 6-7mo dry season 150-200cm
Organisms: vertically layerd, plants compete for light. highest animal diversity of any biome
Human Impact: rapid pop growth and agriculture are destroying many trapical forests
Savannahs
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: equatorial and subequat
Climate: 30-50cm seasonal rain with dry season lasting up to 9mo. 24-29 high temp but varies seasonally
Organisms: scattered trees are thorny and have small leaves. fire comon so many species are fire adapted and drought tolerant. grass makes up most of ground cover. wildebeasts, zebras, lions, hyenas. dominant herbivors are termites
Human Impact:cattle ranching and overhungting have led to decline in mammal pop
desert
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: bands near 30* north and louth
Climate: less than 30cm low precip. temp varies seasonally from -30 to 50
Organisms: low scattered vegitation. heat tolerance, water storage, reduced leaf surface, phys defenses such as spine and toxins. CAM photosynthes.
scorpions, beetles, birds, rodents. active at night when air cooler.
Human Impact:conversion to irrigated agriculture have reduced biodiversity
chaparral
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: midlattitude costal regions
Climate: precip 30-50, highly seasonal. rain winter dry summer. 10-12c reg temp, summer 30c.
Organisms: shrubs, small trees adapted to fire. some produced seeds only after fire.
deer and goats, instects, small mamalls, birds, amphib
Human Impact: reduced through conversion to agriculture and urbanization
termperate grassland
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: midlatitudes, often in interior of continents
Climate: 30-100cm highly seasonal precip. dry winters wet summers. -10 in winter 30 in summer
Organisms: grasses and forbs, adapted to survive droughts and fire. bison and horses prevent woody shrubs n trees. burrowing mamals common
Human Impact:frequently converted to farmland
temperate broadleaf forest
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: midlatitudes in northern hemisphere, smaller areas in chile, SA, aust, and NZ
Climate: precip 70-200 consistently. winter snow. winter temp 0c, summer humid 35c
Organisms: deciduous trees that drop leave before winter. mamals hibernate in winter, bird species migrate
Human Impact:logging and land clearing
norther coniferous forest
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: largest terrest biome, broad band across NA and eurasia
Climate: precip 30-70. cold winters -50 to 20.
Organisms: pine spruce fir hemlock. plant diversity lower than temperate broadleaf forests. migratory birds nest here. moose, brown bear, siberian tigers.
Human Impact: logged at afast rate
tundra
(Distribution:
Climate:
Organisms:
Human Impact:)
Distribution: covers large areas of artic. 20% of earths surface. can be produced on high mountaintops at all lats
Climate: 20-60 precip. over 100 in alpine tundra. cold winter -30 summer 10
Organisms: mostly herbs, mosses, grasses, forbs. lichens, shrub tress. permafrost (perm frozen soil layer) prevents large roots. oxen, migratory carribou and reindeer. wolves foxes snow owls.
Human Impact: mineral and oil extraction
zones of the ocean
Pelagic zones: upper photic(light), aphotic(little light) ,
benthic zone: organic and inorganic sediments, occupied by benthos