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Ecology > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

0
Q

A horizon soil

A

The upper layer of mineral soil mixed with organic matter

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1
Q

O horizon soil

A

Composed of fresh and partially decomposing organic material that has not been mixed in with mineral layers

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2
Q

E horizon soil

A

This is the horizon that experiences the most mineral loss and this layer develops a grainy or platelike structure

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3
Q

B horizon soil

A

Leached minerals collect here including clay silicates iron aluminum. Soil becomes blocky or columnar in shape and clay pans may form underneath in certain cases

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4
Q

C horizon soil

A

Contains weathered material which can be different than the soil above

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5
Q

What is soil

A

Soil is a natural body composed of solids liquids and gases that occurs on the surface of earth and occupies space

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6
Q

What is a pedon

A

A three dimensional soil body large enough to study all physical and chemical properties of all horizons

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7
Q

What causes whitish grey soil?

A

Quartz kaolin calcium carbonates gypsum and various other materials

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8
Q

Greyish color indicates?

A

Soils permanently saturated with ferrous iron

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9
Q

How is soil color determined

A

Munsell charts

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10
Q

How is texture determined

A

Proportion of particle sizes and classes

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11
Q

What are rock fragments

A

Particles larger than 2 mm

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12
Q

What is sand

A

Sand ranges from .05 to 2 mm and feels gritty

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13
Q

What is silt

A

Consists of particles that range from between .002 to .05 mm in the diameter and feels floury

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14
Q

What is clay

A

Clay is made up of particles which are less than .002 mm in size and controls the plasticity of soils

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15
Q

Aggregates or peds

A

Clusters of different sized soils the arrangement of which is called soil structure

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16
Q

Field capacity

A

Field capacity is the maximum amount of water that soil can contain

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17
Q

Wilting point

A

The point of saturation after which plants are unable to take water out of soil

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18
Q

Available water capacity

A

The water which is available for plant uptake in any given soil
Or the difference between the field capacity and wilting point

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19
Q

How can pore space be approximated

A

Generally smaller particles have more pore space sand has between 30-40 percent of its volume and silt has between 40-60 percent of its volume in pore space

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20
Q

What are the seven drainage classes

A 
Very excessively drained soils
Excessively drained soils 
Well drained soils 
Moderately well drained soils
Somewhat poorly drained soils 
Poorly drained soils 
Very poorly drained soils
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21
Q

What is pedogenisis

A

The creation of soils

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22
Q

What is bioturbation

A

When living organisms move organic material from the O horizon to the A horizon

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23
Q

What is the solum

A

O-B horizons

means true soil

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24
Q

Regolith

A

O-C horizon all soil material sitting atop bedrock

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25
Q

Oi horizon

A

Fabric horizon occurs when the organic material making up the layer is clearly identifiable

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26
Q

Oe horizon

A

When about 50% of the organic material in the layer is made up of organic material

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27
Q

Oa horizon

A

Sapric horizon highly decomposed organic material that is not identifiable

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28
Q

Clorpt

A

The acronym describing the factors affecting soil development

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29
Q

Cl

A

Climate

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30
Q

O

A

Organic material

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31
Q

R

A

Relief-topographic relief

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32
Q

P

A

Parent material

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33
Q

T

A

Time

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34
Q

What is a Catena

A

An area where the drainage quality of soil changes based solely on topography

35
Q

What are hydric soils and what drainage types compose this soil category

A

Hydric soils form in wet conditions and are generally composed of poorly drained and very poorly drained soils. Sometimes somewhat poorly drained soils fall into this category

36
Q

What is a soil core made up of

A

About 45% loam in some combination 5% organic material and the other 50% is composed of pore space which is either filled with water or gas

37
Q

What is a vertisol soil

A

A soil high in clay deposits found in regions of medium to high rain fall which swells and shrinks in the presence or absence of water

38
Q

What is Inceptisol

A

Soil ranging from low to high rainfall areas which is generally very young

39
Q

What is Histisol

A

Soil which is young ranging from medium to high rainfall which is composed of organic matter

40
Q

What is entisol

A

Young soil with very little development

41
Q

What is Andisol

A

Soils derived from volcanic eruption high in nutrients

42
Q

What are Spodisols

A

Soils which occur in cold climates they are acidic and corse in nature

43
Q

What are aridisols

A

Soils that are found in arid or low rainfall environments

44
Q

What are mollisols

A

Dark soils found in medium rainfall areas grassland lots of organic material with lots of cations

45
Q

What are alfisols

A

Soils found in broad leaf soils usually slightly acidic medium rainfall

46
Q

What are Ultisols

A

Soil found in Subtropic temperate and tropic forest areas high acidity and low cation concentration

47
Q

Oxisols

A

Soils found in the tropics very warm an very wet these areas under go massive nutrient reduction

48
Q

what are epyphites

A

epyphites are plants which grow on other plants these are part of what allows for such diversity of life in the tropics where there is such nutrient poor soil

49
Q

why are the tropics able to support so much life with such poor soil

A

most likely it is because there is a high concentration of nutrients in plants and as plants and epyphites decay nutrient rich epyphite masses are formed.

50
Q

hat two factors affect global climate

A

the sun and the global energy balance Ein=Eout

51
Q

the percent of radiation that a surface can reflect back out into space is known as what

A

its albedo. snow and ice have a very high albedo whereas asphalt has a very low albedo.

52
Q

approximately how much radiation from the sun does the earth reflect back into space?

A

the earth as a whole has an albedo of about 30%

53
Q

how is the radiation that is absorbed from the sun used?

A

the majority is absorbed as heat some of which goes on to fuel weather patterns. the amount used for photosynthesis is insignificant on a global level

54
Q

how can heat be removed from the biosphere

A

eventually all heat that enters the biosphere exits the biosphere some is lost when water is heated and evaporates some is lost fueling wind patterns and some is released into space via long wave radiation

55
Q

what area of the world get consistant sunlight year round

A

the tropics between 23.5 degrees north, the tropic of cancer, and 23.5 degrees south, the tropic of capricorn

56
Q

although the tropics do not have seasons they do experience climate change during the year in the form of…

A

a wet and dry season based on which tropic the sun is closer to.

57
Q

where do deserts start to form relative to the equator

A

30 degrees north and south

58
Q

this is a weather pattern which occurs in the tropics and is based most closely on the position of the sun and the the convergence of the northern and southern trade winds. it is also known for being the major climatic heat engine of the planet

A

inter-tropical convergence

59
Q

the force of the earth’s rotation affecting the winds and current is known as….

also the reason that water in a toilet is rumored to flush counter clockwise in Australia and clockwise in the US

A

Coriolis effect

60
Q

how are temperature and precipitation related?

A

both are principal elements of climate and unless no moisture is present then they are linked linearly. this is because warm air provides a more suitable environment for gaseous water than cold aire

61
Q

what is the side of a mountain which receives precipitation called.

A

windward side

62
Q

what is the side of a mountain that receives no precipitation called

A

leeward side

63
Q

what is the name for mountains forcing warm moist air upward causing it to cool

A

orographic lift

64
Q

what is cooling of air via elevation called

A

adiabatic cooling

65
Q

how do mountain ranges create distinct biomes

A

one side of a mountain range will receive lots of precipitation and the other side will receive very little precipitation causing a desert to form

66
Q

give an example of how timing of precipitation can be more important than the amount of precipitation

A

if overall yearly rainfall is average but the rainfall during the growing season is at drought levels then crops will not grow

67
Q

what does yellow shading mean in a climate diagram

A

drought

68
Q

what does it mean if months are shaded red in a climate diagram

A

growing season for the area

69
Q

what soils are found in rainforests

A

oxisols and andisols

70
Q

what soils are found in the savannah

A

Oridisols

71
Q

what soils are found in temperate woodlands/ shrub-lands

A

inceptisols, aridisols and alkisols

72
Q

what soils are found in temperate grasslands

A

molisols

73
Q

what soils are found in temperate forests

A

alfisols ultisols

74
Q

what soils are found in boreal forests

A

spodisols

75
Q

what soils are found in tundra

A

histisols, inceptisols and entisols

76
Q

what soils are found in the desert

A

aridisos

77
Q

what is a hard dark layer of soil which forms due to lack of transpiration called?

A

Chlichee (not sure my spelling is right)

78
Q

what is it called when soil slowly migrates down a hill?

A

soil fluction

79
Q

why are mountains considered islands in the sky?

A

mountains are isolated from the surrounding landscape because most organisms cannot easily migrate up and down the mountain isolating them from other species. additionally each mountain has its own unique ecosystem.

80
Q

what is the term for an animal that can fly?

A

volant species

81
Q

what is the term for organisms migrating up a mountain due to the end of the ice age?

A

glacial refugia

82
Q

what is a micro climate?

A

a very small scale climate. however the area a single micro climate affects can vary for example a single rock heated by the sun can be considered a micro climate but a side of a mountain which receives uniform sunlight and wind patterns could also be considered a micro climate

83
Q

what helps determine an animals body temperature?

A

the different micro climates which it inhabits

84
Q

how do different facing sides of a hill differ?

A

south facing slopes tend to be sunnier drier and hotter than the north facing slope this leads to different plant animal species on each face also a few mobile species are able to migrate back and fourth between the two mountain faces taking advantage of the different climates

85
Q

what factor is most important to predict the areas where an animal population will live

A

micro climate

86
Q

Zone of eluviation versus iluviation

A

Iluviation- b horizon

Eluviation- e horizon

Ecology (4 decks)

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