Climate and Biomes

Question 1

What are the crucial elements in defining a climate?

Answer 1

Temperature and Humidity

Question 2

What does temperature depend on? Why?

Answer 2

Altitude and latitude.

Solar energy warms the ground, not the air. Air expands as it rises, decreasing pressure, which results in cooling.

Question 3

What is humidity and what does it depend on? Why?

Answer 3

(this also affects climate)
Humidity: amount of water vapour in the air. The warmer the temperaeture, the more water vapour the air can hold.

Question 4

What is the dew point temperature?

Answer 4

The temperature at which water condenses and begins to fall as rain or snow.

Question 5

What is precipitation?

Answer 5

The amount of water that condenses and falls in the form of rain, snow, hail, and sleet.

Question 6

What is a climatograph used for?

Answer 6

Comparing climates of different regions.

A graphical representation of climate data for a specific region and time period.

Question 7

What are the key features of a climatograph?

Answer 7

Title: Climatograph for __

• Horizontal axis is for months (Jan > Dec)
• Left vertical axis = total precipitation monthly (0mm to 360mm) *snow is 10x of rain
• Right vertical axis = avg. temperature monthly (-36c to 36c)
• Bar Graph = precipitation
• Line graph = temperature (with parabola of best fit)

Question 8

What is a biome?

Answer 8

Because the biosphere contains many components, the plant and animal life in a particular region is called a biome.

They are major geographical regions with similar environment conditions and life forms. Example: “desert” - a category

Question 9

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 9

The community of living organisms that interact with each other and with the non-living phyiscal environment.

Example: “that one particular desert/biome”

Question 10

What is a habitat?

Answer 10

The place where an organism lives or where it is usually found.

Example: “where in ecosystem”…in top of trees?

Question 11

In a climatograph, which region will have a flat shaped, n-shaped, and a U-shaped temperature curve.

Answer 11

Northern Hemisphere: n-shaped
Southern Hemisphere: U-shaped
Equator: Flat

Question 12

What are the six major terrestial biomes?

Answer 12

Totally Tiny Ducks Glide Down Rivers.
(From N to S)
- Tundra
- Taiga (Boreal Forest)
- Deciduous Forest (Temperate)
- Grassland [can be Temperate or Tropical]
- Desert
- Tropical (Rain Forest)

Reaches equator. Biomes then repeat towards the South Pole.

Question 13

What are the features of the Tundra? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 13

Temperature
- Long cold winters
- Cool summers
- Annual temperatures -15 to 5
Precipitation
- Dry
- Less than 25cm/yr
Plants
- Grasses
- Sedges
- No trees
Animals
- Caribou
- Arctic Hare/Fox, Polar Bear
- Migratory/Seasonal (Birds)
Other
Permafrost: Ground always frozen

Question 14

What are the features of the Taiga? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 14

Temperature
- Long cold winters
- Cool summers
- Anuual temperatures 4 to 14
Precipitation
- 40 to 100cm/yr
Plants
- Coniferous trees (not very nutritious area)
- Lichens
- Mosses
- More plants
Animals
- Fur-bearing mammals = hibernation and migration is common
- Not a lot of animals
Other
Ground thaws completely in summer

Question 15

What are the features of the Deciduous Forest? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 15

Temperature
- 4 distinct seasons
- Cold winters
- Warm summers
- Annual temperature 14 to 27
Precipitation
- 75 to 150 cm/yr
Plants
- Leafy, deiciduous trees and shrubs
- Mosses
- Lichens
- Ferns
Animals
- Insects
- Birds
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Deer
- Bear
- Wolf
- Fox
Other
Forest floor is dark and moist

Question 16

What are the features of the Grassland? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 16

Can be split into temperate (prarie) and tropical (savanna) grasslands
Temperature
- Mild variation
- Prarie (Temperate): 4 to 18
- Savanna (Tropical): 18 to 30
Precipitation
25-75cm/yr; not enough rain for big forests
Plants
- Grasses
- Less trees, no forests
Animals
- Hawks
- Rodents
- Grazers
- Predators of Grazers
(hide in grass animals)
Other
Soil is rich and fertile

Question 17

What are the features of the Desert? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 17

Temperature
- Hot days
- Cool nights
- 12 to 27
**Precipitation*
<25cm/yr
Plants
- Limited plant life
- Cacti
Animals
- Nocturnal, small, water-retaining
- Lizards
- Rattle snakes
- Coyotes
Other
Soil holds no moisture

Question 18

What are the features of the Tropical (Rain Forest)? Temperature? Precipitation? Plants? Animals? Other?

Answer 18

Temperature
- Warm with little variation
- 25 to 30
Precipitation
>200cm/yr
Plants/Animals
MUCH DIVERSITY = HIGH BIODIVERSITY
Other
Soil is nutrient poor, washed from rain…means lots of fertilizer needed for crops

Question 19

What is paleocliamtology? What are examples of things that are studied?

Answer 19

The study of past climates.

They find changes in width of tree rings, pollen grains trapped in amber (unique to species), lake sediments, and ice cores (the best). These can give indicators of past temperatures, rainfall, and atmospheric conditions.

Question 20

What are the four natural causes of climate change?

Answer 20

• Earth’s Tilt
• Earth’s Orbit
• Continential Drift
• Catastrophic Events

Question 21

Explain Earth’s Tilt in causing climate change.

Answer 21

The tilt of the Earth as it rotates on its axis is not fixed. When the angle larger, the poles recieve more radiation than at other times, resulting in a warmer polar climate.

Larger tilt = more extreme

It can naturally change over long time. Sometimes, large magnitude disasters, such as the 2011 Japanese Earthquake can change tilt.

Question 22

Explain Earth’s Orbit in causing climate change.

Answer 22

This affects the difference in the amount of solar radiation the Earth recieves during the seasons.

Sometimes our orbit will be a long oval, others it’ll be like a circle. It happens in 100K years, though.

Question 23

Explain Continential Drift in causing climate change.

Answer 23

All the major land masses sit on top of tectonic plates that float on the liquid core of the Earth. These plates move around very gradually, affecting the size and shape of the oceans.

The locations of the oceans also affect wind patterns and precipitaiton. The altered position of the continents changes their climate as well.

Latitude changes, too.

Question 24

Explain Catastophic Events in causing climate change.

Answer 24

Meteor strikes and large volcanic eruptions put enormous amounts of dust and ash into the air. This dust cloud limits the amount of water radiation that makes it to the surface of the Earth, affecting photosynthesis and cooling temperatures.

Really big ones are required, though! Krakatau 1883 blocked radiation, increased clouds, and discovered jet streams.

Question 25

What are positive feedback loops?

Answer 25

A self-perpetuating cycle. They spiral out of control. Ex: Cooling temperatures causes a new condition that leads to more cooling... Ex 2: Snow, colder, causes more snow, increasing albedo, becomes more cold... Ex 3: A cow runs, increase panic levels, more cows run... **Ex 4: Decrease in global temperatures, increases sea ice, increases solar radiation, further drops global temperatures, increases sea ice...** **Ex 5: Increases in global temperatures, less ocean capacity to hold CO2, more CO2, increases in temp...** A circle. Caused ice ages.

Question 26

What is a negative feedback loop?

Answer 26

A self-regulating cycle. They fix themselves. Ex: A change in one direction triggers another conditions that reverses the change Ex 2: Thermostat, Hot-> Off, Cold -> On **Ex 3: Increases in CO2 and H2O, increase temperatures, increase water evaporation, increase clouds, increase reflection of solar radiation, decreasing temperatures.** One way.

Question 27

What cause mass extinctions?

Answer 27

If positive feedback loop is too fast. Earth's history including several events in which massive numbers of organisms and species disappear at one time. These mass extinctions often are assosicated with dramatic changes in climate. Rapid changes in climate occur before species can adjust. If climate changes happen over long periods of times, species are more likely to adapt. Ex: Permian Extinction 245 million years ago = 80% species disappeared. We know because of fossil records <> ice cores.

Question 28

What is an adaptation?

Answer 28

Any characteristic that enables an organism to better survive **and** reproduce in an environment.

Question 29

What are the three types of adaptations?

Answer 29

Physiological, structural, behavioural

Question 30

What is a physiological adaptation?

Answer 30

Inside an organism..."body chemistry". How their physical characteristics function in a way that promotes survival. “Biological processes” Ex: Heart slows during hibernation Ex 2: Venom in body Ex 3: Special 4 stomachs of cows/goats/ruminants (can digest cellulose) Ex X: Polar bear high fat stomach process, warmth

Question 31

What is a structural adaptation?

Answer 31

External physicial features. Ex: Fur color/thickness Ex 2: Sheeps' short legs allows for a low center of gravity, which lets them climb hilly areas Ex 3: Giraffes have long encks for leaves and fights Ex 4: Rabbit blends in with snow (white fur) Ex X: Polar bear thick fur

Question 32

What is a behavioural adaptation?

Answer 32

Things organisms do to survive. Ex: Migration Ex 2: Storing food for winter Ex X: Hunting method, waiting near seal holes when they get air **Behavioural adaptations can't be universal things, like finding a mate. "How to overcome this habitat problem."**

Question 33

What is feedback?

Answer 33

A response