Current Issue: B1_Climate Change Impacts in Alberta Forests Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is assisted migration?
The human-assisted movement of species or populations to new locations where climate models predict suitable habitat will exist in the future.
What are aerobic conditions?
Conditions where oxygen is present.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
What is carbon flux?
The exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, and land ecosystems. A forest can be a carbon sink (absorbing more carbon than it releases) or a carbon source (releasing more carbon than it absorbs).
What are clone banks?
Genetic archives created by grafting cuttings (scions) from valuable trees, often those with desirable traits like disease resistance, to preserve their genetic material.
What is co-evolution?
The influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution.
What is crown dieback?
The progressive death of branches and foliage from the top down in a tree, often a sign of stress or disease.
What are disturbance regimes?
The frequency, intensity, and spatial pattern of disturbances (like fire, drought, or insect outbreaks) in an ecosystem over time.
What are ecozones?
Large areas of the earth’s surface characterized by distinct ecological systems.
What is epidemiology?
The study of the incidence, distribution, and control of diseases in populations.
What is evapotranspiration?
The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.
What is forest fragmentation?
The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller, isolated patches.
What is gene conservation?
The process of protecting and preserving genetic diversity within a species.
What is genetic adaptation?
The process by which populations of organisms evolve to become better suited to their environment through changes in their genes.
What are GHGs (Greenhouse Gases)?
Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂) and tropospheric ozone (O₃).
What are invasive alien species?
Non-native species that can cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health.
What is a keystone species?
A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
What is nitrification?
The biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrite followed by the oxidation of the nitrite to nitrate.
What is net primary productivity?
The rate at which an ecosystem accumulates biomass or energy.
What is peatland?
A wetland area with an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or peat.
What is physiological maturity?
The stage of development in a plant where it is capable of reproduction.
What are provenance trials?
Studies that compare the growth and performance of individuals originating from different geographic populations when grown in common environments.
What is a scion?
A shoot or twig cut for grafting.
What are seed orchards?
Areas managed specifically for the production of large quantities of high-quality seeds from selected trees, often for restoration purposes.
