LE 3: Terrestrial Biomes Flashcards
What is a biome?
A guideline for the types of living things we expect to find a given environment. They are distributed by the physical environment and microclimates can occur in biomes.
How are terrestrial biomes classified?
Uses precipitation and average annual temperature to predict it
What is convergent evolution? Give three examples:
Organisms with similar challenges evolve to have similar evolutionary strategies independently (different biomes).
Examples:
1. Succulents and Euphorbs have spines that are modified stems.
What is the difference between Climate and Weather?
Climate: average conditions over a large area over a large period of time
Weather: conditions of the atmosphere at a specific place and time
1. very variable
2. affects by the interaction of different global factors that occur at different timescales
How is climate affected by its difference from the equator?
Average temperature is lower based on how far away it is from the equator. Larger distances, result in lower temperatures because there is less sun exposure.
What is an adaptation?
A characteristic of an organism that makes it well suited for its environment.
What is the tundra characterized by?
Characteristics:
1. very few trees and permafrost (frozen soil)
2. Cold winters with moderate precipitation
3. cool summers with most precipitation in the summer
What are the characteristics of Boreal Forests/ Taiga?
Characteristics:
1. evergreen needle-leaved trees with a short growing season (≠ lose leaves often)
2. severe winters
What are the characteristics of temperate rainforests?
Characteristics:
1. Abundant precipitation
2. cold, wet winters (below freezing) and warm summers
3. long growing seasons
What are the characteristics of temperate seasonal forests?
Characteristics:
1. Abundant precipitation
2. Cold winters
3. Long growing season (due to moderate latitude all year long): seasons have trees lose their leaves + regrow due to enough daylight
4. Dominated by deciduous forests
What are the characteristics of Woodlands/ Scrublands?
Characteristics:
1. Mild, Mediterranean Climate (not a huge range in temperature + buffers temperature from water)
2. Dry summers and rain in the winter
3. Chaparral plants
Adaptations:
1. California scrub oak have small sturdy leaves: conserve water and can last a long time in the hot sun
What are the characteristics of Temperate grasslands/ cold deserts?
Characteristics:
1. Hot, dry summer and cold harsh winters (snow)
2. More precipitation in the winter
3. Tall, grass prairies
Adaptations:
Some grass types need to be burned for the grass to grow.
What are the characteristics of Tropical seasonal forests/ savannas?
Characteristics:
1. Closer to the equator than deserts
2. Warm year round
3. Rainy and dry seasons
Adaptations:
Lung fish have a modified swim bladder. Fish gulp air and live in burrows when it is dry. They can live on land in the water.
What are the characteristics of subtropical deserts?
Characteristics:
1. Hot all year long (not much rain and the soil does not absorb water much)
What is desertification?
When regions that were not deserts are becoming deserts.
It can be caused by deforestation, which causes a dryer local climate:
Trees draw up water and transpire them to keep it recycling in the ecosystem.
Without trees, there is less carbon sequestration resulting in more carbon dioxide ad global temperatures increasing.
