Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is biodiversity?
Total number/variety of living things found in an area
What do flora/fauna mean?
Plants/animals
Ontario’s biodiversity (# of species)
> 100 000
Reasons for Ontario’s rich biodiversity
Wide variety of abiotic factors over a large area of land
Bedrock
Rock under a given area
Igneous Rock + features
Formed by magma cooling underground; hard, not layered, acidic, silica-rich, calcium-poor
Granite
Type of igneous rock
Basalt
Type of igneous rock that forms above ground
Sedimentary Rock + features
Formed when materials settle at the bottom of the ocean and are compressed when the ocean recedes; soft, layered, basic, calcium-rich
Limestone
Type of sedimentary rock
Reactions w/acid
Sedimentary rock (e.g. limestone - calcium carbonate) reacts with HCl to form calcium chloride, water, and carbon dioxide
Igenous & metamorphic rock (e.g. granite, gneiss, marble) doesn’t react with acids
Metamorphic Rock
Formed when pre-existing rock is transformed by heat/pressure
What metamorphic rocks do granite and limestone become?
Gneiss, marble
Calciphile - what conditions do they thrive under + example
Plant that intakes a lot of calcium - thrives in basic soil (e.g. poison ivy)
Sedimentary rock underlies _____; describe the conditions
flat terrain/lowlands (e.g. Sandbanks); consistent
Igneous/Metamorphic rock underlies _____
hilly terrain/mountains/highlands with relief (e.g. Algonquin Park)
Relief
Difference in elevation between two points on a mountain; results in microhabitats with varying microclimates, so different species inhabit each one
Overburden
Rock/soil on top of bedrock
Water + depositing material
Water carries/sorts materials by size and weight; carries smaller materials and leaves larger particles behind
What can affect drainage?
Lay of the land, material left behind by glaciers
Types of particles, ranked by size
Boulders > gravel > sand > silt > clay
Glacial Till
Particles that trap moisture in soil
How can minerals in rock become part of the soil?
Rock can break due to water freezing/expanding in its crevices
Erratic
Rock that differs from the that that forms the land it’s on; often brought to the area by glaciers