APES Unit C Chapter 5
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46 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Biomes are communities that have: | characteristic abiotic factors, and vegetation |
| What are the 2 most important abiotic factors? | 1. Temperature 2. Precipitation |
| Latitude | Pattern of light intensity & position relative to atmospheric convection cells |
| Vertical Zonation | Higher elevations tend to be colder and more moist |
| What influences temp & precipitation? | Ocean currents, prevailing winds, and mountains (windward vs. leeward) |
| Tropical Rainforest | -consistently warm/hot & moist - thin, nutrient poor soil |
| Tropical Savanna & Grassland | - consistently warm/hot - short wet season - fires hinder forest encroachment - savannas have sparse tree cover - migrating grazers are common |
| Deserts | - Precipitation is rare unpredictable - Low humidity -> temperature varies widely over 24 hrs - not all are hot - occur near 30 degree latitude - sparse but diverse vegetation - animals are often nocturnal and excrete 'dry' urine - easily damaged and recover slowly (low resilience) |
| Temperate Grasslands | -Periodic fires help maintain the ecosystem from becoming forest - humid, tall grass prairie has largely been converted to farming - drier, short grass prairie is used for ranching |
| Chaparral | -support drought tolerant shrubs, trees, and grasses -periodic fires are an important part to this disclimax community |
| Temperate Deciduous Forest | drop their leaves in anticipation of 'dry' non-photosynthetic winter (extensively disturbed by humans) |
| Temperate Evergreen Forest | evergreen conifer tress are found where there is not enough moisture to support broadleaf trees (extensively disturbed by humans) |
| Boreal Forest | - Cold is biggest limiting factor - 50-60 degree north latitude - dominated by evergreen conifers - taiga is the extreme edge that meets the tundra |
| Tundra | - below freezing most of the year - treeless with a growing season of only ~2 months - growth spurt in mid summer caused by nearly 24 hour light supports, many invertebrates and migrating animals |
| Marine food webs depend on ____ | Phytoplankton |
| Nutrient availability in ocean limits ____ | Primary Productivity |
| In marine ecosystems runoff delivers ___ to coastal areas | Runoff |
| Open ocean is often a ______ | Biological Desert |
| Differences in ____ and ____ separate oceans into pelagic zones | light, communities |
| Epipelagic Zone | Has enough light for photosynthesis and is the most diverse |
| Mesopelagic Zone | Receives some light, but not enough to support photosynthesis |
| Bathypelagic Zone | Almost entirely dark, most species depend on 'detritus rain' |
| Abyssopelagic Zone | Completely dark, most animals are blind and colorless |
| Hadopelagic Zone | Found in ocean trenches |
| 5 Pelagic Zones in descending order | 1. Epipelagic 2. Mesopelagic 3. Bathypelagic 4. Abyssopelagic 5. Hadopelagic |
| Estuaries | Bays where rivers empty into the sea -nutrient rich, diverse, productive -variable salinity & temperature: tide, river output -important spawning/nursery area for many fish and shellfish |
| Mangrove forests function like estuaries but ___ | lack a constant source of fresh water |
| Barrier Islands | -Protect the coast -Prone to damage by development -Can emerge or be rearranged by a single storm (ex: Galveston, TX) |
| Coral reefs occur in ____ | shallow, clear, warm water |
| Algae and corals have a ____ | mutualistic relationship |
| Coral reefs are extremely _____ communities | diverse |
| Destructive fishing practices and global warming are ____ many reefs | bleaching |
| 5 Lake Zones in Descending Order | 1. Littoral Zone 2. Epilimnion 3. Thermocline 4. Hypolimnion 5. Benthos |
| Littoral Zone | Near-shore shallows, most productive |
| Epilimnion | Warmed by the sun and mixed by the wind |
| Thermocline | Region of sharp temperature and density transition (a.k.a. mesolimnion) |
| Hypolimnion | Significantly colder and often has low (or no) dissolved oxygen- no turnover from wind |
| Benthos | Bottom-- supports a variety of benthic organisms |
| Wetlands saturated or submerged at least part of the ____ | year |
| Swamps | Have trees (productive & diverse) |
| Marshes | Don't have trees (productive & diverse) |
| 2 things wetlands are important for | 1. Migrating birds & spawning fish 2. Flood control; storm buffer |
| 3 Reasons Coastal Wetlands are Disappearing | 1. Drained for development 2. Canals reduce sediment input 3. Rising sea levels |
| 2 Most Disturbed Biomes | 1. Temperate broad-leaf forests 2. Chaparral |
| Highly Disturbed Biomes | 1. Temperate Grassland 2. Temperate Rainforest 3. Tropical Dry Forests |
| 2 Least Disturbed Biomes | 1. Boreal Forest 2. Tundra |
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