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APES #2 Weather Biomes Soil Succession sping AP TEST
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Terms in this set (101)
Weather
is an area's temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, and other physical conditions of the lower atmosphere over hours or days.
Elevation
distance above sea level
Latitude
distance from the equator
Average temperature
factor determining climate
Average precipitation
factor determining climate
Coriolis effect
a deflection of moving objects when they are viewed from a rotating reference frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the left of the motion of the object; in one with anti clockwise rotation, the deflection is to the right.
Prevailing winds
major surface winds that blow almost continuously and distribute air, moisture, and dust over the earth's surface
Greenhouse gases
gases in the located in the troposphere and causes the greenhouse effect. Examples include carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide
Greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide
Greenhouse effect
wavelength infrared radiation in the troposphere. If the atmospheric concentrations of these greenhouse gases increase and other natural processes do not remove them, the average temperature of the lower atmosphere will increase gradually. (Global warming)
Monsoons
periods of heavy rains and experienced on continents lying north and south of the warm oceans
Microclimates
bricks, concrete, asphalt, and other building materials absorb and hold heat, and building block wind flow. Cars and the climate control systems of buildings release large quantities of heat and pollutants. As a result, cities tend to have more haze and smog, higher temperatures, and lower wind speeds than the surrounding countryside.
Tropical deserts
Sahara and Namib of Africa are hot and dry most of the yea. They have few plants and a hard, windblown surface with rocks and sand. They are deserts we see in movies
Temperate deserts
Mojave in California, daytime temperatures are high in the summer and low in the winter. This is more precipitation than in tropical deserts. Consists of cacti and drought resistant shrubs
Cold deserts
vegetation is sparse, winters are cold, summers are warm or hot, and precipitation is low.
Grasslands (prairie) and Chaparral
biome found in regions where moderate annual average precipitation (25cm 76cm) is enough to support the growth of grass and small plants but not enough to support large stands of trees.
Savanna
tropical grasslands with scattered trees and enormous herds of hoofed animals. Trees such as acacia, warm temperatures with alternating dry and wet seasons.
Temperate Grasslands
Fertile Soils with cold winters and hot and dry summers have deep and fertile soils that make them widely used for growing crops and grazing cattle
Short grass prairies
Midwestern United States, winds blow continuously, evaporation is rapid, often leading to fires in the summer and fall. This combination helps maintain grasslands
Polar Grasslands- Arctic Tundra
polar grassland are covered with ice and snow except during a brief summer
Permafrost
underground soil in which captured water stays frozen for more than 2 consecutive years. During the long and cold winters the surface soil also freezes
Alpine tundra
occurs above the limit of tree growth but below the permanent snow line on high mountains. Vegetation is similar to arctic tundra
Chaparral -
has a moderate climate but its dense thickets of spiny shrubs are subject to periodic fires
Forest
biome with enough average annual precipitation (at least 76cm) to support the growth of tree species and smaller forms of vegetation.
Tropical Rain Forest
Threatened Centers of Biodiversity with Poor Soils have heavy rainfall on most days and a rich diversity of species occupying a variety of specialized niches in distinct layers
Broadleaf evergreen plants
vegetation that dominates this biome, keep their leaves year round
Tropical dry forests
found in tropical areas with warm temperatures year round and wet and dry seasons Tree heights are lower than in rain forests
Temperate Deciduous Forests
Changing with the Seasons most of the trees in these forests survive winter by dropping their leaves, which decay and produce a nutrient rich soil
Broadleaf deciduous trees
- oak, hickory, maple, poplar, and beechsurvive cold winters by dropping their leaves in the fall and becoming dominant.
Evergreen Coniferous Forests
Cold Winters, Wet Summers, and Conifers - these forests consist mostly of cone bearing evergreen trees that keep their needles year spruce, fir, cedar, hemlock, and pine round to help the trees survive long and cold winters Coniferous Evergreen trees
Mountain
High elevation forested islands of biodiversity and often have snow covered peaks that reflect solar radiation and gradually release water to lower
Islands of biodiversity
surrounded by a sea of lower elevation landscapes transformed by human activities
Zooplankton
Animal plankton; small floating herbivores that feed on phytoplankton
Ultraplakton
Huge populations of extremely small photosynthetic bacteria that may be responsible for 70% of the primary productivity near the ocean surface.
Nekton
Strongly swimming organisms found in aquatic systems.
Benthos
dwelling organisms
Decomposers
Organism that digests parts of dead organisms and cast off fragments and wastes of living organisms by breaking down the complex organic molecules in those materials into simpler inorganic compounds.
Coastal Zone
Warm, nutrient rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high tide mark on land to the edge of a shelf
Estuary
Partially enclosed coastal area at the mouth of a river where its freshwater, carrying fertile silt and runoff from the land, mixes with salty seawater.
Coastal Wetlands
Land along a coastline, extending inland from an estuary that is convered with saltwater all or part of the year.
Intertidal Zone
The area of shoreline between low and high tides.
Open Sea
Part of an ocean that lies beyond the continental shelf.
Euphotic zone
brightly lit upper zone where floating and drifting phytoplankton carry out photosynthesis. Nutrient levels are low and levels of dissolved oxygen are high. Fast swimming predators inhabit this zone.
Euphotic zone
Fast swimming predators inhabit this zone
Bathayal zone
dimly lit middle zone that does not contain photosynthesizing producers because of lack of sunlight. Zooplankton and smaller fish populate this zone.
Abyssal zone
lowest zone. Dark and very cold with little dissolved oxygen.
Lakes
Large natural body of standing freshwater formed when water from precipitation, land runoff, or groundwater flow fills a depression in the earth created by glaciation, earth movement, volcanic activity, or a giant meteorite.
Littoral Zone
The top layer of a lake. It is near the shore and consists of the shallow sunlit waters to the depth at which rooted plants such as cattails stop growing. It's the most productive zone because of the ample amount of sunlight. There is great biodiversity.
Limnetic Zone
the open, sunlit water surface layer away from the shore that extends to the depth by penetrated sunlight. Main photosynthetic body of the lake, produces the food and oxygen that support most of the lake's consumers. Primary organisms microscopic phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Profundal Zone
deep, open water where it is too dark for photosynthesis. Oxygen levels are low. Fish adapted to the lake's cooler and darker water are found here.
Benthic Zone
Bottom of the lake. Mostly decomposers and detritus feeders inhabit it. Nourished by dead matter and sediments washing into the lake.
Oligotrophic Lake
with a low supply of plant nutrients.
Eutrophic Lake
with a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates.
Cultural Eutrophication
Overnourishment of aquatic ecosystems with plant nutrients because of human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and discharges from industrial plants and sewage treatment plants.
Mesotrophic Lakes
with a moderate supply of plant nutrients
Surface Water
Precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration.
Runoff
Freshwater from precipitation and melting ice that flows on the earth's surface into nearby streams, lakes, wetlands, and reservoirs.
Floodplain zone
streams join into wider and deeper rivers that flow across broad, flat valleys.
Inland Wetlands
Land away from the coast, such as a swamp, marsh, or bog, that is covered all or part of the time with freshwater.
Watershed
the land area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream
Ecology
The study of how organisms with one another and with their nonliving environment. The study of connections in nature.
Organism
Any form of life
Species
organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behavior, chemistry, and genetic makeup.
Population
A group of interacting individuals of the same species occupying a specific area.
Genetic Diversity
Difference in genetic makeup.
Habitat
The place where a population lives (can be as large as the ocean or as small as the intestines of a termite).
Distribution (range)
The area over which we can find a species (Some tropical plants have a very small range while animals like grizzlies tend to have large ranges).
Biological community
Consists of all the populations of different species that live and interact in a specific area.
Ecosystem
A community where populations of different species interact with one another and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy.
Biosphere
The global ecosystem where all life is interconnected.
Atmosphere
A thin membrane of air around the planet.
Troposphere
the part of the atmosphere. It extends about 17km above sea level. This layer contains most of earth's air, mostly oxygen (21%) and nitrogen (78%).
Stratosphere
the part of the atmosphere. It extends from about 17km to 48km above sea level. Keeps out harmful UV radiation.
Hydrosphere
All of earth's water. It's found as a liquid (water), a solid (ice), and a gas (steam).
Lithosphere
The earth's crust and upper mantle
Biomes
Large regions with distinct climates and specific species adapted to them.
Aquatic life zones
different ecosystems found in different types of water (ocean verse a lake).
Abiotic
Nonliving components such as water, air, nutrients, and solar energy.
Biotic
Consists of living components such as producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Limiting factor
A certain factor like nitrogen and phosphorous that has a great effect on an environment.
Producers (autotrophs) -
Make their own food from compounds and energy obtained from their environment. Most producers capture sunlight to produce carbohydrates.
Photosynthesis
The act of capturing sunlight to produce energy.
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Obtain energy from consuming other organisms or their remains.
Primary Consumers (herbivores)
- Eat producers (deer).
Secondary consumers (carnivores)
Feed on primary consumers (fox).
Omnivores
eat both plants and animals (bear).
Decomposers
are specialized organism that recycles nutrients in ecosystems. Breakdown dead material (Bacteria).
Detritivores
Feed on the dead bodies or waste of other organisms (maggots)
Aerobic respiration
When an organism uses the chemical energy stored in glucose and other organic compounds to fuel their life processes. Need oxygen to convert organic nutrients back into carbon dioxide and water
Anaerobic respiration (fermentation)
When an organism uses the chemical energy stored in glucose and other organic compounds to fuel their life processes in the absence of oxygen. The byproducts of this are methane, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, hydrogen sulfide.
Food chain
A sequence of organisms, each of which is a source of food for the next.
Trophic level
Feeding level
Biomass
the weight of all organisms in a trophic level.
Gross Primary Productivity
The rate at which an ecosystem's producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass.
Net primary productivity
The rate at which producers use photosynthesis to store energy minus the rate at which they use some of this stored energy.
O horizon
The surface litter layer.
A horizon
The topsoil layer. A porous mixture of partially decomposed bodies of dead plants and animals (humus).
B horizon
Subsoil.
C horizon
Parent material.
Leaching
When water moving downwards through soil (infiltration) takes minerals down with it.
Soil texture
Different soils are measured by the amount of sand, clay and silt in it
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