Biogeography of the Global Gardens Exam 1 – Flashcards
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| Biogeography |
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| o The relationship between patterns on the landscape and in the natural world and the processes that create them |
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| Dispersal |
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| Fundamental Process of Biogeography: movement of organisms from one place to another |
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| Evolution |
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| Fundamental Process of Biogeography: diversification and adaptation |
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| Cryptic Coloration |
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| Camouflage |
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| Abiotic |
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| non-living portion of landscapes |
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| Biotic |
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| living portion of environment |
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| Latitudinal Gradient |
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| change between a trait or observation between poles and equator |
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| Bergman's Rule |
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| body mass changes at different latitudes |
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| Why do animals weigh more at higher latitudes? |
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| The more massive you are, the more insulation and heat you can keep. (Note: big mass not bigger surface area) |
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| Alan's Rule |
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| appendages change in size of similar animal. Bigger appendages provide the dispersal of heat and keep you cooler |
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| Sphericity |
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| drives the latitudinal gradient |
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| Direct Rays |
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| rays from the sun that go directly through the Earth's atmosphere |
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| Oblique Rays |
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| rays that have to go through more atmosphere and therefore are less intense due to the angle in which they are coming from |
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| Subsolar Point |
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| a point on the surface of the Earth and where direct rays fall |
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| Tropics of Cancer |
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| Located 23.5 degrees above the equator |
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| Tropics of Capricorn |
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| Located 23.5 degrees below the equator |
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| Seasonality |
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| gradual shifting of climate |
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| Winter Solstice |
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| Subsolar point is at the Tropics of Capricorn. Takes place on December 21/22 |
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| Summer Solstice |
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| subsolar point is at the Tropics of Cancer. June 20/21 |
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| Fall Equinox |
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| subsolar point is at the equator. September 22/23 |
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| Spring Equinox |
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| subsolar point is at the equator. March 21/22 |
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| Axial Parallelism |
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| Earth's axis is fixed (about 23.5 degrees) |
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| Arctic Circle |
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| Located 66.5 degrees N |
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| Antarctic Circle |
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| Located 66.5 degrees S of the equator |
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| Smaller Scale Features that Affect Climate Locally |
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| 1. Latitude 2. Elevation 3. Continentiality 4. Cloud Cover 5. Ocean Currents |
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| Latitude as a Scale Feature Affecting climate |
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| Temperatures decrease as you go towards the poles |
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| Elevation as a Scale Feature Affecting climate |
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| Temperatures increase as elevation increases due to the decrease in air particles in these elevations. With fewer air particles you have fewer collisions and reduced heat |
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| Continentiality as a Scale Feature Affecting climate |
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| Land is easier to heat and cool so if a location is land-locked it will have a wider range of temperature than if the location were near a body of water |
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| Cloud Cover |
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| Prevent radiation from coming in during the day as well as prevent radiation from leaking out at night. Controls daily temperature range |
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| Diurnal |
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| daily |
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| Ocean Currents |
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| The temperature of the ocean currents can affect the temperature of the air |
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| Obliquity |
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| The greater the earth's tilt the more seasonality |
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| Aphelion |
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| Location in which Earth is furthest from the sun |
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| Perihelion |
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| Location in which Earth is closest to the sun |
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| General Circulation of Earth's Air |
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| set up by the sun's energy due to unequal heating of Earth's surface |
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| Rising Air |
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| cools and loses its ability to hold water vapor |
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| Falling air |
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| warms and gains ability to hold water vapor |
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| Humidity |
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| measure of water vapor content relative compared with what it can hold given its temperature |
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| Vapor Pressure |
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| pressure exerted by water vapor |
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| Saturation Vapor Pressure |
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| maximum amount of water vapor air can hold at a given pressure and temperature |
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| Relative Humidity Equation |
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| Relative Humidity= vapor pressure/saturation vapor pressure |
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| Dew Point |
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| temperature that you need to cool air to in order to condense water vapor |
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| Dry adiabatic lapse rate |
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| If relative humidity is not at 100%, air will cool at 10 degrees C/1000m |
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| Water Content |
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| does not change as air ascends |
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| Evaporation is a _____ process |
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| cooling |
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| Condensation is a ______ process |
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| Warming |
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| Convection |
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| Sun heats ground, the air heats up and rises. Seen at the equator |
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| Convergence |
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| air pushes from all directions |
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| Frontal Lifting |
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| cold wedge and warm wedge hit --> warm air goes up and cold air goes down (Polar Vortex) |
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| Orographic Uplift |
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| rain shadow effect. Air moves up a mountain and rains and then becomes dry on as it moves down the other side |
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| Albedo |
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| reflected energy |
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| How much energy is absorbed by the Earth? |
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| 47% |
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| Autotroph |
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| convert energy from the sun to produce complex organic compounds |
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| Closed System |
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| may exchange energy, but never matter, self-contained |
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| Opened System |
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| exchange both energy and matter with component parts and the surrounding environment |
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| Ecosystem |
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| living and dead, abiotic and biotic systems of life |
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| Feedback |
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| how energy and matter move around/interaction between components that alters patterns within an ecosystem as time passes |
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| Negative Feedback |
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| important check, counteract changes |
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| Positive Feedback |
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| reinforce or perpetuate a change |
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| What is the chemical base for all life? |
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| Carbon |
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| Photosynthesis |
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| Carbon dioxide+water -> oxygen+water+sugar |
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| Respiration |
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| Sugar+oxygen->carbon dioxide+water |
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| Climate Equation |
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| Climate=f(T,P, day-length) |
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| 2 Control Influences of Climate |
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| The amount (biomass) Form (physiognomy) |
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| Biomass |
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| mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time |
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| Global Net Primary Productivity |
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| The warmer it is the more plants that will grow in that location |
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| Allocation of the Sun's Energy to Primary Producers |
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| 20% absorbed 14.5% respiration maintaining systems 5.6% net primary productivity 2.8% consumption 2.8% Biomass remaining (making plants bigger) |
