Biogeography Exam 3 Aed

Front 1

Characteristics of arid ecosystems

Back 1

•Between 15° and 30° N and S

•In lee of mountains

•Severe drought conditions or sporadic rainfall

•Lack grasses, shrubs, and trees

•Aridisols and Entisols

Front 2

Orographic effect

Back 2

Rain shadow causes desert because of mountain

1.) Local relief

2.) Prevailing winds

3.) Moisture source

Front 3

Sublimation

Back 3

Frozen state to vapor

Skips liquid state

Front 4

Convergent evolution

Back 4

Converging on a set of physical traits

Front 5

Ephemeral

Back 5

Lasts a very short period of time and only occurs in very specific conditions

Front 6

Plant adaptations in deserts

Back 6

•Spread out roots (precipitation) or really deep roots (ground water)

•Drip tip leaves

•Thick cuticles

•Waxy skin

•Ephemeral

•Spines

•Basil Rosette - leaves grow out bottom

Front 7

Therophytes

Back 7

Annual plants with short favorable periods

Front 8

Drought Escaping

Back 8

•Annuals/ephemerals

•Abundant seeds

•Canopy seed bank triggered by water

•Subterranean fruits

Front 9

Drought Evading

Back 9

•Perennials

•Active only when moisture is available

• Shallow roots for small rains

•Contractile roots

Front 10

Drought Enduring

Back 10

•Extensive roots - high root:shoot ratio

•Photosynthetic bark

•Thick waxy cuticle

•Different photosynthetic pathways

Front 11

Montane conditions

Back 11

•Milder & wetter than northern boreal climates

•Orographic precipitation leads to high summer/winter values

•Winter temps -5°C to -10°C

•Solar radiation at 3000 ft 20% stronger than sea level

frosts

•Cold air drainage into valleys - inverted treelines

•Rapid heat loss at night - sever frosts•Cold air drainage into valleys - inverted treelines•Short growing season•Thin, rocky, low organic soil

•Short growing season

•Thin, rocky, low organic soil

Front 12

Treeline

Back 12

Highest elevation of tree growth

Inverted because wet and cold

Front 13

Animal and plant adaptations

Back 13

•Hibernation to save energy

•Migration down mountain

•Plant adaptations to drought, cold, wind, and short growing season

Front 14

Serotiny

Back 14

Seeds triggered to be dropped after fire

Front 15

Eolian deposit

Back 15

Once shifting sands settle out and stabilize

Front 16

Arid vs. hyper-arid

Back 16

Arid - more diversity, more cover, more heat

Hyper-arid - low diversity, lower cover, lower heat

Front 17

Desert pavement

Back 17

Wind blows small particles away and leave larger particles settle down

Front 18

Sources of water in deserts

Back 18

•Rain

•Fog

Front 19

Disturbances of montane biomes

Back 19

•Avalanche

•Erosion

•Fire

•Insects

•Climate Change

•Deforestation

•Mining

•Logging

Front 20

Where are montane forests located?

Back 20

Mountains under alpine

Front 21

Soil type of Montane forests

Back 21

Spodosols

Front 22

Taiga characteristics

Back 22

•Circumpolar vegetation belt around North Pole

•Between 13° and 18° isotherm

Front 23

Taiga/Boreal forest

Back 23

Coniferous northern forest

→White spruce, black spruce, tamarack, white pine, birch, aspen

Front 24

Peat

Back 24

Partially decomposed remains of dead plants

Front 25

Peatland

Back 25

Wetland type that accumulates peat

Front 26

Peatland functions

Back 26

•Carbon sequestration

•Regulating regional hydrologic regime

,•Climate regulation (greenhouse gas exchange + water cycle)

•Biochemical cycling of nutrients

•Wildlife habitat

•Economical use for horticulture and fuel

Front 27

Taiga climate

Back 27

•Winter mean temp -30°C

•Annual precipitation 390-850mm

•Short growing season (50-100 frost free days)

•Temperature range over 100°C

•Low sun angle and short days

Front 28

Soil characteristics of Taiga

Back 28

•Mostly spodosol (podzol)

•Formed on course grain and acidic plant material

•Occur in wet areas

•Mosy common in cold

•Formed beneath forests

Front 29

Spodosol

Back 29

Composed of pine needles and weak organic acid

Front 30

True or false:

Boreal forests are only in the Northern hemisphere

Back 30

True

Front 31

Why are conifer trees shaped like cones?

Back 31

To allow snow to fall off and to resist wind

Front 32

Plant adaptations in boreal forests

Back 32

•Conical shape of trees

•Needle leaves

•Thick, waxy cuticles

•Evergreen

•Shade tolerant seedlings

•Adapted to drought

Front 33

Adaptations to fire in boreal forests

Back 33

•Thick bark

•Open branching

•Root suckering

•Serotinous cones

•Branch layering

•Regenerstion from broken branches/stems

Front 34

Alpine Soil Characteristics

Back 34

•Gelisols

•Thin, rocky, shallow

•Low in organic matter because of slow growth

Front 35

Tundra vs. Alpine

Back 35

Tundra:

•Flat and lower elevation

•more variety in animals

•precipitation isn't seasonal

Alpine:

•small variety in animals

•high elevation

•precipitation seasonal (decrease in summer)

Front 36

Permafrost

Back 36

Frozen layer of soil and water under active soil in Tundra

Front 37

Tundra soil characteristics

Back 37

•Gelisols and peat

•Permafrost

Front 38

Risk of permafrost melting

Back 38

Microbes begin to give of CO2 and increase temperature which then allows more microbes to release CO2 in a continuous cycle

Dries out top layer of soil and increases risk of fire