Geography 101 Exam #2

Front 1

Define Biogeography.

Back 1

The study of the spatial relationships among biological organisms (primarily plants and animals) and the environment in which they live. This includes historical and modern relationships, as well as projections into the future.

Front 2

Define Biogeographical distributuions.

Back 2

where plants and animals live and why

Front 3

Define Biogeographical associations.

Back 3

what species are found living together and why

Front 4

Define Biogeographical inter/intra species.

Back 4

how species interact with each other

Front 5

Define Biogeographical responses to disturbance.

Back 5

fire, flood, wind, avalanche, etc.

Front 6

What Is an Ecosystem?

Back 6

All of the living and non living components of a particular region (plants, animals,solids, rocks,air, water etc.) linked by flows of energy and matter, and fuctioning together as an interconnected and interdependent whole.

Front 7

Define a System.

Back 7

Group of interrelated things.

Front 8

What are the 3 defining characteristics of an ecosystem?

Back 8

1. Biotic components: plants, animals, bacteria, fungi

2. Abiotic components: air, water and mineral nutrients

3. A continental exchange of energy and matter within and between these two systems

Front 9

What Is Photosynthesis? What Is Respiration?

Back 9

Plants convert solar energy, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates

Front 10

What is a Food Chain?

Back 10

Flows of energy, water and nutrients through the biosphere are channeled by direct passage from one organism to another in pathways

Front 11

Food Chain: Herbivores?

Back 11

Animals who feed on plants.

Front 12

Food chain: Carnivors?

Back 12

Animals that feed on other animals.

Front 13

Food Chain: Omnivores?

Back 13

Animals that feed on both plants and animals.

Front 14

Food Chain: Recyclers?

Back 14

Aka. Decomposers: Are bacterias and fungi that break down dead plant and animal materials and then returns the nutrients back to the soil.

Front 15

What is Bioaccumulation?

Back 15

Not only do energy and water move up the food chain, but pollution.

DDT in Bald Eagles: Silent Spring

Mercury bioaccumulation in tuna

Front 16

Habitats?

Back 16

Collective environmental conditions within a given ecosystem (soil type, temp., exposure etc) under which organisms carry out their daily lives. (smaller scale)

Front 17

Biomes?

Back 17

A large region of uniform defined by climate, vegetation and soil type, in which species live under similar environmental conditions, with only subtle variations in habiat

Front 18

Biomes vs Habitats.

Back 18

Biomes tend to be larger, more generally defined regions; whereas habitats tend to be smaller, more specific areas that exist within a given biome.

Ex of biomes: Tropical Rainforest; Temperate Rainforest; Desert Scrublands, Chaparrel Mediterrainean Woodland Scubs

Front 19

What are the 3 primary controls for the distribution of plant and animal species within and b/w biomes and habitats?

Back 19

Climate, Soil Type, and Water

Front 20

What is a species?

Back 20

Each biological organism is identified by two names, the genus and species, a complete scientific name.
There is also a common name, that is only recognized locally.

Front 21

Food Chain: Herbivores?

Back 21

Animals who feed on plants.

Front 22

Food chain: Carnivors?

Back 22

Animals that feed on other animals.

Front 23

Food Chain: Omnivores?

Back 23

Animals that feed on both plants and animals.

Front 24

Food Chain: Recyclers?

Back 24

Aka. Decomposers: Are bacterias and fungi that break down dead plant and animal materials and then returns the nutrients back to the soil.

Front 25

What is Bioaccumulation?

Back 25

Not only do energy and water move up the food chain, but pollution.

DDT in Bald Eagles: Silent Spring

Mercury bioaccumulation in tuna

Front 26

What is biodiversity?

Back 26

Sum or total of all living species and their population numbers. Genetic and population biodiversity.

Front 27

What is extinction and what are the causes of extinction today?

Back 27

Global Extinction and Local Extinction.

Front 28

Many biologost believe that we are in a period of mass extinction rate, 100 bird and mammal species have gone extinct in the past century. Main Causes of Extinction?

Back 28

1. Habitat loss and degradation
2. Pollution
3. Overexploitation
4. Climate change
5. Invasive species

Front 29

symbiosis?

Back 29

is the arrangement in which two dissimilar organisms live together. Has 3 form.

Front 30

mutualism?

Back 30

involves a mutual beneficial relationship between two organisms. Pollination.

Front 31

commensalism?

Back 31

Living together with no injury, hanging out

Front 32

parasitism?

Back 32

involves one organism living on or in another, obtaining nourishment from the host which can be weakened or at wprste killed

Front 33

cascade effect?

Back 33

when species depend on interactions with other species, extinction can have a ripple effect. The loss of a key species can spark a suite of indirect effects, known as cascade effect or secondary extiction.

Front 34

Radiation Fog?

Back 34

Forms when terrestrial radiation cools the ground which in turn cools the air in. contact with it to the dew point temp; occurs with clear skies, little or no wind, small T-DP spread, is relatively shallow and forms at night and daybreak; winds > 5 kts disperse it (ex ground fog, San Joaquin valley in winter)

Front 35

Advection Fog?

Back 35

Forms when moist air moves over cold ground or water; is more extensive and persistent; winds > 15kts disperse it ( ex US west coast)

Front 36

Upslope or Orographic fog?

Back 36

Forms when moist, stable air is cooled adiabatically as it moves up sloping terrain ; is quite dense and extends to high altitudes dispates when wind ceases (ex eastern slope of rockies during winter & spring)

Front 37

Evaporation or precipitation- induced or steam fog?

Back 37

Forms when warm rain falls thru cool air, evaporation from the precipitation saturates the cool air and forms fog; can be quite dense, extensive & persistent;commonly associated with warm fronts; same mechanism that produces condensation trail ( contrail) behind jet aircraft or moist exhaled breath on a very cold day or clouds over geysers; when occurs at sea is called sea smoke ( water molecules evaporate from water surface into cold overlaying air)

Front 38

Ice Fig

Back 38

Forms in cold weather with temperature much below -18C (0F) and composed of tiny ice crystals (ex arctic region)

Front 39

Distribution of Water

Back 39

97% ocean
3% fresh water
of the fresh water 1.74 = icecaps and glaciers/solid snow
1.7 Ground water

Front 40

Phase Canges

Back 40

- The change in phase, b/w ice, water, and water vapor; involves the absorption or release in latent heat.

Front 41

Radiation Fog

Back 41

Forms when terrestrial radiation cools the ground which in turn cools the air in. contact with it to the dew point
temperature; occurs with clear skies, little or no wind, small T-DP spread; is relatively shallow & forms at night &
daybreak; winds > 5 kts disperse it (ex: ground fog; San Joaquin valley in winter)

Front 42

Advection Fog

Back 42

Forms when moist air moves over cold ground or water; is more extensive & persistent; winds > 15 kts disperse it
(ex: U.S. west coast; San Joaquin valley in summer)

Front 43

Upslope or Orographic Fog

Back 43

Forms when moist, stable air is cooled adiabatically as it moves up sloping terrain; is quite dense & extends to high
altitudes; dissipates when wind ceases (ex: eastern slope of Rockies during winter & spring)

Front 44

Evaporation or Precipitation

Back 44

Forms when warm rain falls thru cool air, evaporation from the precipitation saturates the cool air & forms fog; can
be quite dense, extensive & persistent; commonly associated with warm fronts; same mechanism that produces a
condensation trail (contrail) behind jet aircraft or moist exhaled breath on a very cold day or clouds over geysers;
when occurs at sea is called sea smoke (water molecules evaporate from water surface into cold overlying air)

Front 45

Ice Fog

Back 45

Forms in cold weather with temperature much below -18°C (0°F) & composed of tiny ice crystals (ex: Arctic
regions)

Front 46

High Families of Clouds

Back 46

cirriform (L: cirrus - lock of hair) - composed almost entirely of ice crystals
& base above 6 km (20K ft)
a) Cirrus (Ci) (aka mares' tails) - thin, feather-like, in narrow bands
b) Cirrocumulus (Cc) - thin, appearing as patches
c) Cirrostratus (Cs) - thin, whitish, like a sheet

Front 47

Middle Families of Clouds

Back 47

composed of water & ice, much being super cooled (water that exists in
liquid form at temperatures below freezing) & base bet. 2-6 km (6.5-20K ft)
a) Altostratus (As) - bluish layer
b) Altocumulus (Ac) - white or gray layers or patches, may appear wavy

Front 48

Low Families of Clouds

Back 48

composed almost entirely of water & base below 2 km (6.5K ft)
a) Stratus (St) - gray, uniform, sheet-like with low base
b) Stratocumulus (Sc) - globular masses or rolls
c) Nimbostratus (Ns) - dark or gray massive layer; continuous
precipitation

Front 49

Extensive Verticle Development

Back 49

considerable vertical development & billowing tops &
base usually below 2 km (6.5K ft) but top can extend to 15km (50K ft)
a) Cumulus (Cu) - flat bases & domed tops
b) Cumulonimbus (Cb) (aka thunderheads) - large vertically developed
clouds with tops often crowned with veils of cirrus

Front 50

Define Castellanus

Back 50

- turreted; applied to cirrocumulus & altocumulus

Front 51

Define Congestus

Back 51

- crowded together in heaps; applied to cumulus

Front 52

Fractus

Back 52

- fragmented; applied only to stratus & cumulus

Front 53

Humilis

Back 53

- lowly, poorly developed in vertical; applied to cumulus

Front 54

Lenticularis

Back 54

- lens shaped; applied to cirrostratus, altocumulus & stratocumulus

Front 55

nimbo or nimbus

Back 55

raincloud

Front 56

Uncinus

Back 56

- hook shaped; applied to cirrus

Front 57

Temperature Relationships and Atmospheric Stability (what makes it stable and unstable)

Back 57

- The relationship between dry and moist adiabatic rates and environmental lapse rate produces the three atmospheric conditions

(a) unstable (Environmental Lapse Rate exceeds the DAR)

(b) conditionally unstable (environmental lapse rate is b/w the DAR and MAR)

(c) stable (environmental lapse rate is less than DAR and MAR)

Front 58

Dry Adiabotic Rate

Back 58

DAR is the rate at which "dry" air cools by expansion or heats up by compression.

Front 59

Moist Adiabotic Rate

Back 59

MAR is much lower then DAR in warm air, and similar in cold are.

-average rate at which ascending air that is moist/saturated cools by expansion.

Front 60

Air Parcel Stability

Back 60

An ascending parcel of air tends to cool by expansion, descending air tends to heat by compression

* Adiabotic = occuring without a loss or gain of heat (dry/moist)

Front 61

Convectional Lifting

Back 61

- stimulated by local suface heating, produced by warm surfaces
-unstabloe

Front 62

Orographic Lifting

Back 62

- occurs when air rises upslope as it pushes against a mountain
-wet intercepting slope = windward slope
-dry = leeward

Front 63

Frontal Lifting
(Warm & Dry Fronts)

Back 63

Cold Front = The lending edge of a cold air mass; identified on a weather map as a lined marked with triangles

Warm Front = advancing warm air mass that is unable to push cooler, passive air out of the way; semicircles

Front 64

Hail Formation

Back 64

Generally forms within a cumulonimbus cloud when a raindrop circualates repeatedly above and below the freezing level in the cloud, adding the layers of ice until its weight can no longer be supported by the circulation in the cloud.

Front 65

Tornadoes

Back 65

-Mesocyclones
-funnel couds
-water spout

Front 66

Hurricanes

Back 66

Within tropical air masses, large low pressure centers can form along easterly wave troughs. Under right conditions a tropical cyclone is produced. Hurricanes occur at 65knots wind speed (74mph)

Front 67

Groundwater

Back 67

is a part of the hydological cycle, but it lies beneath the surface beyond the soil moisture root zone. ground water replenishment is tied to surface surplus because groundwater does not exist indpendently.
-Ecess surface water moves through the zone of aeration, where soil and rocks are less than saturated.
- Eventuall, the water reaches the zone of saturation, where