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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Define Biogeography.
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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.
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Define Biogeographical distributuions.
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where plants and animals live and why
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Define Biogeographical associations.
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what species are found living together and why
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Define Biogeographical inter/intra species.
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how species interact with each other
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Define Biogeographical responses to disturbance.
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fire, flood, wind, avalanche, etc.
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What Is an Ecosystem?
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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.
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Define a System.
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Group of interrelated things.
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What are the 3 defining characteristics of an ecosystem?
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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 |
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What Is Photosynthesis? What Is Respiration?
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Plants convert solar energy, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates
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What is a Food Chain?
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Flows of energy, water and nutrients through the biosphere are channeled by direct passage from one organism to another in pathways
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Food Chain: Herbivores?
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Animals who feed on plants.
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Food chain: Carnivors?
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Animals that feed on other animals.
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Food Chain: Omnivores?
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Animals that feed on both plants and animals.
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Food Chain: Recyclers?
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Aka. Decomposers: Are bacterias and fungi that break down dead plant and animal materials and then returns the nutrients back to the soil.
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What is Bioaccumulation?
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Not only do energy and water move up the food chain, but pollution.
DDT in Bald Eagles: Silent Spring Mercury bioaccumulation in tuna |
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Habitats?
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Collective environmental conditions within a given ecosystem (soil type, temp., exposure etc) under which organisms carry out their daily lives. (smaller scale)
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Biomes?
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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
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Biomes vs Habitats.
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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 |
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What are the 3 primary controls for the distribution of plant and animal species within and b/w biomes and habitats?
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Climate, Soil Type, and Water
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What is a species?
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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. |
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Food Chain: Herbivores?
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Animals who feed on plants.
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Food chain: Carnivors?
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Animals that feed on other animals.
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Food Chain: Omnivores?
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Animals that feed on both plants and animals.
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Food Chain: Recyclers?
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Aka. Decomposers: Are bacterias and fungi that break down dead plant and animal materials and then returns the nutrients back to the soil.
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What is Bioaccumulation?
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Not only do energy and water move up the food chain, but pollution.
DDT in Bald Eagles: Silent Spring Mercury bioaccumulation in tuna |
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What is biodiversity?
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Sum or total of all living species and their population numbers. Genetic and population biodiversity.
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What is extinction and what are the causes of extinction today?
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Global Extinction and Local Extinction.
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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?
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1. Habitat loss and degradation
2. Pollution 3. Overexploitation 4. Climate change 5. Invasive species |
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symbiosis?
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is the arrangement in which two dissimilar organisms live together. Has 3 form.
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mutualism?
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involves a mutual beneficial relationship between two organisms. Pollination.
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commensalism?
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Living together with no injury, hanging out
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parasitism?
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involves one organism living on or in another, obtaining nourishment from the host which can be weakened or at wprste killed
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cascade effect?
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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.
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Radiation Fog?
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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)
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Advection Fog?
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Forms when moist air moves over cold ground or water; is more extensive and persistent; winds > 15kts disperse it ( ex US west coast)
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Upslope or Orographic fog?
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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)
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Evaporation or precipitation- induced or steam fog?
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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)
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Ice Fig
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Forms in cold weather with temperature much below -18C (0F) and composed of tiny ice crystals (ex arctic region)
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Distribution of Water
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97% ocean
3% fresh water of the fresh water 1.74 = icecaps and glaciers/solid snow 1.7 Ground water |
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Phase Canges
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- The change in phase, b/w ice, water, and water vapor; involves the absorption or release in latent heat.
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Radiation Fog
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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) |
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Advection Fog
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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) |
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Upslope or Orographic Fog
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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) |
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Evaporation or Precipitation
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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) |
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Ice Fog
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Forms in cold weather with temperature much below -18°C (0°F) & composed of tiny ice crystals (ex: Arctic
regions) |
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High Families of Clouds
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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 |
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Middle Families of Clouds
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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 |
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Low Families of Clouds
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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 |
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Extensive Verticle Development
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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 |
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Define Castellanus
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- turreted; applied to cirrocumulus & altocumulus
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Define Congestus
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- crowded together in heaps; applied to cumulus
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Fractus
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- fragmented; applied only to stratus & cumulus
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Humilis
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- lowly, poorly developed in vertical; applied to cumulus
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Lenticularis
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- lens shaped; applied to cirrostratus, altocumulus & stratocumulus
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nimbo or nimbus
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raincloud
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Uncinus
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- hook shaped; applied to cirrus
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Temperature Relationships and Atmospheric Stability (what makes it stable and unstable)
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- 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) |
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Dry Adiabotic Rate
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DAR is the rate at which "dry" air cools by expansion or heats up by compression.
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Moist Adiabotic Rate
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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. |
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Air Parcel Stability
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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) |
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Convectional Lifting
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- stimulated by local suface heating, produced by warm surfaces
-unstabloe |
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Orographic Lifting
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- occurs when air rises upslope as it pushes against a mountain
-wet intercepting slope = windward slope -dry = leeward |
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Frontal Lifting
(Warm & Dry Fronts) |
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 |
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Hail Formation
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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.
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Tornadoes
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-Mesocyclones
-funnel couds -water spout |
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Hurricanes
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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)
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Groundwater
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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 |