Terrestrial Biomes and Ecology Study Guide Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering terrestrial biome characteristics and ecological/climatological terminology from the lecture notes.

Tropical Rainforests

Biomes located in low-latitude tropics ($10^{\circ}N-10^{\circ}S$) including Central & South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia, characterized by consistently high annual temperature and precipitation, and dominated by broad-leaved evergreen and deciduous trees.

Tropical Seasonal Forests & Savannas

Biomes in the tropics ($23.5^{\circ}N-23.5^{\circ}S$) with consistently high temperature and strongly seasonal precipitation driven by wet and dry rhythms, featuring drought deciduous trees, thorn woodlands, grasses, and shrubs.

Deserts

Biomes in subtropics ($30^{\circ}N$ & $30^{\circ}S$) high pressure zones of Hadley cells with consistently high temperatures, consistently low precipitation, and vegetation such as succulents, drought deciduous shrubs, and grasses.

Temperate Grasslands

Biomes in the temperate zone ($30^{\circ}-50^{\circ}$, N & S) with seasonal temperature and precipitation, characterized by warm, wet summers, cold, dry winters, and dominated by grasses.

Temperate Shrublands & Woodlands

Biomes in the temperate zone ($30^{\circ}-50^{\circ}$, N & S) with seasonal mild temperatures, warm, dry summers, and cold-ish, wet winters, featuring an open canopy of short evergreen trees and shrubs.

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Biomes in the temperate zone ($30^{\circ}N-50^{\circ}N$) featuring hot, wet summers and cold, wet-ish winters, dominated by deciduous trees such as oak, maple, and beech.

Temperate Evergreen Forests

Biomes in the temperate zone ($30^{\circ}-50^{\circ}$, N & S) with seasonal mild temperatures and vegetation consisting of evergreen trees such as conifers, beeches, eucalypts, and cedar.

Boreal Forests (Taiga)

High-latitude biomes ($50^{\circ}N-65^{\circ}N$) with seasonal cold temperatures, consistently low precipitation, and vegetation dominated by conifers (spruces, pines, larches) and maritime deciduous birches.

Tundra

Biomes located at $65^{\circ}N-90^{\circ}N$ with cold dark winters and warm-ish bright summers, consistently low precipitation, and vegetation such as sedges, forbs, grasses, low-growing shrubs, lichens, and mosses.

Weather

The short-term state of the atmosphere at a given place and time, including factors like temperature, precipitation, and wind.

Climate

The long-term average pattern of weather conditions, specifically temperature and precipitation, in a region.

Greenhouse effect

Warming of Earth's surface and atmosphere caused by greenhouse gases absorbing and re-emitting infrared radiation.

Latent heat flux

Transfer of heat associated with a change in the phase of water, such as evaporation or condensation.

Conduction

Transfer of heat through direct molecular contact between substances.

Convection

Transfer of heat through the movement or circulation of a fluid such as air or water.

Sensible heat flux

Transfer of heat between the surface and atmosphere due to a temperature difference, without a change of phase.

Greenhouse gases

Atmospheric gases like $CO_2$, methane, and water vapor that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, warming the atmosphere.

Uplift

The rising of air, often as it is heated or forced over terrain, leading to cooling and condensation.

Atmospheric pressure

The force exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere above a given point.

Subsidence

The sinking of air, typically associated with high pressure and dry conditions.

Hadley cell

A large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern in which air rises near the equator and sinks around $30^{\circ}N/S$.

Polar cells

Atmospheric circulation cells in which air rises near $60^{\circ}N/S$ and sinks at the poles.

Ferrell cell

The mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell located between the Hadley and Polar cells.

Tropical zone

The region of Earth near the equator, generally between $23.5^{\circ}N$ and $23.5^{\circ}S$.

Tropics

The latitudinal belt around the equator bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

Polar zones

The regions near the North and South Poles, characterized by cold temperatures year-round.

Temperate zones

The mid-latitude regions between the tropics and polar zones, characterized by distinct seasons.

Coriolis effect

The apparent deflection of moving air or water caused by Earth's rotation.

Heat capacity

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by a given amount; notably high in water.

Downwelling

The downward movement of surface water, often associated with the convergence of currents.

Upwelling

The upward movement of deep, often nutrient-rich, water to the surface.

Lapse rate

The rate at which air temperature decreases with increasing altitude.

Maritime climate

A climate moderated by proximity to large bodies of water, resulting in milder temperature swings.

Continental climate

A climate found in interior regions away from oceans, with larger temperature swings between seasons.

Rain shadow effect

Reduced precipitation on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain range due to air drying as it descends.

Albedo

The proportion of incoming solar radiation that is reflected by a surface.

Evapotranspiration

The combined loss of water from a landscape through evaporation and plant transpiration.

Intertropical convergence zone

A band near the equator where trade winds from the north and south converge, producing heavy rainfall.

Stratification

Layering of a water body based on differences in temperature and density.

Epilimnion

The warm, well-mixed surface layer of a stratified lake.

Thermocline

A layer in a body of water where temperature changes rapidly with depth.

Hypolimnion

The cold, dense bottom layer of a stratified lake.

Turnover

The seasonal mixing of a lake's water layers when temperature differences between layers disappear.

El Ni\u00f1o Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

A recurring climate pattern involving changes in sea surface temperatures and pressure across the tropical Pacific.

North Atlantic Oscillation

A climate pattern reflecting fluctuations in atmospheric pressure differences between the Azores and Iceland, affecting North Atlantic weather.

Pacific Decadal Oscillation

A long-term pattern of climate variability in the Pacific Ocean, occurring on a decadal timescale.

Salinity

The concentration of dissolved salts in water.

Salinization

The accumulation of salts in soil or water, often due to evaporation or irrigation.

Acidity

A measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, expressed on the $pH$ scale.

Alkalinity

A measure of water's capacity to neutralize acids, related to dissolved carbonate or bicarbonate compounds.

Hypoxic

Describes water with very low dissolved oxygen concentration, often insufficient to support most aquatic life.