Trop ecology exam 1

At what latitude is the tropic of cancer located

23.5 N

At what latitude is the tropic of Capricorn located?

23.5 S

Where is the solar equator located in relation of the tropic of Capricorn and cancer

In between the two

How many wet seasons does a place have when it is close to the equator?

Multiple wet seasons

How many wet seasons does a place have when it is far from the equator?

A single wet and dry season

When raindrops are larger how does that correlate to erosive power and potential energy?

This is equates to more potential energy and erosive power

When do continents in the southern hemisphere experience their hottest months?

December, January, February

During a place’s hottest months does it rain a lot or a little?

A LOT!

Convergent evolution?

Two different species are similar because of their similar environment

*but not closely related at all

What is la nina?

When southeast trade winds are moving west and cold water is rising to the surface

What is el nino?

• Drought in tropics

• Increased precipitation outside tropics

What type of season is it during el nino?

rainy season

What is Gross primary production (GPP)

Net production + respiration

What is biomass?

The amount of organic material that is in an organism

What is primary production?

The amount of organic material produced from autrophs

What are mid-ridge ocean ridges?

A oceanic mountain that is formed in between divergent plates where magna erupts and creates a layer of crust

What comes out of the black smoker vent?

chemoautotrophic bacteria

Who eats the chemo-autotrophic bacteria?

Tube worms

Explain the relation between tube worms, chemo-autotropic bacteria and the deep-ocean ecosystem?

The animals eat the tube worms that contains the bacteria and they get their energy from this

What is a rain shadow desert?

When an area faces the leeward side of the island, hence dry

What are Interior continental deserts?

They are far from the ocean and moist air

Is the atmospheric pressure low or high near desserts?

It is high

How many plant species in the Sahara dessert?

Only 1,200 (very low)

What land forms is found in the Sahara?

Gravel pavement, rocky mountains & stony desert pavements and sand dunes

What is the most prominent land form?

Gravel pavement (70%)

What is the least prominent

Rocky mountains & Stony desert pavement

What is cryptobiosis?

The act of nearly stopping one’s metabolism

What is diapause

Slowing of metabolism to a low rate

What is the Namib desert an example of?

A rain shadow desert

How many plant species in the Namib desert?

5,000 species

Aestivation

The act of slowing metabolic ratex

xerophytes

adapted to living in arid environments

Hydrophytes

adapted to living in water

Mesophytes

adapted to living on land

petrogenesis

creation of soil

What is soil mostly made of? What is the numbers

Sand (0.02 - 2mm)

What is the material soil is secondly mostly made of?

Silt (0.02 - 0.002mm)

What is the material soil is the least made of?

Clay (<0.002mm)

What is ecosystems

subdivisions of ecosphere where organisms interact with each other

Biosphere

subdivisions in the biosphere in which plants and animals are grouped together by characteristics

Ecotone

Transition between two biomes or ecosystem

What compound makes up the chemoautotrophic bacteria?

H2S Hydrogen Sulfide

What is seawater composed of?

3.5% dissolved particles & 96.5% pure water

What percentage of Npp makes up Gpp?

10-30%

Which light penetrates the deepest in the ocean?

Blue light

what is the shallow zone in the tropics?

Photic zone

Are there high PP and nutrients in coastal zones?

Yes