NSCI Final Exam

Ecology

What affects distribution?

1. Temperature and seasons

2. Wind

3. Rainfall

Describe tropical Forests

1. Wet/dry/warm

2. Dont drop Leaves

3. No tree rings

What do the dark part of the tree rings signify

Winter

Describe Temperate Forests

• NA, Europe, China

• Deciduous trees

• Trees drop leaves from lack of moisture (winter)

• Soil is nutrient rich because leaves are dropped

• Wild flowers

  • April showers bring may flowers

Boreal Forests

• Largest biome

• NA, Europe, Asia

• Conifer trees

• little impact by humans (mosquitos and cold)

Chapparral Forest

• Spring evergreens

• Around meditteranean sea

• long dry summers

• fire adapted

• prescription burns

What are prescription burns?

prescribing trees a time to burn so they are adapted to the effects of fire

Why is not allowing biomes to burn bad?

The habitats arent used to fire, so then they get out of control and explode into crazy fires. fires are important

Deserts

• <50 cm of precipitation

• Penguins south of equator

• Highest population growth (human)

• 95% of endemic species extinct

What does endemic mean?

Unique ONLY to that area

What is the situation with the Colorado river?

People use the colorado river, and then stop using it but they keep taking it. So they are just dumping water to be evaporated. This is because they use the “grandfather system”. Wasting tons and tons of water.

Cold Desert and Tundra

• high elevation/latitude

• <50 days of growing season

• Permafrost-parts of ground frozen

• Slow decompostion

How did scientists get samples of the spanish flu?

People were buried in alaska with the spanish flu. And because of permafrost, their bodies were preserved with that disease still alive.

Flagship Species

Charismatic Megafauna (attractive animals such as dolphins)

Umbrella Species

Protect certain species to benefit the rest of the species in the ecosystem. (ex: give rhinos more room so the rest of the species arent in danger)

Indicator Species

1st Species to be affected by something in the ecosystem.

Shows what type of habitat it is

Keystone Species

The predator that, when removed, causes biodiversity levels to drop drastically.