6 climate and biomes

climate

the long term patterns in the atmosphere (what we expect)

weather

the current state of these atmospheric elements (what’s happening now)

environment

conditions in which an organism operates

precipitation

liquid or frozen water falling from atmosphere

specific heat

amount of energy required to raise 1 gram of substance by 1 celsius

biotic factors

living things like plant transpiration or vegetation structure

abiotic factors

non living. like seasonality and large bodies of water

microclimate

climate of very small area and differs from climate of surrounding area

salinity

measure of dissolved salts in water

elevation

distance above or below sea level

latitude

measurement of distance north or south of equator

zonation

divion of habitats into distinct zones, each with unique living organisms and conditions

rain shadow

patch of land that became a desert because mountain ranges block alot of the rainfall needed for plant growth

pelagic

organisms living in open ocean

benthic

organisms living near bottom of body of water

photic

area where light can penetrate

aphotic

deep area where light can’t penetrate in body of water

distribution

general structure of the species population

what causes climate?

abiotic factors like seasonality and large bodies of water. biotic factors like plant transpiration and vegetation structure. also elevation

what causes seasonality?

sunlight intensity varying throughout earth’s orbit due to earth’s tilt

what causes air currents?

warm air rising and cool air falling

what causes ocean currents?

wind currents

what determines where precipitation falls?

wind patterns and temperature

what characterizes terrestial biomes?

dominant plants and climate

how are biomes distributed?

loosely along a latitudinal gradient

what characterizes aquatic biomes?

depth and salinity

what factors govern species distribution?

abiotic, biotic, and geographical factors