CHAPTER 52 An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Vocabulary flashcards covering key climate, physical geography, and climate-change concepts from Chapter 52.

Climate

The long-term prevailing weather conditions in a given area.

Global climate patterns

Large-scale patterns determined largely by input solar energy and Earth's movement that create latitudinal temperature differences and global air and water circulation.

Four physical factors

The four factors that determine climate: temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind.

Seasonality

Strong seasonal cycles in day length, solar radiation, and temperature caused by the tilt of Earth's axis.

Upwelling

The rising of deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface, fueling surface-dwelling phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that form the base of many aquatic food webs.

Ocean currents

Large-scale movements of surface seawater that heat or cool air along coastlines and influence regional climates.

California Current

A cold current off western North America that supports coniferous rainforest along the Pacific coast.

Gulf Stream

A warm Atlantic current that moderates winter climate in northwestern Europe.

Labrador Current

A cold current flowing south from Greenland that cools parts of eastern Canada.

Microclimate

Very fine-scale climate differences within a habitat caused by local features like shade and wind.

Rain shadow

A dry region on the leeward side of a mountain where descending air reduces precipitation.

Mediterranean climate

A climate with dry summers and wet winters, typical of regions around the Mediterranean.

Windward

The side of a mountain facing incoming moist air where rain tends to fall.

Leeward

The side of a mountain sheltered from prevailing winds, typically drier with less rainfall.

Lapse rate

The rate at which air cools with altitude; about 6°C per 1000 meters in the example.

Abiotic factors

Nonliving components of an environment, such as temperature, water, and nutrients.

Biotic factors

Living components of an environment, including other organisms that influence distribution and abundance.

Climate change

A directional, long-term change in Earth's climate driven by human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

Greenhouse gases

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to warming (e.g., CO2).

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, and natural gas whose combustion increases atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Fossil pollen

Pollen preserved in sediments used to reconstruct historical climate and vegetation and track migrations.

Species range shift

Movement of species to follow suitable climate and habitat, often northward or to higher elevations.

American beech (Fagus grandifolia)

Tree whose northern range is predicted to move 700–900 km northward in the next century under warming scenarios.

End of the last ice age

Period when glaciers retreated and species migrated northward; used to compare with current changes.

Neodenticula seminae

A Pacific diatom that recently colonized the Atlantic for the first time in ~800,000 years, signaling climate-related dispersal.

European butterfly range shifts

Many European butterfly species have shifted ranges northward by 35–240 km as climate warms.

Bumblebee range shrinkage

Geographic ranges of many bumblebee species shrinking, retreating from southern edges with limited northern expansion.

Upwelling zones and fisheries

Upwelling zones are small in area but provide a large share of the world's fish catches.

High specific heat of water

Water's capacity to moderate climate by buffering temperature fluctuations of nearby land.

Equinox

Times of year when day and night are about equal in length (e.g., March and September equinoxes).

Solstice

Times of year when the sun reaches its greatest distance from the equator (e.g., December solstice).