GEOG 2 Test 2

Habitat

the natural environment in which an organism lives

Microhabitat

small scale environment

Microclimate

a small bit of climate

Lithology

sedimentary rocks / unconsolidated sediments / evaporites / metamorphic rock / volcanics / ice / glaciers / water

Bioclimate

water (fresh v. salt) / animal precipitation / seasonal temp / annual temp

Ecoregions

EPA invented; defined based on plants, landforms, soils, climates, and more; four nested levels to define: 1. 15 ecoregions 2. 50 ecoregions 3. 182 ecoregions 4. 1000+ ecoregions (bigger to smaller)

Ecological Land Units

USGS and ESRI; defined based on climate (specifically temp and precipitation; bioclimate), landforms, lithology, and land cover; almost 4000 ELUs worldwide

Biome

very large-scale classification; on land usually defined along bioclimate axis; mean annual temp / mean annual precipitation; cold and dry / hot and dry / cold and wet / hot and wet

Landforms

ex: flat / smooth / irregular / escarpments / low hills / hills / etc.

Land Cover

bare / urban areas / shrubland / grassland / cropland / forest (open or closed) / snow / ice / water

Nine Major World Biomes

tundra, deserts, grasslands / shrublands / woodlands, savanna, boreal forest / taiga, temperate deciduous, temperate rain, tropical deciduous, tropical rain

Tundra

cold and dry; highest latitude, lowest temp; few species; low productivity; ice on the ground and sea (methane); climate change accelerates melting; permafrost (frozen for at least two years)

Desert

hot and dry; take up all the way toward tundra; more bare ground than vegitation; can be hot or cold

Grassland / Shrubland / Woodland

hot and dry; slightly more vegetation; wedge to the right of deserts; higher productivity

Savanna

hot and dry; more productive than desert/tundra; not only in Africa; below the lands

Boreal Forest / Taiga

hot and wet; trees, not usually taller than 30m; only in the northern hemisphere; some vegetation; (closed canopy tree cover)

Temperate Deciduous

mid temp, mid precipitation; four seasons; mid latitudes; many species of plants

Temperate Rain

mild climate; between coast and mountains; hemlock, maple, etc.; ferns and mosses

Tropical Deciduous

warm all year around (wet and dry seasons); trees drop leaves in dry seasons; north and south of TR forests

Tropical Rain

rain all year; up to twice as productive as other three which are all similar

Deciduous Forest

recieve a moderate amount of annual rain/snowfall

Rain Forest

recieve the most precipitation of any biomes

Temperate Forest

grow in areas with moderate average temp and more seasonal temp change (cold winters and hot summers)

Tropical Forest

grow in areas with hot temp that don’t change a lot over the year

Location of Biomes

Earth’s Surface Is ___ Water

70%

Primary Production Is ___ Water

50%

Five Oceans

Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Southern, Indian

Coral Reefs

only in nertic zone; 25% of all marine species live in at some point; value to humans as well (est. $30-170 billion/yr)

Hydrothermal Vents

energy source is bacteria; everything else eats them

Neritic Zone

(coastal); more shallow; mostly follows coastlines; see things in the ocean from the sea-line; sublittorial or shelf; light reaches the bottom of the water; estuary (connects to ocea, fed by rivers), lagoon (similar, but barrier before ocean), wetland; coral reefs

Pelagic Zone

everything in the water above

Benthic Zone

on (or burrowed in) the seafloor

Abyssal Zone

deep sea; no light reaches

Symbiotic Relationship

physically close partnership between two species (one species usually lives on the other) where both benefit

Superorganism

a colony of many individual organisms (polyps) living together in one structure they built together

Bioluminescence

some animals glow in the dark

Metapopulation

a group of populations that occupy habitat patches and where individuals can move between patches at least a bit

Dispersal

movement between patches; patches have connectivity

Connectivity

if there is dispersal; ranges from low (very little dispersal) to high (lots of dispersal)

Source

population patch where reproduction rate is high enough to sustain populations and prevent extinction

Sink

reproductive rate is insufficient; only the influx of individuals from a source keeps the species present

Equilibrium Species Richness

where immigration and extinction rates are equal

Rescue Effect

it’s easier for additional individuals to reach the island and boost their populations there, which prevents the species from going extinct

Oceanic Dispersal Mechanisms

swim; fly; catch a ride on an animal that swims or flies; float; raft on floating vegetation / logs

Immigration Rate (on a plot)

how many new species appear on the island every year

Extinction Rate (on a plot)

the amount of species that go extinct (due to competition)

immigration or extinction rate on a plot, as a function of island size, distance to land, and species richness

more species you have on an island = less new species; more species = more competition; more areas == resources used by different groups; island close to mainland = more diverse; extinction rate lower = close to mainland; colonization rate higher = close the mainland; extinction rate lower = larger islands

Species—Area Effect

larger islands will host more species than smaller islands; larger geographic regions often contain more different ecoregions

How would species richness on an island change if the island were a different size or distance from land, or disturbed from equilibrium?

more species richness = larger island / closer to mainland; less species richness = smaller island / farther from mainland

Fragmentation

human impacts are changing connectivity for many species; less connectivity across metapopulations

Inbreeding Depression

a loss of fitness because rare disease-causing genes can spread quicker and less gene diversity; ex: cheetahs

Wildlife Corridor

areas that reconnect populations in a fragmented landscape

Causes of Habitat Fragmentation

human impacts; highways; access roads; fences

Sketch the Components of an Effective Wildlife Crossing

Compare the Relative Benefits of Each Wildlife Crossing

overpass - wandering or grazing animals; underpass - some species prefer (less exposed); tunnels - for amphibians and reptiles

Negative Impacts of Wind Power On Biodiversity

often put in wildlife corridors (birds and bats); kills the birds and bats

Significance of the Wallis Anneberg/Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor, its ambassador species, and the public-private parternships that made it possible

massive corridor; biggest one in the nation; many collaborating agencies and organizations; ambassador species - mountain lion (P-22)