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These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to biomes and climate, drawn from the lecture notes on the topics of ecological and climatic principles.
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Biosphere
Global processes that include interactions among ecosystems.
Community
Interactions among populations in a specific area.
Organism
The individual unit of natural selection; focused on survival and reproduction.
Weather
Atmospheric conditions over short periods (hours, days) within small geographic areas.
Climate
Long-term average atmospheric conditions across large geographic regions.
Solar Radiation
The main control of climate that affects temperature based on the angle sunlight strikes Earth.
Prevailing Winds
Air currents that are predictable globally due to warm air rising and cold air sinking.
Rain Shadow Effect
Patterns of rising and descending air masses that influence local precipitation.
Biome
Broad geographic areas with similar climates that host similar communities of species.
Terrestrial Biomes
Biomes characterized by climate and dominant plant types, with 10 major examples.
Aquatic Biomes
Two main biomes (freshwater and saltwater) that account for a large part of Earth's surface.
Freshwater Biomes
Biomes with less than 1% salt concentration, including lakes and rivers.
Saltwater Biomes
Biomes with about 3% salt concentration, covering ~75% of Earth's surface.
Primary Productivity
Rate of generation of biomass in ecosystems, significant for understanding energy flow.
Nutrient Availability
Elements and compounds required for survival that can limit productivity in ecosystems.
Macronutrients
Nutrients required in relatively large amounts, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Micronutrients
Nutrients needed in smaller amounts for growth and survival.
Liebig’s Law of the Minimum
States that one limiting resource determines the carrying capacity of an ecosystem.
Latitudinal Diversity Gradient
The pattern where species diversity peaks near the equator and declines toward the poles.