Mt & Desert - Quiz 1

Define climate.

The long term (~30 yr) average pattern of weather for an area.

Define weather.

The combination of temperature, humidity, precipitation, winds, clouds (THPWC), at a specific time and place.

What are the primary factors that affect the climate?

variations in temperature + precipitation.

Where is chaparral located?

• Mid-latitudes (30° to 50° N & 30° to 40° S)

• Only in 5 regions

• W side of continents w/ westerly winds

Describe maritime climate.

Cool summers, cool winters with few extremes due to near ocean influence.

Describe Mediterranean climate.

Hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

What effect do the Santa Ana winds have?

Dry winds in autumn blow from the Mojave Desert in the E toward the Pacific ocean making chaparral vegetation dry and fire risk high.

Describe the slope effect.

South-facing slopes are subjected to more Sun exposure and a greater degree of drought-stress.

North-facing slopes experience less evaporation and are more moist.

Describe the rain shadow effect.

The slope facing the prevailing winds has high precipitation and lush vegetation; the leeward slope gets little precipitation.

• cold air cannot hold moisture, so when air rises to the peak it falls as precipitation and dry air is left.

How long is the chaparral fire tolerance?

20-30 yrs

Define succession.

The process of change in species composition over time as a result of abiotic and biotic agents of change, theoretically ending including a stable end point.

• pioneer stages → intermediate stages → climax community

Define autosuccession.

A special case in the chapparal where the climax species is reestablished after the fire without the classical pioneer and intermediate stages of 1° & 2° succession.

• regrows from root crowns and basal burls

• ~30-70 yrs