definitions
away from the wind, experiencing less precipitation
What is leeward?
Distance from the equator, measured in degrees north or south
What is latitude?
elevation above sea level
What is altitude?
biomes near large bodies of water experience this
What is greater precipitation than normal?
The uppermost layer in a forest (few plants reach this high)
What is the emergent layer?
narrow waxy leaves that minimize water loss
What is coniferous?
the two most significant abiotic factors in biomes
What are temperature and precipitation?
These winds come from the tropics and head westward toward the equator
What are trade winds?
This type of grassland is located near the equator between tropical forests and subtropical deserts.
What are savannas (or tropical grasslands)?
highest net primary productivity of all land-based ecosystems
What are tropical rainforests?
amount of plants converting energy in an ecosystem
What is primary productivity?
This is the reason we have seasons in temperate areas
What is the Earth's tilt and orbit?
This system of deep ocean currents distributes heat
What is the ocean conveyor belt?
These are the coldest and driest of all the forest biomes
What are boreal forests (or taigas)?
As distance from the mainland increases, this happens to species richness (biodiversity) on an island
What is decreases (inverse correlation)?
all of the air, water, and land that support life
What is the biosphere?
These are rotating bodies of air caused by warm air rising and cool air sinking
What are convection cells?
Warm water shifts from the WESTERN Pacific Ocean (Asia) to the EASTERN Pacific Ocean (South America), causing warmer weather & rainfall in the US.
What is El Nino?
Urban development causes this, by dividing natural areas up into smaller pieces.
What is habitat fragmentation?
What is the canopy?
change in biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem over time
What is succession?
These winds come from the subtropics and head eastward toward the midlatitudes
What are westerlies?
Has lowest net primary productivity of all ecosystems
What are deserts?
This causes cities to be warmer than rural areas, due to the the asphalt absorbing the heat and reduced air flow due to blocked winds.
What is urban heat island effect?
This type of succession occurs where no prior life existed, and takes centuries to reach a climax community
What is primary succession?