Exam 7: Climate and Biodiversity

A(n) ____ is a partially enclosed body of water where seawater mixes with freshwater from a river.

Biomes are uniform, with sharp boundaries separating them.

The equator is warmer than the poles because ____.

Desert ecosystems are fragile because they have slow plant growth, low species diversity, slow nutrient cycling, and very little water.

____________________ occur primarily in the interiors of continents in areas that are too moist for deserts to form and too dry for forests to grow.

A mountain lake is crystal clear, with no organic material blocking the view to the bottom. This is an example of an oligotrophic lake.

Large terrestrial regions characterized by a particular type of climate and a certain combination of dominant plant life are called ____.

Ocean currents are most significantly affected by ____.

Carbon dioxide and methane are _________________________ released by human activities such as the production and burning of fossil fuels, clearing of forests, and production of crops.

Scientists note that there is a high density of species that live at the border between a forest and a prairie. This pattern of species distribution where ecosystems meet is called the______________________________.

The tops of trees in tropical rain forests form a dense ____________________ that blocks most light from reaching the forest floor.

Temperate deciduous forests typically have ____.

Climate and vegetation vary with changes in latitude and with changes in ____________________.

____ is characterized by permafrost.

Lizards that live in the desert have tough, scaly skin that helps them to ____.

When air moving inland rises as it is forced upward and over a mountain, rain falls on the ____________________slope of the mountain.

Explain how the rain shadow effect occurs.

Wetlands used to be considered a problem because they restricted development. As a result, people tried to find ways to convert them in ways that the land could be used for building and agriculture. We now know that wetlands are very important and need to be preserved. Why are wetlands so important?

What climate factors determine the differences between different types of forests, or different types of deserts, and why?

Based on the information in the text about efforts to conserve elephants in Cambodia, it is apparent that development may cause humans to kill wildlife because ____.