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Unit 2 Test Review 1. Why does the Coriolis Effect matter more in air then on the ground?

a. Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

2. What does the Thermophile Circulation do for the Earth’s Climates? a. Thermohaline circulation plays an important role in supplying heat to the polar regions. Therefore, it influences the rate of sea ice formation near the poles, which in turn affects other aspects of the climate system (such as the albedo, and thus solar heating, at high latitudes).

3. Why does El Nino make for poor fishing in Peru?

a. The warm water sloshes back towards South America, which hides the nutrient-rich cold waters and ensures fish are in short supply.

4. What are the different wind patterns of La Nina and El Nino? a. El Nino: Unusually warm water temps in the pacific cause by a weak or reversed direction trade winds

b. La Nina: Unusually cold-water temps in the pacific caused by strong easterly winds

5. How does cold wind and warmer lake temperature create “Lake Effect” snow?

a.

Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric

conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated up by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises up through the colder air above.

6.

Why are deserts located at 30 degrees latitude north and south of

the equator?

a.

Most of the world's deserts are located near 30 degrees north

latitude and 30 degrees south latitude, where the heated equatorial air begins to descend. The descending air is dense and begins to warm again, evaporating large amounts of water from the land surface. The resulting climate is very dry.

7.

What drives the Hadley cells?

a. Hadley cells are composed of warm, moist air that rises into the atmosphere above the equator and is the source of rainfall and warm temperatures in the equatorial regions. 8. Where is the ozone layer located and how does it benefit the earth? a. The ozone layer is the common term for the high concentration of ozone that is found in the stratosphere around 15–30km above the earth's surface. It covers the entire planet and protects life on earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from the sun. 9. What is the primary cause of Earth’s seasons?

a. As the earth spins on its axis, producing night and day, it also moves about the sun in an elliptical (elongated circle) orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete. The earth's spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. This is what causes the seasons.

10.

Define albedo and describe how it is involved in a positive feedback loop at the poles. a. Albedo is the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon. Albedo feedback is a positive feedback climate process where a change in the area of ice caps, glaciers, and sea ice alters the albedo and surface temperature of a planet. 11. How does the rain shadow effect change the climate on the leeward side of a mountain?

a. On the leeward side, the cold, dry air starts to descend and to sink and compress, making the winds warm up. This warming causes the moisture to evaporate, making clouds disappear.

12.

How does the process of evolution make a species better suited to their environment?

a. organisms that possess heritable traits that enable them to better adapt to their environment compared with other members of their species will be more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass more of their genes on to the next generation.

13.

How did the bottleneck effect decrease the genetic diversity of the cheetah population? a. Inbreeding reduces the size of the gene pool, which can lead to problems such as decreased genetic variability and the persistence of potentially harmful mutations, making it harder for the remaining population to adapt to changes in their environment 14.What are the two main factors that determine a biome’s climate? a. Climate is the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. Climate is the main factor is determining which plants can grow in a certain area, which in turn defines the biome. Temperature and precipitation are the two most important factors that determine a region's climate. 15.What are the 2 differences between the past 5 major extinction events and the current possible 6th extinction? a. Unlike previous mass extinctions, the sixth extinction is due to human actions 16.Why is an organism’s range of tolerance importance during Earth’s changing climate?

a. The growth of the organisms increases. The organisms fail to reproduce.

17.

What is an unintended consequence of artificial selection on biodiversity? a. Artificial selection can be unintentional, e.g., resulting from the process of human cultivation; and it may also produce unintended— desirable or undesirable—results. 18. Name 2 ways invasive species get into new environment?

a. Invasive species can harm both the natural resources in an ecosystem as well as threaten human use of these resources. An invasive species can be introduced to a new area via the ballast water of oceangoing ships, intentional and accidental releases of aquaculture species, aquarium specimens or bait, and other means. 19. Name 2 characteristics that most invasive species have that aid their invasion. a. Fast Growth and Rapid Reproduction 20.DDT was never found in large enough quantities (ppm- parts per million) to harm large organisms, so how did it manage to harm large fishing birds? a. Chemicals like DDT interfered with the reproductive cycle of raptors. The poison built up in the falcons' bodies as they ate birds that, in turn, had eaten insects and plants contaminated with the chemicals. The result was diminished fertility, plus eggs with shells so thin, they broke under the parent's weight. 21.The Theory of island biogeography states that island size and closeness tot the mainline will determine species biodiversity? Why?

a. The theory of island biogeography, which predicts that species richness is a function of island size and distance from the mainland, is well tested with macro-fauna and flora.

22.

How is the theory of island biogeography used in habitat fragmentation?

a. Island biogeography theory (IBT) provides a basic conceptual model for understanding habitat fragmentation. Empirical studies of fragmented landscapes often reveal strong effects of fragment area and isolation on species richness, although other predictions of the theory, such as accelerated species turnover in fragments, have been tested less frequently.

23.

How does habitat fragmentation and edge effect diminish a natural forest? a. When habitat fragmentation occurs, the perimeter of a habitat increases, creating new borders and increasing edge effects. Additionally, fragmentation breaks habitat continuity, reducing

reproductive success, genetic exchange and, therefore, reducing genetic diversity in species 24.How can habitat fragmentation decrease biodiversity?

a. Habitat and biodiversity loss. One of the major ways that habitat fragmentation affects biodiversity is by reducing the amount of suitable habitat available for organisms.

25.

What is a difference between species richness and species evenness? How are these two values used in conservation biology?

a. Species richness: The number of species per sample is a measure of richness. The more species present in a sample, the 'richer' the sample.

b. Species Evenness: Evenness is a measure of the relative abundance of the different species making up the richness of an area. c. The community on the left is dominated by one of the species. The community on the right has equal proportions of each species. Evenness is higher when species are present in similar proportions. 26.What is the purpose of CITES and who runs it? a. CITES, which stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is a global agreement among governments to regulate or ban international trade in species under threat. The United Nations Environment Programme runs CITES 27.What is the purpose of the Endangered species Act and who runs it

a. The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) administer the ESA.

28.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a specialist species?

a. Advantages: Specialists thrive when conditions are just right. They fulfill a niche and are very effective at competing with other organisms. They have good mechanisms for coping with “known” risks.

But when the specific conditions change, they are much more likely to go extinct.

b. Disadvantages: Lots of competition for a generalist. Could overpopulate easily. Aka a 'narrow niche', animals with this niche only live in one type of habitat, eat a certain type of food,and tolerate a narrow range of environmental conditions....