Chapter 23
Terrestrial Ecosystems

Links for Enrichment and Further Learning

• Tropical Rain Forest Coalition
• Rain Forest Alliance
• Mojave Desert
• Mojave Desert Ecosystem Program

Study Questions / Quiz Prep. (Consult Required Reading and lecture notes for answers.)

1. Be able to recognize world maps indicating locations of the eight major terrestrial biomes.
2. Be able to recognize photographs of each biome.
3. List the eight major terrestrial biome types.
4. Refer to Figure 23.1. As the mean annual temperature increase, the maximum possible mean annual precipitation (increases? decreases? stays the same?)
5. Refer to Figure 23.1. Given a mean annual temperature of 25° C, list the biomes from driest to wettest.
6. Refer to Figure 23.1. Given a mean annual temperature of 10 ° C, list the biomes from driest to wettest.
7. If grasses are more efficient in their allocation of photosynthetic output than are trees, why don't grasses dominate tropical rainy land?
8. If trees use their height to aggressively shade out their shorter competitors, why don't trees dominate temperate dry areas?
9. What is the difference between "winter deciduous" and "drought deciduous"?
10. In terms of economic budgets, why do needle-leaf evergreens (pines, firs) outnumber broad-leaf deciduous trees (oaks, alders, maples, sycamores) on mountaintops?
11. Covering only _________% of the Earth's land surface, tropical rain forests account for more than ________% of all known plant and animal species.
12. Nearly ________% of all primate species live in the tropical rain forests.
13. Read "Quantifying Ecology 23.1 - Climate Diagrams."
14. Refer to Figure 23.4. Describe the annual pattern of mean monthly temperatures.
15. Refer to Figure 23.4. Is there high rainfall all year round in the tropical rain forests? Describe the pattern.
16. In the tropical rain forest, what is the main source of soil nutrients?
17. In the tropical rain forest, why don't nutrients percolate down to deeper soil layers?
18. Ecologists consider the tropical rain forest in terms of _____________ vegetation layers.
19. How does the climate of the tropical savanna differ from the climate of the tropical rain forest?
20. How is the geographic distribution of deserts different from the geographic distribution of savannas?
21. Refer to Figure 23.12. Are deserts always extremely hot?
22. Great basin Desert -- hot desert or cool desert?
23. Great Basin Desert -- dominant plant?
24. Mojave Desert -- hot or cool desert?
25. Mojave Desert -- dominant plant?
26. What is the name for the mediterranean biome in North America?
27. Where is this mediterranean biome located in North America?
28. In what season does this biome receive most of its rainfall?
29. In North America, where are the temperate forests?
30. How is the rain pattern of the temperate forests of Madison, Wisconsin and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania different from the rain pattern of the California chaparral?
31. Where are the major grasslands in North America?
32. Make a general statement to indicate the geographic distribution of conifer forests on Earth.
33. How do summer lengths differ between temperate forests and conifer forests?
34. Compared to other biomes, how long is the growing season in the tundra?
35. Arctic tundra occurs at the very high northern latitudes. Where does alpine tundra occur?

Winter deciduous (a and b). Drought deciduous (c and d).

Broad-leaf evergreen (top). Needle-leaf evergreen (bottom)

Troipical rain forests.

Tropical rain forest.

Vegetative layers in the tropical rain forest.

Tropical savanna.

Tropical Savanna.

Desert.

Mojave desert.

Mediterranean -- temperate shrublands.

Chaparral.

Coastal sage scrub.

Temperate forests.

Temperate forest in summer.

Temperate forest in winter.

Grasslands.

North American prairie.

Conifer forests.

Conifer forest in the Rocky Mountains.

Tundra.

Arctic tundra.