Study Guide
Lecture 4 –Terrestrial Biomes
Be able to define the term “biome” as it applies to terrestrial and aquatic environments, and know
common examples.
Be familiar with the geographical distribution of terrestrial biomes.
Understand the concept of “climate space” and be able to position the major biomes in climate space.
Be able to explain the factors that determine the distribution of terrestrial biomes.
Understand the main drivers of precipitation and temperature patterns, both on a global scale and a
regional scale.
Understand the effects of periodic phenomena (e.g. ENSO) on vegetation.
Be familiar with the concept of (and examples of) convergent evolution.
Be familiar with climate diagrams and their interpretation. For example, you should be able to sketch a
climate diagram for any major biome, or recognize a biome by its climate diagram.
Be able to define the terms “potential vegetation” and “actual vegetation.”
Be familiar with methods for quantifying actual vegetation.
Lecture 5 – Terrestrial Biomes (continued)
Be familiar with common synonyms. For example the “chaparral” biome is also the “Mediterranean”
biome, “alpine tundra” is identified as the “mountain” biome in your text, and the “boreal forest” is also
called the “taiga.”
Be familiar with some of the common reasons actual vegetation differs from potential vegetation.
Understand the “feedback effects” between vegetation and the atmosphere (e.g. the interactions
between climate and vegetation or atmospheric composition and vegetation).
Be able to recognize common terrestrial biomes by their major visible features (e.g. vegetation
structure, phenology).
Be familiar with “natural” processes affecting individual biomes. For example, tundra is strongly
influenced by freeze-thaw dynamics, and boreal forests are influenced by fire (and sometimes drought).
Understand that tundra occurs in two “types” (arctic and alpine) and understand their differences and
similarities.
Be familiar with the direct and indirect influences humans are having on major biomes, and be able to
provide examples. For example, know that, in recent decades, “global warming” has been affecting
northern latitudes disproportionately, and be able to explain the responses of northern biomes.
Be able to explain how these influences can have “feedback effects” on the atmosphere and climate.
For example, warming permafrost releases carbon (carbon dioxide and methane) back to the
atmosphere, creating a “positive feedback” on warming.
Be familiar with issues facing Canadian biomes. For example, the boreal forest is currently affected by
deforestation, periodic drought, increasing insect infestations, and increased wildfire due to a
combination of direct and indirect human impacts.
Lecture 6 – Aquatic Biomes, Part 1 – Marine Biomes
Understand the importance of ocean systems to physical and biological processes, and to humans.
Be able to explain why relatively small changes in the ocean (e.g. slight temperature changes) can have
significant impacts on the atmosphere or the biosphere.
Understand the long time scale of physical ocean processes (relative to the atmosphere or the terrestrial
biosphere), as related to thermohaline circulation, volume, and heat capacity (specific heat).
Be familiar with the concepts of “direct” and “indirect” human impacts on marine ecosystems, and be
able to provide examples.
Understand (and be able to explain) the major factors affecting marine biome distribution and
productivity.
Be familiar with basic terms defining the physical structure of the oceans (benthic, pelagic, intertidal,
abyssal, etc.).
Understand the difference between deep ocean currents and surface currents, and know what drives
them.
Understand the relationships between ocean currents, biomes, and productivity.
Be able to explain how and why marine biomes can be both structured and dynamic, and understand
how this affects marine populations.
Know that this “natural variability” has often confounded our understanding of marine population
dynamics and has made it difficult to separate “natural” from “human” effects.
Be familiar with common “oscillatory” phenomena (ACI, PDO, ENSO) and how they affect marine
ecosystems and populations.
Understand that marine systems have much higher rates of endemism than terrestrial and freshwater
systems, and that many marine taxa are yet undescribed (why is this?).
Understand where photosynthetic and chemosynthetic communities are located in marine
environments, and why.
Be familiar with the major marine biomes and their geographical distribution.
Be able to describe some of the primary direct and indirect human influences on major marine biomes.
For example, be able to describe some of the major human impacts (direct and indirect) on coastal
biomes and coral reefs.
Be able to explain what causes coral bleaching. What is the trigger, and what actually happens when
coral appears “bleached?”
Be familiar with the concept of “mutualistic symbiosis” as it applies to coral, and know the organisms
involved.
Lecture 6 – Aquatic Biomes, Continued
Be familiar with the major marine biomes and their geographical distribution.
Be familiar with the concept of “zonation” as it applies to intertidal communities, and the role of
physical factors and predators in structuring these communities.
Understand (and be able to explain) the major factors affecting freshwater biome distribution and
productivity.
Be familiar with some of the ways humans are altering these factors.
Be able to explain the role of coastal zones in “buffering” the land from marine influences and vice
versa. Understand the impacts in human lives and economics when this buffering is lost.
Understand why the arctic sea ice can be considered a “shrinking marine biome” and be familiar with
some of the biological and climatic consequences of this disappearance.
Be familiar with the causes, the extent (scale) of human impacts to freshwater biomes, and the resulting
effects on biological systems.
Be able to explain some of the main factors affecting productivity and species distribution in freshwater
biomes.
Be familiar with common terms describing the structure of lakes (e.g. littoral, limnetic, photic, benthic,
etc.).
Understand the effect of stratification and mixing on lake productivity.
Be familiar with common terms describing stream structure (including stream order, the continuum
concept, and various stream “zones” –e.g. water column, benthic zone, hyporheic zone, phreatic zone,
and riparian zone).
Be able to describe the concept of the “river continuum” and how it affects the distribution of river
communities.
Understand the importance of flow regime in stream communities, and know how these regimes vary
with climate (e.g. temperate vs. desert climate) and with human influence (e.g. dammed vs. undammed
streams).
Be familiar with the geographical distribution of wetlands – where do wetlands predominate?
Be able to define (and differentiate between) bogs and fens, and know their key characteristics.
Understand the link between cold climates and soil carbon.