GEOG 203 Final EXAM with complete
solutions 2024/2025
physiognomic classification - ANSWER-- Based on functional + morphological
attributes
- Groups plants simply upon similarities in structure or life form - e.g. height, leaf
shape, branching
2 individuals may have similar structure, but be genetically distant (e.g. if they are
adapted to similar environments)
- E.g. Tree, shrub
Biogeography - ANSWER-The study of the distribution of organisms (plants and
animals), the diverse spatial patterns they create, and the physical and biological
processes, past of present, that produce Earth's species richness
phytogeography - ANSWER-biogeography applied to plants
Historical biogeography - ANSWER-Reconstructing the origin, dispersal and
extinction of taxa and biotas
Ecological biogeography - ANSWER-Accounting for present distributions in
terms of interactions between organisms and their physical and biotic
environments
Paleoecology - ANSWER-relationships between organisms and past
environments
,Species - ANSWER-- Basic unit of classification
- Group of organisms with structural, functional, and developmental similarities
- Group of organisms where all members do or have the potential to breed with
one another and produce fertile offspring
- Each has a unique two-part name - denoted with italics
(Genus capitalized - must include genus and species epithet)
Linnean classification - ANSWER-Hierarchical levels of taxonomic classification
are based upon evolutionary relationships, assuming relationships in genetic
(DNA) structure
Taxonomic Hierarchy - ANSWER-Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Tree - ANSWER-Perennial, erect woody plant having a single upright main trunk
Shrub - ANSWER-Woody plant having several stems branching near the ground
Lianas - ANSWER-Long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at
ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support to climb up
to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest
Herbs or herbaceous plants - ANSWER-- Lack woody stems and are usually of
shorter stature than trees
--> Grasses, sedges and rushes = graminoids - have parallel venation - some
graminoids can be arboreal = the height of trees -e.g. papyrus = arboreal sedge
common in tropical wetlands
--> Forbs - have dendritic or webbed venation
Epiphytes - ANSWER-- Plants that use other plants as supporting structures
- Not rooted in the ground, and do not take nutrients or energy from the plant they
grow on - not parasitic
,- Live entirely aboveground, supported physically, but not nutritionally by the
structure of other plants
Deciduous - ANSWER-Sheds leaves and becomes dormant in unfavourable
seasons
Evergreen - ANSWER-Retains green foliage all year round
Forest - ANSWER-Vegetation where trees grow close together - in mature forests,
we generally assume that canopies overlap
- Typically 4 layers: tree layer - includes crown which can comprise canopy, liana,
epiphytes, etc - Shrub layer, herb + moss layer
- Shrub layer - comprised of young trees and shorter shrubs - generally not
continuous
- Herbs + thallophytes on forest floor - in temperate and deciduous forest they
grow most in the spring and late fall when light is available
Temperate regions - ANSWER-- Lie between the tropical and polar regions
- Generally relatively moderate temperatures
Woodland - ANSWER-Vegetation where trees are spaced so that crowns are
separated
The Kyoto Protocol - ANSWER-The ultimate goal is to achieve stabilization of
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system
, Net changes in greenhouse gas emissions determined by considering: -
ANSWER-- Reductions in emissions by sources
- Removals of sinks resulting from direct human-induced land-use changes
- Forestry activity - creation of sinks: afforestation, reforestation - removal of
sinks: deforestation
Afforestation - ANSWER-- Planting of new forests on lands which historically
have not contained forest
- Historically ambiguous term - if you look far enough in the past, most places
had forests at some point
Reforestation - ANSWER-Planting of forests on lands which have historically
previously contained forest but have been converted to some other land use
Deforestation - ANSWER-Not defined in kyoto protocol, but presumably
conversion of forests to non-forest (pasture or cropland)
UNFCC Forest definition - ANSWER-Min area = 0.05-1 ha
Crown cover = 10-30%
Height = 2-5m at maturity
CBD forest definition - ANSWER-Min area > 0.5 ha
Min height = 5 m
Min crown cover = 10%
FAO forest definition - ANSWER-Min area = 0.5 ha
Min height = 5m
Crown cover = 10%
Years = 10
Strip width = 20 m
2 most important environmental factors influencing plant growth - ANSWER-
Water
Temperature
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