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THEME 4A - EARTH/ATMOSPHERE INTERFACE: THE BIOSPHERE
Overview: "Earth/Atmosphere Interface" deals with the processes that are taking place through the combined actions of the weather and climate from above, and the tectonic forces from below. First, we focus on "The Biosphere", then move to the geomorphologic processes that sculpture the earth/atmosphere interface. There are five major ideas about the biosphere. First, the (terrestrial) biosphere uses the energy and moisture delivered by the atmosphere and the rock delivered by tectonic forces from below to create soil and to sustain life. Second, soil is dynamic; it is always being produced by weathering of underlying materials and being eroded. Third, the biosphere is organized to convert solar energy into organic matter which is passed along the food chain. Fourth, the patterns of climate explored in Theme 2 are reflected in the pattern of soil and the pattern of vegetation and associated animal life. Fifth, the patterns of soil, vegetation and land use in a region create a landscape mosaic, which is always changing.
Textbook Assignment: Read Units 22 - 28 (pages 240 - 307).
Exercises: The exercises that you will complete in this section of the course are:
8. Managing Soils on Your Country Estate
9. The Climate, Soils, Biosphere System
10. Why Are American Songbirds Vanishing?
Learning Objectives for Theme 4a - Earth/Atmosphere Interface: The Biosphere
- Be able to describe the processes that produce soils, and how these result in soil structure.
- Be able to distinguish between the nine soil orders (the most general level of soil classification), and briefly describe the climate conditions under which each develops and where it is located.
- Be able to identify trophic levels in an ecosystem and how they relate to each other.
- Be able to describe autogenic and allogenic plant succession, and when each occurs.
- Be able to describe a "biome", distinguish between the major biomes, and describe the climate conditions under which each develops and where it is located.
Learning Objectives for Units 22 - 28 in the Textbook
Unit 22 - Climate, Soils, Plants, and Animals
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 22.
- Be able to describe the subject matter of the geography of soils, biogeography, phytogeography, and zoogeography.
- Be able to describe what biodiversity refers to, and the environmental issue that it refers to.
- Be able to discuss the issue of soil degradation presented in Figure 22.6, including how lands are classified and the extent of degradation in North America; compare North America with other continents.
Unit 23 - Formation of Soils
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 23
- Be able to describe the components of soil.
- Be able to list the factors of soil formation.
- Be able to list the major processes that take place in soil.
- Be able to label the horizons in a soil profile, and briefly discuss how they differ from horizons adjacent horizons.
- Be able to describe what the concept of a soil regime is used for.
Unit 24 - Physical Properties of Soil
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 24.
- Be able to describe a pedon, and draw an example.
- Distinguish between the sand, silt and clay, and be able to read the "soil triangle" shown in Figure 24.2.
- Be able to describe the four distinction between the four major soil structure categories, platy, prismatic, blocky and spheroidal.
- Be able to describe the relationship between soil acidity and alkalinity and soil fertility.
- Be able to describe and draw a soil catena.
- Using Figure 24.8 as a guide, describe how the interactions that lead to soil development constitute a system.
Unit 25 - Classification and Mapping of Soils
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 25.
- Be able to tell why many Russian words are used to describe and classify soils.
- Using Table 25.1, discuss the organization of the soil taxonomy.
- Describe how the soils of the seven soil orders presented in Figure 25.1 differ from each other, and the characteristic climate region where they are found.
- Distinguish between entisols, histosols, vertisols and inceptisols, and tell why they are not presented in Figure 25.1.
- Describe a problem in using each soil order, e.g., for agriculture, or a particular resource value of the soil.
- Describe oxisols and their value for agriculture.
- Given the map of soils in the conterminous United States, be able to describe each soil.
Unit 26 - Biogeographic Processes
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 26.
- Be able to describe photosynthesis, and the limits to photosynthesis.
- Be able to describe biomass productivity, and give an example of how it is expressed, as shown on Figure 26.3.
- Be able to describe how energy flows in an ecosystem identify the efficiency with which energy flows through the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
- Distinguish between linear autogenic succession, cyclic autogenic succession and allogenic succession and give an example of each.
- Describe the physical and biotic factors that affect the geographic distribution of plants and animals.
- Describe the species-richness gradient and two possible reasons for its existence.
Unit 27 - The Global Distribution of Plants
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 27.
- Be able to describe the climatic factors and terrain factors that affect the distribution of biomes.
- Understand the relationship between altitude and latitude as they affect vegetation types, as shown in Figure 27.3.
- Understand the relationship between latitude and aridity as controls on vegetation, as shown in Figure 27.4.
- Be able to describe each of the eight major biomes discussed in Unit 27.
Unit 28 - Zoogeography: Spatial Aspects of Animal Populations
- Know how to define and use the key terms in Unit 28.
- Be able to describe the basis for establishing the zoogeographic realms.
- Be able to describe what is meant by an animal range.
- Be able to describe some problems in wildlife conservation.
Glossary for Units 22 - 28
Unit 22 - Climate, Soil, Plants, and Animals
Pedology
Biogeography
Phytogeography
Zoogeography
Biodiversity
Species
Unit 23 - Formation of Soils
Renewable resource
Nonrenewable resource
Soil component
Parent material
Residual soil
Transported soil
Humus
Topography
Soil process
Addition
Transformation
Depletion
Translocation
Soil horizon
Soil profile
Eluviation
Illuviation
Leaching
Soil regime
Unit 24 - Physical Properties of Soils
Solum
Pedon
Sand
Silt
Clay
Loam
Field capacity
Platy
Prismatic
Blocky
Spheroidal
Catena
Unit 25 - Classification and Mapping of Soils
Soil taxonomy
Soil Order
Entisol
Histosol
Vertisol
Inceptisol
Andisol
Aridisol
Mollisol
Alfisol
Spodosol _
Ultisol
Oxisol
Unit 26 - Biogeographic Processes
Photosynthesis
Chlorophyll
Respiration
Biomass
Phytomass
Productivity
Ecosystem
Food Chain
Trophic Level
Herbivore
Carnivore
Linear Autogenic Succession
Cyclic Autogenic Succession
Allogenic Succession
Optimum Range
Zone of Physiological Stress
Zone of Intolerance
Megatherm
Mesotherm
Microtherm
Xerophyte
Hygrophyte
Mesophyte
Deciduous
Evergreen
Edaphic Factor
Competition
Amensalism
Mutualism
Unit 27 - The Global Distribution of Plants
Biome
Terrestrial Biome
Climatic Factors
Terrain Factors
Tropical Rainforest Biome
Tropical Savanna
Desert
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome
Temperate Evergreen (or Coniferous) Forest Biome
Mediterranean Scrub Biome
Northern Coniferous Forest Biome
Tundra Biome
Unit 28 - Zoogeography: Spatial Aspects of Animal Populations
Mutation
Ecological Niche
Habitat
Convergent Evolution
Island Zoogeography
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Unit Objectives 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 
