List the individual variables that create climate:
Solar radiation
Temperature
Rainfall
Wind
Variation of factors according to season
Weather is considered the average values of climatic variables.
False
Which climatic variable is considered to have the greatest influence on an area’s climate?
Solar radiation
List 3 features that can contribute to a microclimate:
Buildings
Ponds
Ground depressions
How does latitude influence solar radiation intensity on earth?
Radiation decreases as latitudes increase
At what latitude does the highest solar radiation occur?
0 degrees latitude
The relative angle of the sun toward the earth’s surface _______________ as we move toward the poles.
Decreases
Identify the range of radiation wavelength that supports plant photosynthesis.
400-700 nm
The average day length of 12 hours varies throughout the world because of the 14.5o tilt in the earth’s axis.
True
Besides photosynthesis, list 3 effects day lengths have on plants.
Plants that are photoperiodic bloom at certain intervals of light and absence of light. Throughout the year there are different ratios of light and darkness, and it determines whether or not a plant will bloom at a given time. Some plants, when given too much light, will wither and die. This is why it is important to consider using LED lights in neighborhoods, as the LED light could have negative affects on the surrounding flora. Another way that the length of day affects plants is in photomorphogenesis, and that is the shape of the plant when it is exposed to different amounts of light. Some plants will grow to be long and spindly if they do not have enough access to direct sunlight. In essence, day length can affect a plant’s bloom cycle, if it withers and dies, and it’s shape.
**
Flowering
Bud-break
Leaf fall
Plants that flower in response to day length are called photoperiodic and the response is called photoperiodism.
True
Plants that flower when the light period is less than a critical length is known as ______________________.
Short day plants
Under forest canopies, the light intensity may be ____________ percent of the light intensity above the canopy.
1 - 10
Shade avoidance and photoperiodism responses are examples of __________________.
Photomorphogenesis
During photomorphogenesis, the light absorbing protein phytochrome responds differently to light in the red and far-red regions of the spectrum.
True
Crops grown in rows oriented in east to west orientation experience more far-red light.
False
**
Rows oriented in a north to south orientation experience more far-red light due to the sun’s track from east to west.
What are 2 ways we can manipulate photoperiod in a greenhouse to control flowering?
by controlling the amount of light given to plants in a greenhouse you can either increase or decrease the amount of growth and flowering periods of plants. The usage of red blue lights can aid in plant growth, and by relation flowering. The intensity of light can also induce flowering or not induce flowering, depending on the type of plant in the greenhouse.
**
Add artificial lights such as HID lights to increase the length of the photoperiod.
Add shade cloths to decrease the length of the photoperiod.
Freshwater is replenished through the ____________________.
Hydrological Cycle
Water vapor escapes through pores in the leaf structure called ___________.
Stomata
As water escapes through leaf pores, which gas enters for photosynthesis?
Carbon dioxide
Relative humidity expresses the actual water content relative to the maximum amount that the air can hold at a given temperature.
True
Evaporation and plant transpiration rates are influenced by ________________.
Vapor pressure deficit
In the United States, east of longitude 95o W, there is a ______________ of precipitation.
Surplus
One variable of climate that can be and historically has been modified on a large scale is _______________.
Water
