Term
| How does moisture change as you move up in elevation in the Southwestern interior forests? |
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Definition
| Moisture level increases as you move up in elevation, from xeric to mesic. |
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Term
| name the three community types of the Southwest interior forests: |
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Definition
-foothill oak woodlands
-mixed oak forests
-mixed conifer forests |
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Term
| name the main oak species that dominates the foothill oak woodlands: |
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Definition
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Term
| Where is the foothill oak woodlands located? |
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Definition
| It is located around the central valley, at about 100-800 meters in elevation. |
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Term
name the oak species that dominates the mixed oak community:
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Definition
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Term
| Which community in the Southwestern interior forests is a transition zone? |
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Definition
| Mixed oak community-transition zone between the oak foothill community and the mixed conifer community |
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Term
| Where is the mixed conifer community type found? |
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Definition
| -at elevations of 800 meters-2600 meters in mountain ranges |
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Term
| Which species dominate the drier sites of the Southwestern interior forests? |
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Definition
| Jeffrey pine and Ponderosa pine |
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Term
| Which species dominate the mesic sites of the Southwest interior forests? |
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Definition
| white fir, and then red fir at increasing elevations |
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Term
| What are the two main community types of the intermountain region of the Southwest interior forests? |
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Definition
| sagebrush steppe and pinyon-juniper |
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Term
| name and describe the main feature of the intermountain region of the Southwest interior forests: |
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Definition
| cold desert-high elevations and very dry-cold in the winter, but very hot in the summer |
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Term
| What dominates the climate of the intermountain region of the Southwest interior forests? |
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Definition
| the rainshadow effect created by the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west |
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Term
| Which species dominates the xeric regions of the intermountain lowlands of the Southwest interior forests? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a major adaptation of big sagebrush? |
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Definition
| Dimorphism of leaves-large leaves develop in early spring when moisture levels are high and then drop and get replaced with smaller evergreen leaves later in the summer when moisture levels are low |
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Term
| describe the climate and soils of the pinyon-juniper community: |
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Definition
| temperature swings are dramatic, from very hot to very cold with snow, and soils are very well-drained and dry |
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Term
| describe how fire suppression has changed the pinyon-juniper community: |
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Definition
| fire suppression has caused pinyon-juniper forests to expand upward into grasslands, reducing open grassland habitat |
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