Solutions for Chapter 5: Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Contro

The conditions experienced in an area as an air mass passes over it. Because air masses are large and fairly homogenous, airmass weather will be fairly constant and may last for several days.

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

One of three basic cloud forms; also one of the three high cloud types. They are thin, delicate ice-crystal clouds often appearing as veil-like patches or thin, wispy fibers.

An uninterrupted band of light emitted by an incandescent solid, liquid, or gas under pressure.

A boundary in which two plates move together, causing one of the slabs of lithosphere to be consumed into the mantle as it descends beneath on an overriding plate.

The name given to the periodic warming of the ocean that occurs in the central and eastern Pacific. A major El Niño episode can cause extreme weather in many parts of the world.

An organism whose genetic material is enclosed in a nucleus; plants, animals, and fungi are eukaryotes.

The group of igneous rocks composed primarily of feldspar and quartz.

One of the three main categories of meteorites. This group is composed largely of iron with varying amounts of nickel (5–20 percent). Most meteorite finds are irons.

The brightness of a star. The amount of energy radiated by a star.

The total amount of energy released during an earthquake.

Seasonal reversal of wind direction associated with large continents, especially Asia. In winter, the wind blows from land to sea; in summer, from sea to land.

A subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom. The neutron is electrically neutral and has a mass approximately that of a proton.

The progression of changes in the Moon’s appearance during the month.

The spontaneous emission of certain unstable atomic nuclei.

A fault in which the material above the fault plane moves up in relation to the material below.

The redirecting (in all directions) of light by small particles and gas molecules in the atmosphere. The result is diffused light.

A pluton similar to but smaller than a batholith.

The parallel of latitude, 231?2 degrees south latitude, marking the southern limit of the Sun’s verticalrays.