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Ecosystems & comms-Mercedes I
Chapter 4 Vocabulary
39
Biology
9th Grade
01/25/2007

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Term
Weather
Definition
the day-to-day condition of Earth's atomosphere at a particular time and place
Term
Climate
Definition
average, year-after-year conditions of temperature and precitpitation in a particular region
Term
Greenhouse Effect
Definition
the natural situation in which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gasses
Term
Polar Zones
Definition
cold areas where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle
Term
Temperate Zones
Definition
Sit between the polar zones and the tropics. Located in the areas around the North and South poles, between 66.5 degrees and 90 degrees.
Term
Tropical Zones
Definition
Near the equator, between 23.5 North and 23.5 South Latitudes
Term
Biotic Factors
Definition
Biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem
Term
Abiotic Factors
Definition
Physical, or nonliving, factors that shape ecosystems
Term
Habitat
Definition
the area where an organism lives
Term
Niche
Definition
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
Term
Resource
Definition
any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food or space
Term
competitive exclusion principle
Definition
state that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
Term
predation
Definition
an interaction in which organism captures and feeds on another organism
Term
symbiosis
Definition
any relationship in which two species live closely together
Term
mutualism
Definition
both species benefit from the relationship
Term
commensalism
Definition
one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
Term
parasitism
Definition
one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it
Term
ecological sucession
Definition
series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time
Term
primary sucession
Definition
sucession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
Term
pioneer species
Definition
the first species to popular the area
Term
secondary sucession
Definition
the disturbance is over, community interactions tend to restore the system to its original condition
Term
biome
Definition
complex of terrestrial communties that cover a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions and particular assemblages of plants and animals.
Term
tolerance
Definition
ability to survive under different conditions in different biomes
Term
microclimate
Definition
the climate in a small area that differs through the climate around it
Term
phytoplankton
Definition
uniceullular algae
Term
plankton
Definition
general term for the tiny, free-floating organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments
Term
zooplankton
Definition
planktonic animals
Term
wetland
Definition
an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
Term
estuaries
Definition
wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea
Term
detritus
Definition
made up of tiny pieces of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of the estuary's food web
Term
salt marshes
Definition
temperate-zone esuaries dominated by salt tolerant grasses above the low-tide line, and by seagrasses under water.
Term
mangrove swamps
Definition
coastal wetlands that are widespread across the topical regions
Term
photic zone
Definition
photosynthesis is limited to this well-lit upper layer (Brightness)
Term
aphotic zone
Definition
permanently dark
Term
zonation
Definition
the prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat
Term
coastal ocean
Definition
extends from the low-tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf, the relatively shallow border that surrounds the continents.
Term
kelp forests
Definition
named for their dominant organism: a giant brown alga that can grow at extraordinary rates-as much as 50 centimeters a day
Term
coral reefs
Definition
named for the coral animals whose hard, calium carbonate skeletons make up their primary structure
Term
benthos
Definition
the ocean floor contains organisms that live attached to or near the bottom, such as sea stars, anemones, and marine worms
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