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Ecology and the Environment Ch 2
Interactive Science Series
37
Science
7th Grade
09/28/2016

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Cards

Term
producer
Definition
an organism that can make its own food
Term
consumer
Definition
an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
Term
herbivores
Definition
consumers that eat only plants
Term
carnivores
Definition
consumers that eat only meat
Term
omnivores
Definition
consumers that eat both plants and animals
Term
scavenger
Definition
a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
Term
decomposers
Definition
break down biotic wastes and the bodies of dead organisms
Term
food chain
Definition
a series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy
Term
food web
Definition
consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
Term
energy pyramid
Definition
shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web.
Term
evaporation
Definition
the process by which molecules of liquid water absorb energy and change to a gas
Term
condensation
Definition
the process by which a gas changes to a liquid
Term
precipitation
Definition
rain, snow, sleet, and hail
Term
nitrogen fixation
Definition
the process of changing free nitrogen into a useable form of nitrogen
Term
biome
Definition
a groups of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Term
climate
Definition
the average annual temperature and amount of precipitation
Term
desert
Definition
an area that receives less than 25 cm of rain per year
Term
rain forest
Definition
forest in which large amounts of rain fall each year
Term
temperate rain forest
Definition
a rain forest with moderate temperatures and huge trees
Term
tropical rain forest
Definition
a rain forest with tree layers, hot temperatures, and found near the equator
Term
emergent layer
Definition
the tallest layer of the rain forest (70 m)
Term
canopy
Definition
trees up to 50 m tall in a rain forest
Term
understory
Definition
A layer of trees and vines 15 m high in a rain forest
Term
grassland
Definition
an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other nonwoody plants (25-75 cm of rain per year)
Term
savanna
Definition
receives as much at 120 cm of rain each year
Term
deciduous trees
Definition
trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year
Term
boreal forests
Definition
dense forests found in the upper regions of the northern hemisphere
Term
coniferous trees
Definition
trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles
Term
tundra
Definition
extremely cold and dry
Term
permafrost
Definition
frozen soil
Term
estuary
Definition
where fresh water of a river meets the salt water of an ocean
Term
intertidal zone
Definition
located on the shore between the highest high-tide line and the lowest low-tide line
Term
neritic zone
Definition
region of shallow water found below the low-tide line and extending over the continental shelf
Term
biogeography
Definition
the study of where organisms live and how they got there
Term
continental drift
Definition
the process of the continents drifting apart over millions of years
Term
dispersal
Definition
movement of organisms from one place to another
Term
exotic species
Definition
an organism that is carried into a new location by people.
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