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| 1. a genetically determined characteristic that enhances the ability of an individual to cope with the conditions of its environment. 2. The evolutionary process by which organisms become better suited to their environments. |
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| all of the ecosystems of the Earth. |
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| an association of interacting populations usually defined by the nature of their interaction or the place in which they live. |
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| an organism that assimilates energy either from sunlight of from inorganic compounds. |
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| Bicarbonate Ions (HCOɜ -) |
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| an anion formed by the dissociation of carbonic acid. |
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| Carbonic Acid (found in coca-cola) |
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| found when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in water. (also, has a pH of 3) |
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| 1. product of oxidation carbohydrates in cellular respiration. 2. often combined with Bicarbonate under water to create an equilibrium. |
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| the transfer of heat between substances in contact with one another. |
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| transfer of heat by the movement of fluid such as air or water. |
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| the decrease in temperature with increasing elevation caused by the expansion of air under decreasing atmospheric pressure. |
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| the effect of the earth's rotation on the circulation patterns of the atmosphere and oceans, which causes winds and currents to veer to the right of their direction of travel in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. |
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| the highest position of the sun in the day. |
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| physical and chemical alteration of rock material near the earth's surface. |
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| 1. the most abundant polar molecule on the earth's surface. it is an ideal life medium and can stay liquid in intense temperatures. much of this is also found in space. |
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| electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation. (also considered the Photosynthetically active region) PAR. |
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| electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength shorter than about 400 nm. |
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| evaporation of water from leaf cells and other parts of plants. |
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| the depth in a body of water in which the temperature changes abruptly between an upper layer of warm water (epilimnion) and a lower layer of cold water (hypolimnion). |
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| a global pattern of surface and deep-water currents driven by differences in the density of water caused by variations in temperature and salinity. |
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| a close physical association between two species, usually coevolved. they can be parasitic or mutualistic |
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| Subtropical High Pressure Belts |
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| regions of high atmospheric pressure and dry air centered approximately 30 degrees north and south of the equator, where the air of the Hadley cell sinks. |
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| the establishment in a body of water of distinct layers with different temperatures or salinities due to differences in their densities. |
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| the vertical mixing of water layers in a temperature lake in spring as surface ice melts and the surface water warms and sinks. |
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| the vertical mixing of water layers in a temperature lake in spring as surface ice melts and the surface water warms and sinks. |
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| the vertical mixing of water layer in a temperature lake in fall following the breakdown of thermal stratification as the surface water cools and sinks. |
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| a reversal of the typical gradient of atmospheric pressures over the central equatorial Pacific Ocean that triggers an El Nino event. |
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| the parallel of latitude that lies directly under the sun's zenith in a given season. |
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| woodlands along the banks of stream or river. |
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| the individuals of a particular species that inhabit a particular area. |
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| synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants). |
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| Photosynthetically Active Region (PAR) |
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| the wavelengths of light that are suitable for photosynthesis, ranging between about 400 nm (violet) and 700 nm (red), corresponding to the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. |
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| unstable pigments that undergo a chemical change when they absorb light. |
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| a colorless, odorless reactive gas comprised of three oxygen atoms. |
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| a living being; the most fundamental unit of ecology. |
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| the force with which an aqueous solution attracts water by osmosis; usually expressed as a pressure. |
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| the tendency of water to move from regions of low solute concentration to regions of high solute concentration |
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| he water rising from the deep depths of the ocean floor because of specific wind patterns. This is something beneficial to phytoplankton because the deep cold water has nutrients and dissolved gases that, with sunlight, allow the plankton to photosynthesize. |
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| the range of conditions a species can tolerate and the ways of life it pursues; the functional role of a species in the community, often conceived as a multidimensional space. |
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| change in the frequency of genetic traits in a population through differential survival and reproduction of individuals bearing those traits. |
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| an interaction between two species that benefits both. |
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| A colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that makes up about 20% of the air we breathe (O2) . |
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| the intensity of the light of all wavelengths impinging on a surface, quantified in watts per square meter. |
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| an electrically charged atom or group of atoms. |
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| Intertropical Convergence |
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| the region at the solar equator where surface currents of air meet and being to rise under the warming influence of the sun. |
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| nutrients that don’t contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. |
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| having an osmotic potential (generally salt concentration) less than that of the surrounding medium. |
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| having an osmotic potential greater than that of the surrounding medium. |
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| an organism that uses other organisms or their remains as a source of energy and nutrients. |
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| the circulation pattern of rising and falling air within the tropics. |
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| the place or physical setting where an organism normally lives, often characterized by a dominant plant growth or physical characteristic (that is, a stream habitat, a forest habitat...) |
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| change in population's gene pool. |
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| the transformation of water from the liquid to the gaseous state with the input of heat energy. |
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| Equilibrium Water Vapor Pressure |
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| the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere at which the tendency of liquid water to evaporate and the tendency of water vapor to condense back to a liquid state are balanced. |
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| an assemblage of organisms together with their physical and chemical environments. |
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