Term
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Definition
| the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with which they interact |
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| other living organisms that are part of an individual's environment |
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| nonliving attributes such as temperature, light, water and nutrients |
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| flow of chemical elements between living organisms & the environment. Exp: water cycle, carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle |
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Definition
| derived from living matter or of biological origin |
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| not arising from natural growth, compounds not containing carbon |
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| The process whereby a substance is removed from the gaseous or solution phase and localized, as in carbon dioxide fixation or nitrogen fixation. |
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| the feeding habits or food relationship of different organisms in a food chain. |
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| organisms that make carbon |
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| Any organism that consumes or feeds on autotrophs or decaying matter. Exp: grasshoppers |
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| An organism that largely feeds on primary consumers. Exp: field mouse |
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| An organism that largely feeds on secondary and primary consumers. |
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| An organism that feeds on detritus or organic waste. Exp: millipedes, beetles |
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| the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment |
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| the long-term prevailing weather conditions in an area |
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| very fine patterns, such as those encountered by the community of organisms underneath a fallen log |
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Definition
| patterns on the global, regional, and landscape level |
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Definition
| a major life zone characterized by vegetation type or physical environment |
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| an event such as a storm, fire, or human activity that changes a community |
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| temp is high year round, vertically layered, home to millions of animal species |
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Definition
| precipitation is low, may be hot or cold, plants adapted for heat and desiccation tolerance, water storage and reduced leaf surface area, many animals are nocturnal |
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| precipitation is seasonal, temp warm year round, grasses make up most of ground cover, dominant plant species are fire-adapted and tolerant of seasonal drought |
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Term
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Definition
| occurs in midlatitude regions, precipitation is highly seasonal with rainy winters and dry summers, summer is hot while fall, winter and spring are cool, dominated by shrubs, small tress, grasses and herbs, many plants are adapted to fire and drought-grapes grow well |
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Term
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Definition
| no shrubs or trees, precipitation is highly seasonal, winters are cold and dry while summers are hot and wet, dominant plants, grasses and forbs are adapted to fire, native mammals include large grazers such as bison and wild horses and small burrowers such as prairie dogs |
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Term
| northern coniferous forest |
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Definition
| largest terrestrial biome, precipitation varies, winters are cold and long while summers may be hot, conifers dominate, animals include migratory birds and large mammals |
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Term
| temperate broadleaf forest |
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Definition
| found at midlatitudes, significant amount of precipitation fall during all seasons as rain or snow, winters average at 0C while summers are hot and humid, vertical layers are dominated by deciduous trees |
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Definition
| arctic latitudes and high altitudes, precipitation is low, winters are long and cold, summers are relatively cool, permafrost prevent water infiltration, vegetation is herbaceous, supports migratory birds, grazer and predators |
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Term
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Definition
| a permanently frozen layer of soil, prevents water infiltration |
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Definition
| has sufficient light for photosynthesis |
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Definition
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| the photic and aphotic zones together |
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Definition
| the organic and inorganic sediment at the bottom of all aquatic zones |
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Definition
| dead organic matter, falls from the productive surface water and is an important source of food |
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Term
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Definition
| Photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae. A type of [[plankton classified as a plant. |
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Definition
| drifting heterotrophs that graze on the phytoplankton. Exp: protists, worms, copepods, krill, jellies, and invertebrate larva |
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Definition
| size can vary from small ponds to large lakes |
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| a habitat that is inundated by water at least some of the time and that supports plants adapted to water-saturated soil |
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| small water mass that contains a current |
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| a transition area between river and sea |
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| an area periodically submerged and exposed by tides, oxygen and nutrient levels are high |
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| constantly mixed by wind-driven oceanic currents, oxygen is high, turnover in temp oceans renews nutrients in the photic zones, covers approximately 70% of Earth's surface |
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Definition
| formed from the calcium carbonate skeletons of corals |
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Definition
| consists of the seafloor below the surface waters of the coastal or neritic zone and the offshore pelagic zone |
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Term
| Why isn't 100% of energy conserved through each level of a trophic "pyramid"? |
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Definition
| inefficient energy transfer, some lost to environment |
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| What factors affect how much water is found in an ecosystem? |
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Definition
| climate, sunlight, salinity, temperature, geography |
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Definition
| The process by which photosynthetic organisms such as plants turn inorganic carbon (usually carbon dioxide) into organic compounds (Carbohydrates). |
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| How is carbon returned to the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do plants get nitrogen? |
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Definition
| fixation from root nodules, ammonification, assimilation |
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Term
| How do animals get nitrogen? |
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Definition
| eat plants with have taken in nitrogen from the soil |
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Term
| How do humans impact the nitrogen cycle? |
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Definition
| release industrial and fertilizer reactive nitrogen gases into the atmosphere |
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Term
| What abiotic factors affect the distribution of organisms? |
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Definition
| temperature, water, sunlight, wind, rocks and soil |
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Term
| What factors affect climate? |
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Definition
| solar energy and the planet's movement in space |
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Term
| Why does the ocean's aphotic zone support relatively few living organisms? |
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Definition
| most organisms occur in the relatively shallow photic zones where they can absorb energy from the sun or eat other photosynthetic organisms |
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