| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abiotic | nonliving |
| a- | without |
| bio- | life |
| abyss- | deep,bottomless |
| bentho- | the depths of the sea |
| estuar- | the sea |
| eu- | good, well |
| geo- | the earth |
| troph- | food, nourishment |
| hydro- | water |
| therm- | heat |
| inter- | between |
| limn- | a lake |
| littor- | the seashore |
| oligo- | small |
| micro- | small |
| pelag- | the sea |
| perman- | remaining |
| -photo | light |
| profound- | deep |
| thermo- | heat |
| -clin | slope |
| abiotic | nonliving |
| abyssal | referring to the very deep benthic zone of the ocean |
| aphotic zone | the part of the ocean beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur |
| benthic zone | the bottom surface of an aquatic environment |
| benthos | the communities of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome |
| biosphere | the entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems |
| biota | all the organisms that are part of an ecosystem |
| biotic | pertaining to the living organisms in the environment |
| canopy | the uppermost layer of vegetation in a terrestrial biome |
| chaparral | A scrubland biome of dense, spiny evergreen shrubs found at midlatitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore;characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers |
| climate | the prevailing weather conditions at a locality. |
| climograph | a plot of the temperature and precipitation region |
| community | all the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enought together for potential interation. |
| community ecology | the study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization |
| coniferous forest | a terrestrial biome characterized by long, cold winters and dominated by cone-bearing trees. |
| coral reef | a warm water, tropical ecosystem dominated by the hard skeletal structures secreted primarily by the resident cnidarians. |
| deep-sea hydrothermal vent | A dark, hot, oxygen-deficient environment associated with volcanic activity. the food producers are chemoautotrophic prokaryotes. |
| desert | a terrestrial biome characterized by very low precipitation |
| detritus | Dead organic matter |
| dispersal | the distribution of individuals within geographic population boundaries |
| ecology | the study of how organism interact with their environment |
| ecosystem | all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; a community and its physical environment |
| ecosystem ecology | the study of energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among the various biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem |
| ecotone | the transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another, such as the transition from a forest to a grassland |
| estuary | the area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean |
| eutrophic lake | a nutrient-rich and oxygen-poor lake, having a high rate of biological productivity |
| intertidal zone | the shallow zone of the ocean where land meets water |
| landscape ecology | the study of past, present and future patterns of landscape use, as well as ecosystem management and te biodiversity of interacting ecosystems |
| limnetic zone | in a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore |
| littoral zone | in a lake, the shallow, well-lit waters close to shore |
| macroclimate | large scale variations in climate; the climate of an entire region |
| marine benthic zone | the ocean floor |
| microclimate | very fine scale variations of climate, such as the specific climatic conditions underneath a log |
| neritic zone | the shallow region of the ocean overlying the continental shelf |
| oceanic pelagic biome | most of the ocean's waters far from shore, constantly mixed by ocean currents |
| oligotrophic lake | a nutrient poor, oxygen rich clear, deep lake with few phytoplankton |
| organismal ecology | the branch of ecology concerned with the morphological, physiological and behavioral ways in which individual organisms meet the challenges posed by their biotic and abiotic environments |
| patchiness | localized variation in environmental conditions within an ecosystem, arranged spatially into a complex of discrete areas that may be characterized by distinctive groups of species or ecosystem processes. |
| permafrost | a permanently frozen stratum below the arctic tundra |
| photic zone | the narrow top slice of the ocean, where light permeates sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur |
| population | a localized group of individuals that belong to the same biological species that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring |
| population ecology | the study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure and variation in population size |
| precautionary principle | a guiding principle in making decisions about the environment, cautioning to consider carefully the potential consequences of actions |
| savanna | a tropical grassland biome with scattered individual trees, large herbivores and three distinct seasons based primarily on rainfall, maintained by occasional fires and drought |
| steams and rivers | flowing body of water that is clear and cold |
| temperate broadleaf forest | a biome locaed throughout midlatitude regions where there is sufficient moisture to support the growth of large, broadleaf deciduous trees |
| temperate grassland | a terrestrial biome dominated by grasses and forbs |
| thermocline | a narrow stratum of rapid temperature change in the ocean and in many temperate zone lakes |
| tropical rain forest | a terrestrial biome characterized by high levels of precipitation and warm temperatures year round |
| tropics | latitudes between 23.5degrees north and south |
| tundra | a biome at the extreme limits of plant growth. at the northernmost limits, it is called arctic tundra and at high altitudes where plant forms are limited to low shrubby or mat like vegetation it is called alpine tundra |
| turnover | the mixing of waters as a result of changing water-temperature profiles in a lake. |
| wetland | an ecosystem intermediate between an aquatic one and a terrestrial one. wetland soil is saturated with water permanently or periodically |
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