| Term | Definition |
|---|
| weather | day-to-day conditions in the atmosphere |
| climate | average conditions of the atmosphere over long periods of time |
| micro- | small |
| macro- | large |
| microclimate | conditions within a small area that are different from nearby areas |
| greenhouse effect | a process in which certain gases trap sunlight energy in the atmosphere as heat |
| tolerance | the ability to survive and reproduce under a range of environmental conditions |
| homeo- | similar |
| hetero- | different |
| stasis | a condition of balance |
| homeostasis | the relatively constant internal conditions that an organism maintains to stay alive |
| habitat | the general place where an organism lives |
| niche | the range of physical and biological conditions in which a species lives, plus the way a species gets what it needs to survive & reproduce |
| resource | anything needed to keep an organism alive |
| competitive exclusion principle | the rule that says that no 2 species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time |
| predation | when an organism captures and feeds on another |
| herbivory | when an organism feeds on producers |
| keystone species | a species whose population size controls the characteristics of an environment |
| symbiosis | a relationship in which 2 species live closely together |
| mutualism | a symbiotic relationship where both species benefit |
| parasitism | a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed |
| commensalism | a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
| ecological succession | predictable changes that happen over time in a community |
| primary succession | a succession that starts in a place where there is no life |
| secondary succession | a succession that starts in a place where there are the remains of an earlier ecosystem |
| pioneer species | the first species to colonize a barren area |
| climax community | a community of species that has developed in an area & is relatively stable |
| canopy | a layer of dense, leafy tree tops |
| understory | shorter trees and vines that form a layer in the shade of taller trees |
| deciduous | a plant that loses its leaves during a particular season |
| conifer | a tree that produces seeds in cones and does not lose its leaves |
| humus | a material made of decaying leaves & other organic matter |
| taiga | dense northern evergreen forests |
| permafrost | a layer of permanently frozen subsoil |
| photic zone | the sunlit upper region of lakes and oceans where photosynthesis happens |
| aphotic zone | lower layers of lakes and oceans where sunlight cannot reach |
| benthos | organisms living in rocks or sediment at the bottom of bodies of water |
| benthic zone | habitat of the benthos |
| plankton | tiny plants and animals |
| wetland | an ecosystem where water covers the soil, or is at or near the surface for at least part of the year |
| estuary | a wetland formed where a river runs into the sea |
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