| Term | Definition |
|---|
| climax community | a stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time |
| limiting factor | any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms |
| primary succession | colonization of barren land by pioneer organisms |
| secondary succession | sequence of changes that take place after a community is disrupted by natural disasters or human actions |
| succession | orderly, natural changes, and species replacements that take place in communities of an ecosystem over time |
| tolerance | the ability of an organism to withstand fluctuations in biotic and abiotic environmental factors |
| aphotic zone | deep water that never receives sunlight |
| biome | group of ecosystems with the same climax communities |
| desert | arid region with sparse to almost nonexistent plant life; the driest biome |
| estuary | coastal body of water, partially surrounded by land, in which freshwater and salt water mix |
| grasslands | biome composed of large communities covered with rich soil, grasses, and similar small plants |
| intertidal zone | portion of the shoreline that lies between high tide and low tide lines |
| photic zone | portion of the marine biome that is shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate |
| plankton | small organisms that drift and float in the waters of the photic zone; includes both autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms, their eggs and the juvenile stages of many marine animals |
| taiga | biome just south of the tundra; characterized by a boreal or northern coniferous forest composed of larch, fir, hemlock and spruce trees and acidic, mineral-poor topsoils |
| temperate / deciduous forest | biome composed of forests of broad-leaved hardwood trees that lose their foliage annually |
| tropical rain forest | biome near the equator with warm temperatures, wet weather, and lush plant growth |
| tundra | biome that surrounds the north and south poles; treeless land with long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight |
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