Biology Chapter 4 Ecosystems and Communities
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46 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 weather | condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place |
| climate | average, year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region |
| greenhouse effect | natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases |
| polar zone | cold climate zone where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle |
| temperate zone | moderate climate zone between the polar zones and the tropics |
| tropical zone | warm climate zone that receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round |
| biotic factor | biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem |
| abiotic factor | physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem |
| habitat | the area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it |
| niche | full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
| resource | any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space |
| competitive exclusion principle | ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time |
| predation | interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism |
| symbiosis | relationship in which two species live closely together |
| mutualism | symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship |
| commensalism | symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
| parasitism | symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it |
| ecological succession | gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance |
| primary succession | succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists |
| pioneer species | first species to populate an area during primary succession |
| secondary succession | succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil |
| plankton | tiny, free-floating organisms that occur in aquatic environments |
| phytoplankton | population of algae and other small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean and forming part of plankton |
| zoo plankton | tiny animals that form part of the plankton |
| wetland | ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year |
| estuary | wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean |
| detritus | particles of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of an estuary's food web |
| salt marsh | temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line and by seagrasses under water |
| mangrove swamp | coastal wetland dominated by mangroves, salt-tolerant woody plants |
| photic zone | well-lit upper layer of the oceans |
| aphotic zone | permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone |
| zonation | prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat |
| coastal ocean | marine zone that extends from the low-tide mark to the end of the continental shelf |
| kelp forest | coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism—kelp, a giant brown alga |
| coral reef | diverse and productive environment named for the coral animals that make up its primary structure |
| benthos | organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor |
| biome | group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities |
| tolerance | organism's capacity to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor |
| microclimate | climate within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area |
| canopy | dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees |
| understory | layer in a rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines |
| deciduous | term used to refer to a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year |
| coniferous | term used to refer to trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles |
| humus | material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter |
| taiga | biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw |
| permafrost | layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra |
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