| Term | Definition |
|---|
| coevolution | back and forth evolutionary adjustments between interacting members of a community |
| predation | the act of one organism killing another for food |
| parasitism | one organism feeds on and usually lives on or in another organism |
| secondary compounds | defensive chemicals which protect them from predators |
| symbiosis | 2 or more species living together in a close, long term association |
| mutualism | a symbiotic relationship in which both participating species benefit |
| commensalism | a symbioitc relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed or helped |
| competition | 2 species use the same resource |
| niche | how an organism lives- the "job" it performs |
| fundamental niche | the entire range of resource opportunities an organism is potentially able to occupy within an ecosystem |
| realized niche | the part of its fundamental niche that a species occupies |
| competitive exclusion | eliminaiton of a competing species |
| biodiversity | the variety of living organisms present in a community |
| climate | the weather conditions in any given area |
| biome | a major biological community that occurs oever a large area of land |
| littoral zone | shallow zone near the shore- aquatic plants live here along with predatory insects, amphibians & small fish |
| limnetic zone | the area that is farther away from the shore but close to the surface- floating agae, zooplankton & fish live here |
| profundal zone | deep water zone- below the limits of effective light penetration, bacteria & wormlike organisms that eat debis on the lake's bottom live in this zone |
| plankton | composed of bacteria, algae, fish larvae, and many small invertebrate animals |
| tropical rain forest | It is the wettest biome, and gets the most rainfall. There is much diversity of orgamisms, and is near the equator. The soil quality is poor, so plants get energy from decomposing animals and plants. Most animals, such as monkeys, snakes, and insects live on trees. Recievs on aveerage about 450cm of rain per year |
| savannas | tropical, sweeping grasslands that make up much of Africa; they have high temperatures and uneven rains ( 90-150 cm per year) many of the animals are active only during the rainy season, and are perfect for raising herds of animals. They are like the grasslands except that they do receive enough rain to support small trees |
| taiga | World's largest biome located south of the tundra ;has long, cold, winters- most of the precipitation falls in the summer, cone-bearing evergreen trees,and dense forests. home to large mammals such as elk, moose, deer |
| tundra | the biome located between the polar region and the tiaga- this biome covers 1/5 of the earth. Annula precipitation is low (less than 25 cm) and water is not available most of the year because it is frozen. animals= fox, lemmings, owl & caribou |
| deserts | a barren region with little or no rainfall (less than 25 cm), usually sandy and without trees.plants (cactus) have the ability to hold water for later use and most animals (scorpion) are nocturnal |
| Continental drift | slow motion of continents |
| Dispersal is usually caused by | _______is usually caused by wind, water or living things |
| native species | Species that evolve in an area are called |
| exotic species | Species that are carried to a location are |
| climate. | The typical weather patterns over a long period of time is the |
| Biomes | are a group of ecosystems with similar climates (temperature and rainfall) and organisms |
| Temperate Rain Forest | northwestern U.S., Chile, South Australia - more moderate temperatures, but still have a lot of rain. |
| grassland | receive more rain than the desert - enough to support grasses and bushes, but not enough to support trees. |
| Animals that appear in grassland & savanna include | bison, antelopes, giraffes and kangaroos |
| Deciduous Forest | The weather in this area changes with the seasons. It becomes very cold in the winter and hot in the summer. There is enough rainfall to support large trees. |
| Coniferous Forest | The weather here is colder.Winters have much more snow. Summers don't get quite as warm |
| Algae | is the most abundant plant in the water biomes |
| Freshwater biomes are divided into 2 groups | ponds and lakes and streams and rivers |
| 4 sections of Marine Biomes | Estuaries, Intertidal Zone, Neritic Zone, and Surface/Deep Zone. |
| Estuaries | This is where the water from the rivers and streams runs into the ocean, making a mixture of salt and fresh water |
| keystone species. | A species that influences the survival of many other species |
| Bats | _______are considered keystone species of many ecosystems |
| endangered | species in danger of becoming extinct |
| threatened species | species could be endangered soon are |
| Causes of Extinction | Aside from natural disasters, actions by humans such as: Habitat destruction,Poaching,Pollution and Introducing an exotic species can cause extinction |
| Renewable Resources | natural resources that can be replaced in a relatively short amount of time (sun, wind, rain ...) |
| Nonrenewable Resources | those that either take a very long time to replace or cannot be replaced at all (coal and oil) |
| Environmental Science | The study of natural processes that occur in the environment and how humans can affect them. |
| Factors that affect biodiversity in an ecosystem | area, climate and diversity of niches |
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