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Ecosystems & Deserts Key terms and definitions

Key Concepts:

Terms in this set (27)

How something changes its behaviour or characteristics to fit surroundings

Arid / Semi-arid

Arid means 'dry'. Less than 250mm of rain per year. Semi-arid climate is found on the outer edge of Arid climate areas. Can be hot or cold dry areas.

Soils found in very dry areas that have very low organic content

The protective layer of gases surrounding the earth

(of a country or region) having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.

The total 'variety' of living things in an area

A large naturally occuring community characterised by certain climate conditions and associated flora (plants) and fauna (animals).

All the living things on the planet (plants, animals, microbes)

Living things that either eat green plants or animals that have eaten plants

Bacteria that breakdown living matter.

Desertification

The process of fertile land becoming infertile and degraded so it is unable to support growth of vegetation.

A community of living things and the interactions between them and the non-living environment

People of the same race or nationality that share a distinctive culture

GDP / USD per capita

(Gross Domestic Product) a measure of the income of a country. This is usually given in American (US) Dollars and given as a figure divided by the population.

Global Atmospheric Circulation

The world-wide system of air movement and winds that distribute heat

A type of bay, a body of water mostly enclosed by land with a strait connecting it to a larger body of water such as a sea or ocean.

All the water on the planet, ice, water vapor or liquid salt and fresh water)

Interrelationships

The way in which two or more things are connected or linked

Deeply weathered, infertile soils found under the tropical rainforests

The rocks, soil and mineral component of the Earth's land and ocean floor

A geographical region comprising much of southwest Asia and north Africa

The original rock type in the area influence how and what soil forms

An area of land that juts out into the sea.

Green plants which can photosynthesise and produce their own food

The different horizontal layers in a soil profile

The sunlight (short and longwave radiation) that heats the Earth

The breaking down of rock by wind, rain, sun, and chemical actions

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