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Chapter 4 vocab
vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biome | a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat |
| Tolerance | The ability to survive and reproduce under non optical conditions |
| microclimate | The climate of a very small or restricted area |
| canopy | the uppermost trees or branches of the trees in a forest, forming a more or less continuous layer of foliage. |
| understory | a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest. |
| deciduos | Shedding its leaves annually |
| coniferous | of or relating to or part of trees or shrubs bearing cones and evergreen leaves |
| humus | e organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition of leaves and other plant material by soil microorganisms. |
| taiga | the sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, esp. that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America. |
| permafrost | a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions. |
| plankton | the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water |
| phytoplankton | plankton consisting of microscopic plants |
| zooplankton | plankton consisting of small animals and the immature stages of larger animals |
| wetland | land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land. |
| estuary | he tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream |
| detritus | waste or debris of any kind |
| salt marsh | an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater. |
| mangrove swamp | A wet, spongy area of land in tropical climates and along coastal regions that is dominated by mangrove trees |
| photic zone | the depth of the water in a lake or ocean that is exposed to sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis to occur. |
| aphotic zone | the portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight |
| coastal ocean | located on or near or bordering on a coast |
| kelp forest | Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp |
| coral reef | a reef consisting of coral consolidated into limestone |
| benthos | the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water |
| weather | the day to day condition of earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place |
| climate | the average year after year condition of temperature and precipitation in a particular region |
| greenhouse effect | the natural situation in which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gases |
| polar zone | cold areas where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle |
| temperature zone | The zones between the polar and tropic zones. These zones can range from hot to cold depending on the season |
| Tropical zones | Near the equator between 23.5 north and 23.5 south. These recieve the most direct sunlight and are thus warmer year round |
| biotic factor | biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem |
| abiotic factor | physical or nonliving factors that shape ecosystems |
| habitat | the area where an organism lives |
| niche | an organisms role in their environment |
| resource | any necessity of life |
| competitive exclusion principal | no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time |
| predation | an interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism |
| symbiosis | any relationship in which two species live closely together |
| mutualism | both species benefit from the relationship |
| commensalism | one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
| parasitism | one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it |
| ecological succession | a series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time |
| primary succession | succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists |
| pioneer species | the first species to populate an area |
| secondary succession | a change in an existing community without removing the soil |
Created by:
Adam Taylor7
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