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Science Vocab
Chapter 15
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Biosphere | All organisms and the part of Earth where they exist. |
Biota | Collection of living things. |
Hydrosphere | Collection of Earth's water bodies, ice, and water vapor. |
Atmosphere | Air blanketing Earth's solid surface. |
Geosphere | Features of Earth's surface-such as continents and the sea floor- and everything below Earth's surface. |
Climate | Average long-term weather pattern of a region. |
Microclimate | Climate of a specific location within a larger area. |
Canopy | Dense covering formed by the uppermost branches of trees. |
Grassland | Biome in which the primary plant life is grass. |
Desert | Biome characterized by a very dry climate. |
Deciduous | Tree that has adapted to winter temperatures by dropping its leaves and going dormant during the cold season. |
Coniferous | Tree that retains its needles year-round and reproduces with cones. |
Taiga | Biome with long and cold winters, lasting up to six months; also called a boreal forest. |
Tundra | Biome found at far northern latitudes where winters last as long as ten months per year. |
Chaparral | Biome characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters; also called Mediterranean shrub-land. |
Intertidal Zone | Strip of land between the high and low tide lines. |
Neritic Zone | Zone of the ocean that extends from the intertidal zone out to the edge of the continental shelf. |
Bathyal Zone | Zone of the ocean that extends from the edge of the neritic zone to the base of the continental shelf. |
Abyssal Zone | Depth of the ocean that lies below 2000 meters and is in complete darkness. |
Plankton | Microscopic, free-floating organisms, which may be animals or protists, that live in the water. |
Zooplankton | Animal plankton. |
Phytoplankton | Photosynthetic microscopic protists,such as algae. |
Coral Reef | Ocean habitat found in the shallow coastal waters in a tropical climate. |
Kelp Forest | Ocean habitat that exists in cold, nutrient-rich shallow coastal waters, composed of large communities of kelp, a seaweed. |
Estuary | Partially enclosed body of water found where a river flows into the ocean. |
Watershed | Region of land that drains into a river, river system, or other body of water. |
Littoral Zone | Area between the high and low water marks along the shoreline of a lake or pond. |
Limnetic Zone | Open water of lake or pond that is located away from shore. |
Benthic Zone | Lake or pond bottom, where little to no sunlight can reach. |