Term | Definition |
ecosystem | community of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment (all the living and nonliving things in an environment) |
succession | natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary |
biome | large geographic areas with similar climates and ecosystems |
climate | the average weather conditions of an area over many years |
pioneer species | first organisms to grow in new or disturbed areas |
climax community | stable, end stage of ecological succession in which balance is in the absence of disturbance |
coral reef | diverse ecosystem formed from the calcium carbonate shells secreted by corals |
estuary | extremely fertile area where a river meets an ocean; contains a mixture of freshwater and saltwater and serves as a nursery for many species of fish |
wetland | a land region that is wet most or all of the year |
intertidal zone | part of the shoreline that is under water at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide |
grassland | temperate or tropical regions with 25 – 75 cm of precipitation each year that are dominated by climax communities of grasses; ideal for the raising of livestock |
desert | driest biome on Earth with less than 25 cm of rain each year; has dunes or thin soil with little organic matter, organism must survive extreme conditions |
taiga/coniferous forest | world’s largest biome, located south of the tundra between 50 – 60 o N latitude; has long, cold winters precipitation between 35 – 100 cm each year, cone-bearing evergreen trees, and dense forests |
temperate deciduous forest | biome usually having four distinct seasons, annual precipitation between 75 – 150 cm, and climax communities of deciduous trees |
temperate rain forest | biome with 200 -400 cm of precipitation each year, average temperatures between 9 – 12 C, and forests dominated trees with needle like leaves |
tropical rain forest | most biologically diverse biome; has an average temp of 25oC and receives between 200 -660 cm of precipitation each year |
tundra | cold, dry treeless biome with less than 25 cm of precipitation each year, a short growing season, permafrost and winters that can be 6-9 months long |
aquatic | growing or living in water |