Question | Answer |
the living or once-living parts of an environment | Biotic |
the non-living parts that the living parts of an environment need to survive. | Abiotic |
is a geographic area on Earth that contains ecosystems with similar biotic and
abiotic features. | Biome |
are biomes that receive very little rain. Earth's driest ecosystems. Most
are hot during the day and cold at night and some remain cold all the time.
Animals: lizards, snakes
Plants: cactus, thorny shrubs | DESERT |
biomes are areas where grasses are the dominant plants. Also called
prairies, savanna and meadows. They have wet and dry seasons, deep fertile soil.
Animals: hawks, wolves, prairie dogs
Plants: grasses | GRASSLAND |
forests that grow near the equator. They receive large amounts of rain, weather is warm and wet year round. *Half of Earth's species
live in the tropical rain forest especially in the canopy of trees. | TROPICAL RAIN FOREST |
region of Earth between the tropics and the polar
circles. They have mild climates with distinct seasons. Soil is rich and moist.
Animals: mosquitoes, wookpeckers, owls, deer, elk
Plants: spruces, cedar, firs, redwood | TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST |
is a forest biome consisting mostly of cone-bearing evergreen trees. It occupies more space on Earth's continents than any other biome. Winter are long,summers are short, and the soil is thin and acidic. Animals: owls, mice, moose, bears | TAIGA |
is cold, dry and treeless. Winters are long and freezing and soil remains
permanently frozen (permafrost) which prevents deep root growth.
Animals: polar bears
Plants: mosses,lichens | TUNDRA |
4 major types of water, or aquatic ecosystems | 1 freshwater 2 wetland 3 estuary 4 ocean |
is the amount of salt dissolved in water. Water in saltwater ecosystems have high salinity compared to water in freshwater ecosystems. | Salinity |
streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Streams form from underground sources of water. Rivers form when streams flow together. | FRESHWATER: STREAMS AND RIVERS |
are aquatic ecosystems that have a thin layer of water covering soil that is wet most of the time. Wetlands contain freshwater, salt water, or both. They are among Earth's most fertile ecosystems. . | WETLANDS |
are regions along coastlines where streams or rivers flow into a body of salt water. Have varying degrees of salinity. | ESTUARIES |
Most of Earth's surface is covered by ocean water with high salinity. | OCEANS |
is the ocean shore between the lowest low tide and the highest
high tide. | Intertidal Zone: |
is an underwater structure made from outside skeletons of tiny,
soft bodied animals called coral | Coral Reef: |
Ecological Succession | the process of one ecological community gradually changing
into another. |
Climax community | a stable community that no longer goes through major ecological
changes. |
Pioneer species | the first species that colonize new or undisturbed land. |
Aquatic succession: | when a freshwater ecosystem changes over time in a natural,
predictable process. |
Eutrophication | the process of a body of water becoming nutrient-rich. This is a
natural part of aquatic succession. |