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 patterns of a region |
microclimate | climate of 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 needless 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 | biomes 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, and 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 a lake or pond that is located away from the shore |
benthic zone | lake or pond bottoms, where little to no sunlight can reach |
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