Environmental Test Word Scramble
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Term | Definition |
biome | large region-characterized by a specific climate and certain types of plants and animals |
terrestrial biomes | major land biomes |
climate | determines the plant life found in a biome |
temperature and precipitation | two most important factors that determine a region's climate |
latitude and elevation | determines average temperature |
tropical rain forest | : Found near equator, large diversity of living organisms, large amount of rainfall, mild-hot temperatures, poor soil, habitat destruction |
Temperate Deciduous Forest | Found 30-50 degrees latitude, large amounts of rainfall, moderate temperatures, four distinct seasons |
Taiga | northern coniferous forest, long winters and short summers, found just below arctic circle, large amounts of precipitation, |
Savanna | Found in tropical and subtropical areas near equator, little precipitation, grasses/low shrubs and trees, wet and dry seasons, plants adapted to resist fire and drought |
Grasslands | dominated by grasses, hot summers and cold winters, moderate temperatures and rainfall, fertile soil, cleared for farming, found inland |
Chaparral | dominated by broad-leaf evergreen shrubs that are resistant to fire, found 30 degrees latitude and along the coast, moderate temperatures and little rain, human development |
Deserts | extreme temperatures and very little rain, plants adapted for drought-succulents like the cactus |
Tundra | dominated by grasses, lichens, and herbs; north of artic circle; beneath thin soil is permafrost, short summers, bogs and swamps; little precipitation which remains frozen, migratory animals; most fragile biome and oil extraction has threatened this biome |
Salinity | The type of organisms found in an aquatic ecosystem is determined by __________ |
parts per thousand | What 0/00 stands for |
35 | The average salinity of the world's ocean |
lakes, ponds, wetlands, groundwater | Four examples of fresh water ecosystems |
wetland | A land area that is periodically underwater |
temperature, sunlight, oxygen, and nutrients | Four factors that determine which organisms live in which areas of water |
To get sunlight | Why do photosynthetic organisms live near the surface? |
plankton | organisms that float near the surface |
nekton | organisms that are free swimming |
benthos | organisms that are bottom dwelling |
phytoplankton | microscopic "plants" |
zooplankton | microscopic "animals" |
Store oil and increase their surface area | two ways that plankton stay near the water's surface |
littoral | zone in a lake that is a nutrient rich area near the shore where life is diverse and abundant |
benthic | zone that is at the bottom of the pond or lake and inhabited by decomposers |
Eutrophication | an increase in the amount of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem |
Bacteria; oxygen | ________ breaking down the excess biomass use up the _________ in the water |
eutrophic lake | lake or pond that has a larger amount of plant life due to nutrients |
swamp | flat, poorly drained land with woody plants and water loving trees |
marsh | occur on low, flat lands and have little to no water movement; nutrient rich |
absorb pollutants that flow through them, control flooding, act as a nursery to fish and shellfish, trap carbon, buffer shoreline from erosion, recreational area | six environmental functions of a wetland |
southeast | marshes are located mainly in the _________. |
Florida Everglades | The largest freshwater marsh in the US |
freshwater | water with little to nor salt |
brackish | water with a mix of salt and fresh water |
salt water | water with a high salinity |
amphibians, reptiles and birds | swamps are good environments for _________ |
draining, filling, and clearing for farms or residential and commercial development | How humans are destroying wetlands |
snowy melts in the mountains | where rivers originate |
gravity | the driving force behind river currents |
headwaters | currents that are cold, oxygenated, and move quickly |
mainstream | currents that are broad, warm, slow, and have less oxygen |
using water in manufacturing processes and as receptacles for waste; runoff | two major environmental dangers to rivers |
estuary | area where freshwater from a river and salt water from an ocean mix |
rivers and oceans | estuaries are productive ecosystems because they receive nutrients from both _______ and _______ |
Salt water | Which is more dense: salt or fresh water? |
barrier island | long, thin island that runs parallel to the shore |
to protect the mainland and coastal wetland | the main function of a barrier island |
nursery for organisms and nutrient rich | two benefits of an estuary |
used as trash dumps, filled in to provide building space, and polluted | three major dangers to estuaries |
salt marshes are more temperate and predominately grass; mangrove forests are tropical and mainly covered with Mangrove trees | The main differences between salt marshes and mangrove forests |
photic zone, up to 100 meters deep | where most of life is found in the world's oceans |
coral polyps | organism that creates a coral reef |
clear and warm salt water where there is enough light for photosynthesis; shallow, tropical waters | Where to find coal reefs |
oil spills, sewage, pesticides, silt runoff, overfishing, ship anchors, and breaking off pieces | environmental dangers to coral reefs |
bleaching | when corals expel symbiotic algae because of stress and they die |
100 ft. | how far light can penetrate into the ocean |
marine snow | dead, organic matter that sinks to the bottom and serves as a food source to benthic organisms |
pollution and overfishing | two major threats to the world's oceans |
1% | how much of the Earth's water is drinkable |
Created by:
aemiller
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