Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
aphotic zone |
where photosynthesis cannot occur |
|
|
benthos |
organisms that live beneath the benthic zone |
|
|
canopy |
dense, leafy covering |
|
|
climate |
the average weather over a long period of time |
|
|
commensalism |
a relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped, nor harmed |
|
|
complexive exclusion principle |
no two species can occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat, at exactly the same time |
|
|
coniferous |
trees with needle like leaves that stay green all year |
|
|
deciduous |
a plant that sheds its leaves during a particular season |
|
|
ecological succession |
a series of more or less predictable changes that occur in a community over time |
|
|
estuary |
a special kind of wetland formed where a river meets a sea |
|
|
greenhouse effect |
the process in which certain gasses trap sunlight energy in earths atmosphere as heat |
|
|
habitat |
the area where an organism lives |
|
|
herbivory |
the interaction in which one animal feeds on producers |
|
|
humus |
a material formed by decaying leaves and other organic matter |
|
|
keystone species |
a single species that is not usually abundant in a community, yet exerts strong control on the structure of the community |
|
|
microclimate |
environmental conditions within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area |
|
|
mutualism |
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship |
|
|
niche |
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism live and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
|
|
parasitism |
symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it |
|
|
permafrost |
layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra |
|
|
photic zone |
sunlight region near the surface of the water |
|
|
pioneer species |
first species to populate an area during succession |
|
|
plankton |
mircroscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments |
|
|
predation |
interaction in which one organism feeds on another organism |
|
|
primary succession |
succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous community is present |
|
|
resouce |
any necessity of life |
|
|
secondary succession |
succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbance |
|
|
symbiosis |
relationship in which two species live together |
|
|
taiga |
biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather |
|
|
tolerance |
the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce under circumstances that differ from their optimal conditions |
|
|
understory |
layer in the rain forest found underneath the canopy formed by shorter trees |
|
|
weather |
day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere |
|
|
wetland |
ecosystem in which water either covers the soil, or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year |
