Biology Vocabulary Chapter 3 Glencoe

Front 1

climax community

Back 1

a stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time

Front 2

limiting factor

Back 2

any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction, or distribution of organisms

Front 3

primary succession

Back 3

colonization of barren land by pioneer organisms

Front 4

secondary succession

Back 4

sequence of changes that take place after a community is disrupted by natural disasters or human actions

Front 5

succession

Back 5

orderly, natural changes, and species replacements that take place in communities of an ecosystem over time

Front 6

tolerance

Back 6

the ability of an organism to withstand fluctuations in biotic and abiotic environmental factors

Front 7

aphotic zone

Back 7

deep water that never receives sunlight

Front 8

biome

Back 8

group of ecosystems with the same climax communities; biomes on land are called terrestrial biomes, those in water are called aquatic biomes

Front 9

desert

Back 9

arid region with sparse to almost nonexistent plant life; the driest biome, usually receives less that 25 cm of precipitation annually

Front 10

estuary

Back 10

coastal body of water, partially surrounded by land, in which freshwater and salt water mix

Front 11

grassland

Back 11

biome composed of large communities covered with rich soil, grasses, and similar small plants, receives 25075 cm of precipitation annually

Front 12

intertidal zone

Back 12

portion of the shoreline that lies between high tide and low tide lines

Front 13

photic zone

Back 13

portion of the marine biome that is shallow enough for sunlight to penetrate

Front 14

plankton

Back 14

small organisms that drift and float in the waters of the photic zone; includes both autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms, their eggs, and the juvenile stages of many marine animals

Front 15

taiga

Back 15

biome just south of the tundra; characterized by a boreal or northern coniferous forest composed of larch, fir, hemlock, and spruce trees and acidic, mineral-poor topsoils

Front 16

temperate/deciduous forest

Back 16

biome composed of forests of broad-leaved hardwood trees that lose their foliage annually; receives 70-150 cm of precipitation annually

Front 17

tropical rain forest

Back 17

biome near the equator with warm temperatures, wet weather, and lush plant growth; receives at least 200 cm of rain annually; contains more species of organisms than any other biome

Front 18

tundra

Back 18

biome that surrounds the north and south poles; treeless land with long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight; characterized by permafrost