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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Define Ecology
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study of the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment
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Define Biosphere
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part of the Earth in and on which life exists
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Define Ecosystem
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division of the biosphere consisting of all the biotic and abiotic factors that surround organisms and affect their way of life
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Define Community
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all the populations of organisms living in a given area
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Define Ecological Succession
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process through which an existing community is gradually replaced by another community
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Define Climax Community
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relatively stable collection of plants and animals that results from ecological succession
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Define Biome
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environment that has a characteristic climax community
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Define Tundra
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northernmost land biome covered by mosses, lichens, and grasses and characterized by permafrost
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Define Taiga
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biome dominated by great coniferous forests
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Define Temperate Deciduous Forest
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biome characterized by changing seasons and leaf fall
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Define Grassland
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biome consisting of a vast area covered with grasses and small leafy plants
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Define Tropical Rain Forest
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biome in which the temperature stays warm and the rain falls year round
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Define Desert
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biome that receives less than 25 centimeters of rainfall a year
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Define Freshwater Biome
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rivers, streams, and lakes that provide drinking water and food
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Define Marine Biome
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ocean habitat
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Define Estuary
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area between fresh water and salt water
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Define Producer
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organism that is able to make its own food from inorganic substances
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Define Consumer
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organism that gets its energy either directly or indirectly from producers
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Define Decomposer
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organism that breaks down and obtains energy form dead organic material
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Define Ecological Pyramid
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diagram used to represent the energy relationships among tropic levels of an ecosystem
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Define Biochemical Cycle
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series of physical and biological processes by which nutrients move through the biosphere
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Define Water Cycle
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movement of water through the atmosphere to the Earth and back to the atmosphere
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Define Nitrogen Cycle
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movement of nitrogen through the biosphere between organisms and the atmosphere
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Define Denitrification
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process by which bacteria in the soil break down nitrogen compounds into free nitrogen
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Define Carbon Cycle
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movement of carbon between organic compounds that make up living tissues and CO2 in the air`
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Define Oxygen Cycle
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movement of oxygen through the environment
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Define Limiting Factor
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condition that limits the rate at which energy is produced in an ecosystem by preventing a species from growing to its potential
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Define Food Chain
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series of organisms through which food energy is passed in an ecosystem
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Define Food Web
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complex relationship formed by interconnecting and overlapping food chains
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