Openstax Biology - Chapter 44 - Ecology & The Biosphere

Front 1

abiotic

Back 1

nonliving components of the environment

Front 2

aboveground biomass

Back 2

total mass of aboveground living plants per area

Front 3

abyssal zone

Back 3

deepest part of the ocean at depths of 4000 m or greater

Front 4

algal bloom

Back 4

rapid increase of algae in an aquatic system

Front 5

aphotic zone

Back 5

part of the ocean where no light penetrates

Front 6

benthic realm

Back 6

part of the ocean that extends along the ocean bottom from the shoreline to the deepest parts of the ocean floor; also known as benthic zone

Front 7

biogeography

Back 7

study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution

Front 8

biome

Back 8

ecological community of plants, animals, and other organisms that is adapted to a characteristic set of environmental conditions

Front 9

biotic

Back 9

living components of the environment

Front 10

canopy

Back 10

branches and foliage of trees that form a layer of overhead coverage in a forest

Front 11

channel

Back 11

width of a river or stream from one bank to the other bank

Front 12

clathrates

Back 12

frozen chunks of ice and methane found at the bottom of the ocean

Front 13

climate

Back 13

long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions present in a specific area

Front 14

conspecifics

Back 14

individuals that are members of the same species

Front 15

coral reef

Back 15

ocean ridges formed by marine invertebrates living in warm, shallow waters within the photic zone

Front 16

cryptofauna

Back 16

invertebrates found within the calcium carbonate substrate of coral reefs

Front 17

ecology

Back 17

study of interaction between living things and their environment

Front 18

ecosystem services

Back 18

human benefits and services provided by natural ecosystems

Front 19

emergent vegetation

Back 19

wetland plants that are rooted in the soil but have portions of leaves, stems, and flowers extending above the water’s surface

Front 20

endemic

Back 20

species found only in a specific geographic area that is usually restricted in size

Front 21

estuary

Back 21

biomes where a source of fresh water, such as a river, meets the ocean

Front 22

fall and spring turnover

Back 22

seasonal process that recycles nutrients and oxygen from the bottom of a freshwater ecosystem to the top

Front 23

global climate change

Back 23

altered global weather patterns, including a worldwide increase in temperature, due largely to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Front 24

greenhouse effect

Back 24

warming of Earth due to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Front 25

greenhouse gases

Back 25

atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb and emit radiation, thus trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere

Front 26

haze-effect

Back 26

cooling effect of the gases and solids from a volcanic eruption on global climate

Front 27

intertidal zone

Back 27

part of the ocean that is closest to land; parts extend above the water at low tide

Front 28

Milankovitch cycles

Back 28

cyclic changes in the Earth's orbit that may affect climate

Front 29

neritic zone

Back 29

part of the ocean that extends from low tide to the edge of the continental shelf

Front 30

net primary productivity

Back 30

measurement of the energy accumulation within an ecosystem, calculated as the total amount of carbon fixed per year minus the amount that is oxidized during cellular respiration

Front 31

ocean upwelling

Back 31

rising of deep ocean waters that occurs when prevailing winds blow along surface waters near a coastline

Front 32

oceanic zone

Back 32

part of the ocean that begins offshore where the water measures 200 m deep or deeper

Front 33

pelagic realm

Back 33

open ocean waters that are not close to the bottom or near the shore; also known as pelagic zone

Front 34

permafrost

Back 34

perennially frozen portion of the Arctic tundra soil

Front 35

photic zone

Back 35

portion of the ocean that light can penetrate

Front 36

planktivore

Back 36

animal species that eats plankton

Front 37

predator animal

Back 37

species that hunt and are carnivores or “flesh eaters”

Front 38

Sargassum

Back 38

type of free-floating marine seaweed

Front 39

solar intensity

Back 39

amount of solar power energy the sun emits in a given amount of time

Front 40

source water

Back 40

point of origin of a river or stream

Front 41

thermocline

Back 41

layer of water with a temperature that is significantly different from that of the surrounding layers

Front 42

weather

Back 42

conditions of the atmosphere during a short period of time

Front 43

heterospecifics

Back 43

individuals that are members of different species