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;
71 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Abiotic Factor |
A nonliving part of an ecosystem. |
|
Adaptation |
an inherited modification of structure or function that allows an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment |
|
Autotroph |
an organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food |
|
Biogeography |
the study of the past and present geographical distribution of species found throughout the world |
|
Biomass |
the sum of all mass making up the organisms in an ecosystem |
|
Biome |
a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms |
|
Biosphere |
the group of all living things on Earth |
|
Biotic Factor |
a living or once-living part of an organism’s habitat |
|
Boreal Forest |
dense forest of evergreens located in the upper regions of the Northern Hemisphere |
|
Canopy |
a leafy roof formed by tall trees in a rain forest |
|
Carnivore |
a consumer that obtains energy by eating only animals |
|
Chlorophyll |
a green photosynthetic pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and some bacteria |
|
Climate |
the general representative conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area |
|
Community |
all the different populations that live together in a particular area |
|
Condensation |
the change in state from a gas to a liquid |
|
Coniferous Tree |
a tree that produces its seeds in cones and that has needle-shaped leaves coated in a waxy substance to reduce water loss |
|
Consumer |
an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms |
|
Continental Drift |
theory that the continents of today drifted apart from a large supercontinent that existed long ago |
|
Deciduous Tree |
a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season and grows new ones each year |
|
Decomposer |
an organism that gets energy by breaking down biotic wastes and dead organisms, and returns raw materials to the soil and water |
|
Deep Zone |
marine ecosystem 100 meters and below; characterized by very low light levels |
|
Denitrification |
chemical conversion of biologically useful nitrogen to nitrogen gas |
|
Desert |
a dry region that on average receives less than 25 centimeters of precipitation per year |
|
Dispersal |
distribution of individuals in a population to geographical locations far away from the population’s original location |
|
Ecology |
the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment |
|
Ecosystem |
the community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving environment |
|
Emergent Layer |
the tallest layer of the rain forest that receives the most sunlight |
|
Energy Pyramid |
a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another |
|
Estuary |
a kind of wetland formed where fresh water from rivers mixes with salty ocean water |
|
Eutrophication |
degradation of a body of water brought on by an excess of nutrients |
|
Evaporation |
the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gas |
|
Exotic Species |
a nonnative species |
|
Fertilizer |
mixture of chemical compounds applied to soil that increases the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to plants. |
|
Food Chain |
a series of events in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and by being eaten |
|
Food Web |
the pattern of overlapping feeding relationships or food chains among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
|
Freshwater |
water that does not contain significant concentrations of dissolved salts |
|
Grassland |
an area populated mostly by grasses and other nonwoody plants that gets 25 to 75 centimeters of rain each year |
|
Groundwater |
water located below the surface of the Earth |
|
Habitat |
an environment that provides the things a specific organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce |
|
Herbivore |
a consumer that obtains energy by eating only plants |
|
Heterotroph |
an organism that cannot make its own food and gets food by consuming other living things |
|
Hydrosphere |
all water on Earth |
|
Infiltration |
movement of water from the surface down into and below the ground |
|
Intertidal Zone |
a species that grows in population and displaces other species, making them less likely to survive |
|
Marine |
an aquatic environment characterized by the presence of salt dissolved in the water |
|
Neritic Zone |
the area of the ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf |
|
Nitrogen Fixation |
the process of changing free nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use |
|
Omnivore |
a consumer that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
|
Permafrost |
permanently frozen soil found in the tundra biome climate region |
|
Photosynthesis |
the process by which plants and other autotrophs capture and use light energy to make food from carbon dioxide and water |
|
Plankton |
microscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments |
|
Population |
all the members of one species living in the same area |
|
Precipitation |
any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail |
|
Predator |
the organism that does the killing in a predation interaction |
|
Prey |
an organism that is killed and eaten by another organism in a predation interaction |
|
Primary Consumer |
type of consumer that eats producers |
|
Producer |
an organism that can make its own food |
|
Rain Forest |
a forest that receives at least 2 meters of rain per year, mostly occurring in the tropical wet climate zone |
|
Runoff |
water that has fallen to Earth and runs along the surface until it runs into rivers, lakes, or oceans |
|
Savanna |
a grassland located close to the equator that may include shrubs and small trees and receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year |
|
Scavenger |
a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead or decaying organisms |
|
Secondary Consumer |
type of consumer that eats primary consumers |
|
Species |
a group of similar organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce |
|
Surface Water |
bodies of water on the surface of the Earth, such as oceans, rivers, and lakes |
|
Surface Zone |
marine ecosystem consisting of open ocean waters from the surface to 100 meters below the surface |
|
Taiga |
a type of biome populated by coniferous trees and found in northern regions of Asia and North America; characterized by cold, dry winters and cool summers |
|
Terrestrial |
land |
|
Tertiary Consumer |
type of consumer that eats secondary consumers |
|
Tundra |
an extremely cold, dry biome climate region characterized by short, cool summers and bitterly cold winters |
|
Understory |
a layer of shorter trees and vines that grows in the shade of a forest canopy |
|
Wetland |
freshwater ecosystem that experiences alternating wet and dry periods |