Life in the Biosphere – Flashcards
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Vegetation
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All the plants and trees in an area
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biosphere
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a narrow layer near the earth's surface where life exists
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biomes
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major land ecosystems
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climate
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long term weather patterns in an area, most affects plants in a biome
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intertidal zone
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closest to shore, organisms live both in and out of water
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neritic zone
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beyond the intertidal zone, no breaking waves, constant temperature
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open sea zone
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beyond the neritic zone, where the continental shelf drops off
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plankton
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microscopic organisms, the basis for most food chains in the open oceans
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abyss
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below 2000 meters, no sunlight, very cold, few organisms, the largest zone
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fast moving bodies of water
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streams contain little life
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slow moving bodies of water
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rivers and lakes, contain more living things
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estuary
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where a river and ocean meet (ex: mud flats, salt marches, swamps)
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brackish water
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mixture of salt and fresh water
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tropical rain forest
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over 400 cm of rain each year, tall trees with large leaves, constant temperatures
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deciduous forest
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75 cm of rain each year, cold winters & warm summers, hardwood trees
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deciduous trees
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lose their leaves each year
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boreal forest
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60 cm of rain each year, very cold winter & cool summer, mainly conifer trees
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conifers
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produce cones, have needles, don't lose their needles all at once
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tundra
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25 cm of rain each year, long & dark winters, 1 - 2 months summers, permafrost
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permafrost
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below a thin layer of soil it is always frozen
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grasslands
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50 cm of rain each year, mainly 2 m grass, cold/snowy winters & hot/dry summers
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deserts
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less than 25 cm of rain each year, can be both hot and dry
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climotogram
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a graph of both temperature and precipitation
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precipitation
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the amount of water (rain/snow) that falls annually
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marine
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of or pertaining to the sea; existing in or produced by the sea, estuaries and many zones
