Prentice Hall Biology Chapter 4 Vocabulary – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
Weather
answer
the day-to-day condition of earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
question
climate
answer
the average year-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region
question
greenhouse effect
answer
the natural situation in which heat is retained by this layer of greenhouse gases
question
Polar Zone
answer
cold areas where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle located in the areas around the north and south poles
question
temperate zones
answer
sit between the polar and tropic zones. temperate zones are more affected by the changing angle of the sun over a course of a year
question
tropical zone
answer
near the equator receive direct or nearly direct sunlight year round
question
biotic factors
answer
the biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem
question
abiotic factors
answer
physical or nonliving factors that shape an ecosystem
question
niche
answer
the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those condition
question
resource
answer
any necessity of life
question
competitive exclusion principle
answer
a rule stating that no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time
question
predation
answer
an interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
question
symbiosis
answer
any relationship in which two species live closely together
question
mutualism
answer
both species benefit from one another
question
commensalism
answer
one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
question
parasitism
answer
one organism lives on or inside another harming it
question
ecological succesion
answer
the series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time
question
primary succesion
answer
succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil is present
question
pioneer species
answer
when primary succession begins, there is no soil just ash and rock, the first species to populate the area
question
secondary succesion
answer
when a disturbance is over, community interactions tend to restore the ecosystem to its original condition in this process
question
biome
answer
a complex of terrestrial communities that cover a large area and is categorized by a certain soil and climate conditions and a particular assemblage of plants and animals
question
tolerance
answer
ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their optimal conditions
question
canopy
answer
dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees
question
understory
answer
a second layer of shorter trees and vines
question
deciduous
answer
a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year
question
coniferous
answer
trees that produce seed-bearing cones and most have leaves shaped like needles
question
humus
answer
a material formed from decaying leaves and organic matter that makes soil fertile
question
taiga
answer
boreal forests
question
permafrost
answer
a layer of permanently frozen subsoil
question
Plankton
answer
tiny free-floating organisms that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments
question
phytoplankton
answer
unicellular algae
question
zooplankton
answer
planktonic animals
question
wetland
answer
an ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
question
Estuaries
answer
wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea
question
detritus
answer
tiny pieces of organic material that provides food for organisms at the base of the estuary's food web
question
salt marshes
answer
temperate zone estuaries dominated by slat tolerant grasses above the low tide line and by seagrasses underwater
question
mangrove swamps
answer
are coastlands that are widespread across tropical regions including tropical southern florida and hawaii
question
photic zone
answer
photosynthesis is limited to the well lit upper layer
question
aphotic zone
answer
the layer below the photic layer that is permanently dark
question
Zonation
answer
the prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live on a particular habitat
question
coastal ocean
answer
extends form the low tide mark to the outer edge of the continental shelf
question
kelp forests
answer
coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism-kelp, a giant brown alga
question
coral reefs
answer
Prominent oceanic features composed of hard, limy skeletons produced by coral animals; usually formed along edges of shallow, submerged ocean banks or along shelves in warm, shallow, tropical seas
question
benthos
answer
organisms that live attached to or near the bottom of the ocean floor