2 Flashcards
estuary
found where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of an ocean
intertidal zone
located on the shore between the highest high-tide line and the lowest low-tide line
neritic zone
region of shallow water found below the low-tide line and extending over the continental shelf
producer
an organism that can make its own food
consumer
an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
herbivore
consumers that only eat plant
carnivore
consumers that only eat animals
omnivore
consumers that eat both plants and animals
scavenger
a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
decomposers
break down biotic wastes and dead organisms and return the raw materials to the ecosystem
food chain
a series of events in which one organism eats another and contains energy
food web
consists of many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
evaporation
the process by which molecules of liquid water absorb energy and change to a gas
condensation
the process by which a gas changes to a liquid
precipitation
rain, snow, sleet, or hail