Chapter 3 vocab cards Flashcards
all parts of Earth in which LIFE exists.
Biosphere
The STUDY of nature’s “houses” organisms that live in those “houses”, and interactions based on energy and nutrients.
Ecology
A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.
Species
A group of individual that belong to the same species and live in the same area.
Population
An assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area.
Community
all the organisms that live in a place, together with their physical environment
Ecosystem
any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact.
Biotic factor
Physical, or NON-LIVING factor that shapes an ecosystem.
Abiotic factor
Thin layer of gasses that surround Earth.
Atmosphere
All of the water, salt water and fresh water in the form of liquid, ice, or vapor above and below earth’s surface and in the atmosphere.
Hydrosphere
All the “usually solid stuff”, rocks , continents, and the ocean floor. Deep inside earth, portions of geosphere are liquid.
Geosphere
Average year to year conditions of temperature and precipitation, and other factors.
Climate
Day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including, temperature, precipitation and other factors.
Weather
Process in which certain gasses ( carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth’s atmosphere as heat.
Greenhouse effect
Group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms.
Biome
Dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees.
Canopy
Layer in a rain forest found underneath the canopy, formed by shorter trees and vines.
Understory
Material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter.
Humus
Biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather, dominated by coniferous vergreens, also called boreal forest.
Taiga
Layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra.
Permafrost
Sunlight region near the surface of water.
Photic Zone
Dark layer of the oceans below the photic where sunlight does not penetrate.
Aphiotic Zone
Microscope organisms that live in aquatic environments includes both phytoPLANKTON and zooPLANKTON
Plankton
Ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface at least part of the year.
Wetland
Kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean.
Estuary
