Chapter 4.3-4.4 Vocab

Question 1

climate in a certain area that is very different from areas around it

Answer 1

Microclimate

Question 2

organism’s ability to grow and thrive when conditions aren’t the best

Answer 2

Tolerance

Question 3

thick covering that the leaves of tall rain forest trees

Answer 3

Canopy

Question 4

layer in rainforest where there are shorter vines and trees

Answer 4

Understory

Question 5

name for trees that she’d leaves during a certain season each year

Answer 5

Deciduous

Question 6

another name for trees that have seed-bearing cones and have needles for leaves

Answer 6

Coniferous

Question 7

material formed when leaves and other organic matter is decomposing

Answer 7

Humus

Question 8

coniferous forest, also known as terrestrial biome

Answer 8

Taiga

Question 9

the layer of subsoil that is permanently frozen in the tundra

Answer 9

Permafrost

Question 10

tiny free-floating organisms that live in aquatic environments

Answer 10

Plankton

Question 11

small photosynthetic organism along with algae that make up plankton, located near the surface of the ocean

Answer 11

Phytoplankton

Question 12

tiny organisms that form part of plankton

Answer 12

Zooplankton

Question 13

ecosystem where water is present near the soil, or covers the soil for at least part of the year

Answer 13

Wetlands

Question 14

wetlands are formed where rivers and oceans meet

Answer 14

Estuary

Question 15

parts of organic material that provide food for the organisms at the bottom of an estuary’s food web

Answer 15

Detritus

Question 16

temperate zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant organisms above water and sea grasses underwater

Answer 16

Salt marsh

Question 17

coastal wetland; dominant organisms are mangroves, which are salt-tolerant woody plants

Answer 17

Mangrove swamp

Question 18

zone in the ocean that is well-lit

Answer 18

Photic zone

Question 19

located below the photic zone, and is a permanently dark layer of oceans

Answer 19

Aphotic zone

Question 20

horizontal banding of organisms that live together in a certain habitat

Answer 20

Zonation

Question 21

marine zone that goes from low tide to the end of a continental shelf

Answer 21

Coastal ocean

Question 22

coastal ocean community that has a dominant organism-kelp; named after the dominant organism

Answer 22

Kelp forest

Question 23

environment named after the many coral animals that make up the structure

Answer 23

Coral reef

Question 24

organism that are either attached to or live on the floor of the ocean

Answer 24

Benthos

Question 25

many ecosystems that have similar climate and communities

Answer 25

Biome