Chapter 50 Key Terms Flashcards
abiotic
Nonliving
aphotic zone
The part of the ocean beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur.
benthic zone
The bottom surface of an aquatic environment.
benthos
The communites of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome.
biome
Any of the world’s major ecosystems, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.
biosphere
The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems.
biotic
Referring to all the organisms that are part of the environment.
canopy
The uppermost layer of vegetation in a terrestrial biome.
chaparral
A scrubland biome of dense, spiny evergreen shrubs found at midlatitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers.
climate
The prevailing weather conditions at a locality.
climograph
A plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region.
community
All the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction.
community ecology
The study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization.
coral reef
A warm-water, tropical, ecosystem dominated by the hard skeletal structures secreted primarily by the resident cnidarians.
deep-sea hydrothermal vent
A dark, hot, oxygen-deficient environment associated with volcanic activity. The food producers are chemoautotrophic prokaryotes.
detritus
Dead organic matter.
dispersal
The distribution of individuals within geographic population boundaries.
ecology
The study of how organisms interact with their environment.
ecosystem
All the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; a community and its physical environment.
ecosystem ecology
The study of energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among the various biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.