Climate vocab

Question 1

abiotic factor

Answer 1

physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem

Question 2

aphotic zone

Answer 2

dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone where sunlight does not penetrate

Question 3

atmosphere

Answer 3

thin layer of gases that surround Earth

Question 4

biome

Answer 4

group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms.

Question 5

biosphere

Answer 5

part of Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Question 6

biotic factor

Answer 6

any living part of the environment with which an organism might react

Question 7

photic zone

Answer 7

sunlight region near the surface of water

Question 8

canopy

Answer 8

dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees

Question 9

Climate

Answer 9

average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area over a long period of time

Question 10

community

Answer 10

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

Question 11

ecology

Answer 11

scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their enviroment

Question 12

ecosystem

Answer 12

all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving enviroment.

Question 13

estuary

Answer 13

kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean

Question 14

geosphere

Answer 14

all the rock at and below Earth’s surface.

Question 15

greenhouse effect

Answer 15

process in which certain gasses (carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth’s atmosphere as heat

Question 16

humus

Answer 16

material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

Question 17

hydrosphere

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

permafrost

Answer 18

layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra

Question 19

plankton

Answer 19

microscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments; includes both phytoplankton and zooplankton

Question 20

population

Answer 20

groups of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

Question 21

species

Answer 21

group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Question 22

taiga

Answer 22

biome with long, cold winters and a few months of warm weather, dominated by
coniferous evergreens also called boreal forest

Question 23

understory

Answer 23

layer in a rain forest found underneath the canopy formed by shorter trees and vines

Question 24

weather

Answer 24

day to day or minute to minute conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and other factors

Question 25

wetland

Answer 25

ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year