Ecosystems Flashcards
bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea and are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water
estuary
a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater
brackish
shows the flow of energy from one feeding, level to the next in an ecosystem
energy pyramid
shows the transfer of energy within an ecosystem
food chains
non living things in an ecosystem
abiotic
living things in an ecosystem
biotic
a warming of the Pacific Ocean waters
El Niño
during the day, hot, low pressure air over the land rises causing cooler air from the sea to move in to fill the space left by the rising warm air
sea breeze
wind blows toward the sea from the land at night due to the warmth of the sea
land breeze
a group of food chains that show the transfer of energy in an ecosystem
food webs
all the living and non-living things in an area
ecosystem
the number of one type of organism in an area
population
a strong ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean; It extends all the way up the eastern coast of the United States and Canada
gulf stream
these organisms’ primary job is to break down dead and decaying matter
decomposers
these organisms make their own energy using sunlight
producers
