Lesson 3: The Biosphere Flashcards
A large-scale terrestrial biological community shaped by the regional climate, soil, and disturbance patterns where it is found, usually classified by the growth form of the dominant plants.
biome
A rooted or floating aquatic vascular plant.
macrophyte
A subsurface soil layer that remains frozen year-round for at least 3 years.
permafrost
A vegetation type dominated by grasses with intermixed trees and shrubs.
savanna
All the different species of an ecosystem are referred to as the:
Community
Biodiversity is greatest in which biome?
Rainforest
Characterized by seasonally high precipitation (>120 mm) and temperatures that go below freezing
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Characterized by sediments carried to shorelines by rivers:
Salt Marsh
Degradation of formerly productive land in arid regions resulting in loss of plant cover and acceleration of soil erosion.
desertification
Freshly dead or partially decomposed remains of organisms.
detritus
In which biome of Africa would you find lions, giraffes, and elephants?
Savanna
Non-photosynthetic plankton.
zooplankton
Of or referring to still water.
lentic
Of or relating to flowing water.
lotic
Patterns of rising and falling of ocean water generated by the gravitational attraction between Earth and the moon and sun.
tides
Photosynthetic plankton.
phytoplankton
Referring to the portion of the shoreline that is affected by the rise and fall of the tides.
intertidal
Small, often microscopic organisms that live suspended in water; although many are mobile, none can swim strongly enough to overcome water currents.
plankton
Swimming organisms capable of overcoming water currents.
nekton
The alteration of terrestrial surface, including vegetation and landforms, by human activities such as agriculture, forestry, or mining.
land use change
The bottom of a body of water, including the surface and shallow subsurface layers of sediment.
benthic zone
The evolution of similar growth forms among distantly related species in response to similar selection pressures.
convergence
The highest level of biological organization, consisting of all living organisms on Earth plus the environments in which they live; located between the lithosphere and the troposphere.
biosphere
The nearshore zone of a lake where the photic zone reaches to the bottom.
littoral zone
The open water column of a lake or ocean.
pelagic zone
The portion of the substrate below and adjacent to a stream bed where water movement still occurs, either from the stream or from groundwater moving into the stream.
hyporheic zone
The surface layer of a lake or ocean where enough light penetrates to allow photosynthesis.
photic zone
Which biome is characterized by a layer of permafrost?
Boreal forest
Which of the following would represent an ecosystem?
a. A prairie
b. A lake
c. A fish tank
d. None of the above
e. All of the above
e. All of the above
Which two biomes are the most similar with regard to rainfall?
tundra and taiga
