Science Vocab Flashcards
Biotic Interactions
Interactions between living things
Permafrost
A permanently frozen subsurface soil layer
Ecology
Scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environments
Theory
Formed to collectively explain experiment observations
Age structure
The proportion of a population in each age class
Ecosystem
Community of organisms and the abiotic environment that accompanies them
Mechanical Weathering
Freeze/thaw and wet/dry cycles; parent material breaks down slowly
B Horizon
Sometimes called subsoil, contains limited organic matter and often has accumulated mineral particles due to leaching from the topsoil
Soil Texture
The relative proportions of different sized sediment grains
O Horizon
The surface layer of soil consisting of organic material that accumulates from decomposing plant matter
Deciduous
Describes a type of woody vegetation that loses its leaves in the fall, allowing much more light to penetrate the canopy than in the summer months
C Horizon
The soil layer that lies beneath the sub soil and is compromised of unconsolidated material; there is low biological activity in this layer and it retains many characteristics of the parent material
Soil Profile
Vertical layering in the soil column
A horizon
Topsoil
Range
A geographical area in which a particular species can be found
Niche
A set of optimal environmental conditions that are most conducive to the successful photosynthesis, growth, survival, and reproduction of a species and that define the way the species fits into an ecological community or ecosystem
Stress
A condition that constrains an organisms physiological processes, lowering its rate of growth, survival, or reproduction
Fundamental Niche
A fixed geographical space, outside of which an organism could not find the resources needed to grow and reproduces
Realized Niche
The process by which the presence of other species limits an organisms geographic distribution
Evolution
The process by which a species becomes increasingly different from its ancestors and better adapted to its ever-changing surroundings
Genetic variation
A gene’s potential to take on two or more different forms
Genotype
A combination of different forms of genes that designates a genetic makeup
Phenotype
The physical manifestation of genetic makeup
Continental Climates
Climates characterized by large seasonal and daily variation in temperature
