Terms Chapter 7 Flashcards
Adaptations
Behavioral or physiological traits that allow a plant or animal to thrive in a particular environment.
Benthic
The area on or near the floor of a body of water.
Biome
Channel
Community
Competitive Exclusion Principle
Deciduousness
Plants that shed their leaves seasonally to avoid adverse weather conditions such as cold or aridity.
Ecosystem
Epifauna
Organisms that are attached to or move about the surface of the bottom of a water body.
Epilimnion
The upper layer of a water body where sunlight may power high rates of net primary production.
Epipelagic
The oceanic zone extending from the surface to about 200 meters, where enough light penetrates to allow photosynthesis.
Estuary
Euphotic Zone
The surface layer of the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.
Eutrophic
Water bodies that have high net primary production.
Filter Feeders
Organisms that obtain food by separating it from passing water.
Environmental Gradients
Changes in conditions from one region to the next.
Germinate
The process by which a seed starts to grow and develop.
Growing Season
The number of consecutive days during which temperatures remain above 0°C.
Habitat
Geographical locations and environmental conditions where a plant or animal lives.
Hadal
The deepest layer of the ocean, below 6,000 meters.
Hypolimnion
The layer of water in a thermally stratified lake that lies below the thermocline, is noncirculating, remains perpetually cold, and is usually low in oxygen.
Infauna
Aquatic animals that live in the substrate of a body of water, especially in a soft sea bottom.
Intertidal Zone
Lentic
Characterizing aquatic communities found in standing water.
Limnetic Zone
The well-lit, open-surface water area far from shore.
Littoral Zone
Shallow waters that are near the shore.
Lotic
Of, relating to, or living in actively moving water.
Mesopelagic
The middle layer of the ocean from 200 to 1,100 meters.
Mudflat
Large areas of mud in the intertidal zone that are exposed to the air during low tide.
Niche
Totality of a species’ environmental requirements.
Oligotrophic
Aquatic ecosystems with low rates of net primary production.
Payback Period
The time it takes an energy investment to capture or save an amount of energy equivalent to the investment.
Pelagic
Open areas of the ocean away from the bottom.
Permafrost
Phreatic Zone
The saturated soil below a stream.
Potential Evaporation
The amount of water that would evaporate if water were available.
Reproductive Range
The area where individuals have enough energy for reproduction.
Prairies
The North American term for grasslands.
Riparian Zone
The transition zone between a waterway and the surrounding terrestrial environment.
Rooting Depth
The vertical distance from the soil surface that contains 95 percent of a plant’s roots.
Salinity
The concentration of mineral salts dissolved in water.
Salt Marsh
The transition area from land to sea that is farthest from the sea.
Specializations
Adaptations well suited for a relatively narrow range of conditions.
Survival Range
The area where an individual can obtain enough energy and materials to survive.
Thermoclines
Upwellings
Areas where large quantities of deep ocean water rise back to the surface.
