The World's Ecosystems

Question 1

biomes

Answer 1

ecosystems based on land

Question 2

aquatic life zones

Answer 2

ecosystems in aqueous enviornmets

Question 3

ecotones

Answer 3

regions where different biomes overlap

Question 4

ecozones/ecoregions

Answer 4

smaller regions within ecosystems that share similar physical features

Question 5

deciduous forest

Answer 5

a biome characterized by adequate precipitation

Question 6

tropical forest

Answer 6

a biome characterized by abundant rain, poor quality soil, and tall trees with fewer lower limbs, vines, epiphytes and plants adapted to low light intensity

Question 7

grasslands

Answer 7

a biome characterized by moderate precipitation, rich soil, and sod-forming grasses

Question 8

coniferous forest/ taiga

Answer 8

a biome characterized by moderate precipitation, acidic soil, and coniferous trees

Question 9

tundra

Answer 9

a biome characterized by very low precipitation, permafrost, and herbaceous plants

Question 10

chaparral

Answer 10

scrub forest or shrubland; a biome characterized by moderate precipitation , shallow or infertile soil, small trees with large, hard evergreen leaves, and spiny shrubs

Question 11

deserts

Answer 11

biomes characterized by extremely low precipitation, coarse sandy soil, and cactus and other low-water adapted plants

Question 12

temperate rainforest

Answer 12

a biome characterized by abundant rain, moderately rich soil, and coniferous and broadleaf trees, epiphytes, mosses, ferns, and shrubs

Question 13

savanna

Answer 13

a biome characterized by low rainfall, porous soil with only a thin layer of hummus, and grasses with widely spaced trees

Question 14

epilimnion

Answer 14

the uppermost and thus the most oxygenated layer of freshwater

Question 15

hypolimnion

Answer 15

the lowest, coldest, and densest lawyer of freshwater

Question 16

thermocline

Answer 16

a layer in a large body of water , such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt

Question 17

littoral zone

Answer 17

ocean zone beginning with the very shallow water at the shoreline and extending to the dept at which rooted plants stop growing

Question 18

limnetic zone

Answer 18

the surface of open ocean water; the region that extends to the depth which sunlight can penetrate

Question 19

profundal zone

Answer 19

the depths; ocean water that is to deep for sunlight to penetrate. Because the profundal zone is aphotic (a place where light cannot reach), photosynthesizing plants and animals cannot live in this region.

Question 20

benthic zone

Answer 20

the surface and sub-surface layers of the river-, lake-, pond-, or streambed-, characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels

Question 21

estuary

Answer 21

the part of the wide lower course of a river where it’s current is met by the tides

Question 22

wetlands

Answer 22

lowland areas, such as marshes or swamps, that are saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife

Question 23

mangrove swamps

Answer 23

coastal wetlands (areas of land covered in fresh water, salt water, or a combination of both) found in tropical and subtropical regions

Question 24

barrier islands

Answer 24

a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland , built up by the actions of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges

Question 25

coral reef

Answer 25

an erosion-resistant marine ridge or mound consisting chiefly of compacted coral together with algal material and biochemically deposited magnesium and calcium carbonates

Question 26

coastal zone

Answer 26

ocean zone consisting of the ocean water closest to land, usually defined as between the shore and the edge of the continental shelf (the edge of the tectonic plate); characterized by abundant sunlight and oxygen

Question 27

euphotic zone

Answer 27

the photic, upper layers of ocean water; the euphotic zone if the warmest region of ocean water and has the highest levels of dissolved oxygen

Question 28

bathyal zone

Answer 28

the middle region of the ocean, characterized by less density of organisms because it does not receive enough light to support photosynthesis

Question 29

abyssal zone

Answer 29

the deepest region of the ocean, marked by extremely cold temperatures and low levels of dissolved oxygen, but high levels of nutrients because of the decaying plant and animal matter that sinks down from the zones above

Question 30

upwellings

Answer 30

a process in which cold, often nutrient-rich. waters from the ocean depths rise to the surface

Question 31

red tide

Answer 31

A bloom of dinoflagellates that cause reddish discoloration of coastal ocean waters; certain dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyamlax produce toxins that kill fish and contaminate shellfish