Unit 1 Flashcards
Intertidal Zone
The area between high tide and low tide
Benthic Zone
Bottom layer of the lake which is home to inverts and nutrient rich sediments
Community
All the living organisms in an area
Ecosytem
The biotic and abiotic components of the area
Predation
An animals kills and uses the other for energy source
Albedo
The percent of incoming sunlight that is reflected from a surface
Benefits of Wetlands
SRRH
- Stores excess water during storms which can lessen floods
- Recharges aquifers and groundwater from rainfall
- Roots of emergent plants filter out pollutants from
- Highly productive due to lots of water and the nutrients (dead organic matter in sediments)
Biome
An area with similar climate conditions
Climate
Average weather in a given region over two decades
Dessication
Drying out; Shells and tough outer skin can prevent this for marine life during low tide
Esturary
Where rivers meet with the ocean
Ferrell Cells
Between hadley and pollar cells (30 to 60 N and S)
Hadley Cells
Convection currents that cycle between 30 N and S. The descending cool air picks up moisture creating deserts around that region
Individual
One organism
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The latitude that receives the most solar radiation and is where the Hadley cells converge
Littoral Zone
Shallow water with emerging plants
Mangroves
Common estuary habitats in tropical climates. Their roots help stabilize shorelines and provide habitat for many species of fish
Mesosphere
Temperature decreases due to thinning of the atmosphere meaning that the molecules are too far apart to absorb heat well
Net Primary Productivity
The amount of energy leftover for consumers after plants have used some for respiration
Ocean Specific Heat
Has a high specific heat and isn’t as pront to temp changes as land
Open Ocean
Low productivity
Oxygen levels in rivers
Rivers have high oxygen levels because their fast-flowing waters come into contact with air which leads to an exchange of gases
Photic Zone
Area of an ocean where sunlight can reach
Polar Cell
A convection current formed at 60 North and South that sinks at 90 North and South
Population
A group of organisms of the same species that live in a particular geographic area
Primary Productivity
the amount of plant growth in an area over a given period of time
Profundal
Aphotic area of a lake that supports few organisms
Rain Shadow Effect
The dry region of a mountainside that is sheltered away from the prevailing winds. Warm air picks up moisture as it travels across the ocean surface. When it reaches the windward side of the mountain, it is shunted up, cools, precipitates, before that dry air then travels down the leeward side of the mountain where it warms and picks up moisture causing that area to dry out
Resource Partitioning
Animals using the same resource different ways to reduce competition. For example, different bird species using different parts of the same tree
Salt marshes
They are a common estuary habitat in temperate climates
Stratosphere
The temperature increases due to the formation of O3/Ozone. This layer absorbs most UV-B and UV-C radiation (linked with DNA mutation) and converts it to infrared radiation which is released as heat. Th upper stratosphere is warmer than the lower stratosphere due to the upper stratosphere absorbing most of the radiation first.
Symbiosis
A close and long term interaction between organisms of different species
Temporal Partitioning
Organisms use the same resource at different times to reduce competition
Thermosphere/Ionosphere
The temperature rises due to UV and X-ray radiation. The atmosphere is still thin in this layer. UV radiation causes photoionization/photodissociation of molecules and creates ions
Troposphere
The temperature goes down as altitude goes up, away from the Earth’s surface, as the density increases. Greenhouse gases near the tropopause.
Water Temperature and aquatic organisms
Warmer water supports less aquatic organisms because it holds less dissolved oxygen
Weather
Short term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area (humidity, clouds, precipitation, wind speed)
Wetland
Area where the soil is saturated in water for part of the year, but the water level is still shallow enough for plants to emerge
What does competition do?
It limits population growth because there are few resources and few organisms can survive off those resources
What does distance from the equator determine?
Temperature and precipitation
