Ecology Ch 4 Ecosystems and Communities Vocab

resource

any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space

temperate zone

are between the polar areas and the tropics; range from hot to cold over the year, depending on the sun's rays and the season

climate

average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region

biotic factors

biological influences on organisms within an ecosystem

taiga

biome in which the winters are cold but the summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw

microclimate

climate within a small area that significantly differs from the climate of the surrounding area

kelp forest

coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism- kelp, a giant brown alga

mangrove swamp

coastal wetland dominated by mangroves, salt-tolerant woody plants

polar zone

cold areas where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle and are located between 66.5 and 90 degrees North and South latitude

weather

day-to-day condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place

canopy

dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall forest trees

coral reef

diverse and productive environment named for the coral animals that make up its primary structure

competitive exclusion principle

ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time

wetland

ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year

pioneer species

first species to populate an area during primary succession

niche

full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions

ecological succession

gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance

biome

group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities

predation

interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism

understory

layer in a rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines

permaforest

layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra

coastal ocean

marine zone that extends from the low-tide mark to the end of the continental shelf

humus

material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

tropical zone

near the equator, between 23.5 and 23.5 North and South latitudes; receive almost direct sunlight year-round and are almost always warm

tolerance

organism's capacity to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor

benthos

organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor

detritus

particles of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of an estuary's food web

aphotic zone

permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone

abiotic factors

physical, or nonliving factor that shapes an ecosystem

phytoplankton

population of algae and other small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean and forming part of plankton

zonation

prominent horizontal banding of organisms that live in a particular habitat

symbiosis

relationship in which two species live close together

secondary succession

succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil

primary succession

succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

mutualism

symbolic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship

commensalism

symbolic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed

parasitism

symbolic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it

salt marsh

temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line and by sea grasses underwater

deciduous

term used to refer to a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year

coniferous

term used to refer to trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles

habitat

the area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it

greenhouse effect

the natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and other gases

zooplankton

tiny animals that form part of the plankton

plankton

tiny, free-floating organisms that occur in aquatic environments

photic zone

well-lit upper layer of the oceans

estuary

wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean