APES Unit 1: Ecosystems and Biomes 1.1-1.3

Salinity

A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Symbiosis

A relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other

community

All the different populations that live together in an area

Desert

An extremely dry (arid) area with little water and few plants

ponds

Bodies of fresh water (shallow, allows sunlight to go all the way through the water and makes plants grow)

Climatograms

Chart that is used to better understand climate by looking at the average temperature and precipitation

Limiting factors

Conditions in the environment that put limits on where an organism can live

marshlands

Consisting of low lying wetlands ; areas that typically stay flooded/waterlogged. Swamp or bog.

Biotic

Describes living factors in the environment.

Abiotic

Describes non-living factors in the environment

Longitude

Distance east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

Climate

The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

Weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Temperate rainforest

The cool, dense, rainy forests of the northern Pacific coast; enshrouded in fog much of the time; dominated by large conifers

Resource partitioning

The division of environmental resources by coexisting species such that the niche of each species differs by one or more significant factors from the niches of all coexisting species

Realized niche

The niche species actually occupies.

Fundamental niche

The niche species could potentially occupy.

Coevolution

Process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other

coral reefs

Prominent oceanic features composed of hard, limy skeletons produced by coral animals; usually formed along edges of shallow, submerged ocean banks or along shelves in warm, shallow, tropical seas

Competitive exclusion

Strong competition can lead to local elimination of one of the species.

Savanna

a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

rivers

a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.

streams

a small, narrow river.

Tundra

a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

Algae

a very simple plant without stems or leaves that grows in or near water.

Taiga (boreal forest, northern coniferous forest)

biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather; dominated by coniferous evergreens; also called boreal forest

benthic zone

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

Interspecific competition

competition between members of different species

Latitude

distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

Temperate grasslands

dominated by grasses, trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less than in savannas. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Occur in South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, the steppes of the former Soviet Union, and the plains and prairies of central North America.

Temperate

mild, moderate

Benthos

organisms that live attached to or near the bottom of lakes, streams, or oceans

Biosphere

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Permafrost

permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground

Terrestrial

relating to the land

Aquatic

relating to water

swamps

shallow water in forested areas, dominated by trees

oceans

the largest of all the ecosystems. The ocean regions are separated into separate zones: intertidal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic. All four zones have a great diversity of species.

Ecological niches

the role an organism plays in its environment

estuaries

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.

Tropical

warm, moist climate zone near the equator

Mangrove forests

woody, specialized types of trees of the tropics that can live on the edge, where rainforests meet oceans

biome

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

population

A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

lakes

A body of water that is surrounded by land it can be fresh water or salt water.

Competition

A common demand by two or more organisms upon a limited supply of a resource; for example, food, water, light, space, mates, nesting sites. It may be intraspecific or interspecific.

Altitude

Elevation (height) above sea level

Shrubland (chaparral)

Found along the California coast and the coast of the Mediterranean sea. Characterized by hot summers and mild, rainy winters. Dominated by fire-tolerant shrubs.

Riparian

Having to do with the banks of a body of water

Tropical rainforests

Near the equator. Warm with lots of precipitation. Little seasonal temperature variation. Most diverse biome.