bio chapter 18

Carbon footprint

A carbon footprint is historically defined as "the total sets of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or individual." The total carbon footprint cannot be calculated because of the large amount of data required and the fact that carbon dioxide can be produced by natural occurrences.

Ecosystem ecology

Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.

Temperate zone

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of Earth lie between the tropics and the polar regions. The temperatures in these regions are generally relatively moderate, rather than extremely hot or cold, and the changes between summer and winter are also usually moderate.

Organismal ecology

ORGANISMAL ECOLOGY - the study of individual organisms' behavior, physiology, morphology, etc. in response to environmental challenges. POPULATION ECOLOGY - the study of factors that affect and change the size and genetic composition of populations of organisms.

Photic zone

Photic zone, surface layer of the ocean that receives sunlight. The uppermost 80 m (260 feet) or more of the ocean, which is sufficiently illuminated to permit photosynthesis by phytoplankton and plants, is called the euphotic zone

Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants. Phytoplankton is the base of several aquatic food webs. In a balanced ecosystem, they provide food for a wide range of sea creatures including whales, shrimp, snails, and jellyfish.

Intertidal zone

The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore and seashore and sometimes referred to as the littoral zone, is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide (in other words, the area between tide marks).

Zooplankton

Zooplankton plankton consisting of small animals and the immature stages of larger animals.

Abiotic factors

biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

Biome

biome. (bī'ōm') A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region. Terrestrial biomes, typically defined by their climate and dominant vegetation, include grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests

Sustainability

sustainability is the capacity to endure; it is how biological systems remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes.

Acclimation

the process or result of acclimating; especially : physiological adjustment by an organism to environmental change

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments.

Pelagic realm

Any water in a sea or lake that is neither close to the bottom nor near the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone.

Biotic factors

Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem. They are sorted into three groups: producers or autotrophs, consumers or heterotrophs, and decomposers or detritivores.

Aphotic zone

The aphotic zone (without light") is the portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight. It is formally defined as the depths beyond which less than 1% of sunlight penetrates.

Benthic realm

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.

Biosphere

The biosphere is the crossroads of all the other earth science spheres you will study in class. Think about the possible interactions for a second. - The land of the lithosphere interacts with the oceans of the hydrosphere at the coastlines.

Continental shelf

The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods.