Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Ecology |
is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment |
|
Biotic |
-living components |
|
Abiotic |
-non-living chemical and physical factors |
|
Biosphere |
-Sum of all the earth’s ecosystems, the most complex level in ecology, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere And man’s effect and interactions |
|
Aquatic Biomes |
-Account for the largest part of the biosphere -Oceans cover 75% of Earth’s surface |
|
Photic Zone |
-First 1000 meters where light penetrates the water and can support photosynthetic organisms like phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish |
|
Aphotic Zone |
-1000- 9000 meters devoid of light that can support photosynthesis |
|
Benthic Zone |
-Sea floor |
|
Freshwater Biomes |
Lakes and ponds- standing bodies of water Deep lakes have three distinct zones |
|
Littoral Zone |
shallow, well-lit water close to shore |
|
Limnetic Zone |
well-lit open surface water occupied by phytoplankton (algae and cyanobacteria) and zooplankton (rotifers and small crustaceans) |
|
Oligotrophic lake |
Deep and nutrient poor Phytoplankton are not very productive Usually don’t support a lot of plant growth |
|
Eutrophic lake |
Shallow and nutrient rich Phytoplankton are productive Water is murky |
|
Mesotrophic lake |
in between the two |
|
Wetlands |
an area covered with water that supports aquatic plants ranging from areas that are periodically flooded to soil that is permanently saturated during the growing season |
|
Estuaries |
-Areas where freshwater streams and rivers merge with the ocean -Estuaries serve as breeding ground for marine invertebrates and fish, and feeding area for water fowl |
|
Intertidal Zone |
Where water meets the land- beach area that is submerged and exposed by the cycles of the tides. A few animals live here including clams and crustaceans that bury themselves in the sand. |
|
Neritic Zone |
Shallow regions over the continental shelves, In warm tropical waters the Coral Reefs are located here. Sunlight supports photosynthesis here.Corals secrete hard external skeletons made of calcium carbonate forming a substrate upon which other organisms grow. |
|
Oceanic Zone |
Beyond the continental shelves |
|
Pelagic Zone |
-Open water constantly being mixed by ocean currents -Lower nutrient content because they sink to floor -In the photic zone photosynthetic plankton provide the food for -zooplankton and jellyfish along with larvae of small -invertebrates and fish that live here. Large squids, fishes, sea turtles and marine mammals live and feed here |
|
Abyssal Zone |
-the benthos organisms adapt to cold temperatures, high water pressures, the absence of light and low nutrient concentrations
|
|
Tropical Rain Forest |
-Lush, near the equator, rainfall is greater than 250 cm per year |
|
Savanna |
Grassland with scattered individual trees |
|
Desert |
-Driest of all terrestrial biomes with less than 30 cm of rainfall per year |
|
Chaparral |
-found in a little bit of most of the continents - the west coast of the United States |
|
Temperate Grassland |
-Like a tropical savanna that includes cold winter temperatures
|
|
Temperate Deciduous Forest |
-Occurs at mid-altitudes where enough rainfall supports the growth of tall trees |
|
Coniferous Forest |
-Largest terrestrial biome on earth |
|
Tundra |
-Arctic, encircles the north pole, extends to the taiga -Plant life limited to low shrubs and mat-like vegetation |