Biome
-
a large area or geographical region with distinct
plant and animal groups adapted to that environment.
Biosphere
-
the zone of life on Earth; sum total of all
ecosystems on Earth (all biomes are included in this).
Abiotic factor
- a term that describes a nonliving factor in an
ecosystem.
Biotic factor
a term that describes a living or once-living
organism in an ecosystem.
.Habitat
- an area that provides an organism with its basic
need for survival (found within biomes).
Ecosystem
- a system composed of organisms and nonliving
components of an environment.
Climate
change is a change in the statistical distribution of
weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of
time.
Latitude
- distance north or south of equator.
Altitude
- height above sea level.
Tropical rain forest, temperate forests, taiga
main forest biomes
Tropical rain forest
around equator (0 latitude), regulate world climate,
humid, hot, 200-450 cm of rain per year
Emergent layer
- top layer of tropical rain forest (tallest
trees)
Canopy
area just below emergent layer, splits into upper
canopy and lower canopy.
Understory
lowest area of a tropical rain forest
Temperate rain forest
high precipitation, high humidity, moderate
temperature.
Temperate deciduous forest
drop leaves, located between 30 - 50 degree
latitudes.
Taiga
northern coniferous forest, average temps below freezing.
Savanna
dominated by grasses, shrubs, small trees; rainy and
dry seasons instead of winter and summer.
Temperate grassland
called prairies; moderate rainfall, but too little
for trees to grow.
Chaparral
a temperate shrubland biome; located on coastlines;
dry climate.
Desert
any biome with less than 25cm of rain per year; has
extreme hot and cold temperature swings.
Tundra
characterized by permafrost; located in northern
arctic regions, winter is dry and summer is very wet from thawed
snow and ice.
Permafrost
permanently frozen layer of dirt in northern
latitudes.
Wetland
Lands where water saturation is the dominant factor
determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and
animal communities (e.g., sloughs, estuaries,
marshes).
Plankton
tiny organisms that can�t swim, �drifters�; exist in
salt or freshwater; diatoms and protozoans are
examples.
Phytoplankton
tiny photosynthetic organisms; they float with
currents like tiny floating plants; primary producers and first
part of food web for most aquatic ecosystems.
Zooplankton
drifting animals, like a jellyfish.
Littoral zone
the part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the
shore.
Benthic zone
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.
Eutrophication
an increase in the amount of nutrients in an aquatic
ecosystem.
Estuary
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.
Salt marsh
the area formed at end of estuaries where rivers meet
the ocean and deposit mineral rich mud.
Mangrove swamp
swamps filled with mangrove trees; mangrove trees are
salt tolerant.
barrier island
islands that run parallel to the coast and protect
the mainland.
Invasive
spreading or taking over. Invasive species often take
over or dominate a habitat.
Invasive species
is a
plant
or
animal
that is not native to a specific location (an
introduced species
); and has a tendency to spread, which is believed to
cause damage to the environment, human economy and/or human
health.