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| Not alive (e.g., air, water, and some components of soil). Compare with biotic |
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| The total mass of living plants in an area, excluding roots. |
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| Deep water receiving no sunlight. Compare with photic zone |
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| The area along the bottom of an aquatic environment. |
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| The total mass of all organisms in a given population or geographical area; usually expressed as total dry weight. |
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| A large terrestrial or marine region characterized by distinct abiotic characteristics and dominant types of vegetation. |
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| The thin zone surrounding the Earth where all life exists; the sum of all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. |
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| Living, or produced by a living organism. Compare with abiotic |
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| The prevailing, long-term weather conditions in a particular region. |
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| All of the species that interact with each other in a certain area. |
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| The study of how organisms interact with each other and with their surrounding environment. |
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| An atmospheric cycle of large-scale air movement in which warm equatorial air rises, moves north or south, and then descends at approximately 30° N or 30° S latitude. |
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| An exotic (nonnative) species that, upon introduction to a new area, spreads rapidly and competes successfully with native species. |
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| In an aquatic habitat, water that is shallow enough to receive some sunlight (whether or not it is enough to support photosynthesis). Compare with aphotic zone. |
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| The dry region on the side of a mountain range away from the prevailing wind. |
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| Having a climate with pronounced annual fluctuations in temperature (i.e., warm summers and cold winters) but typically neither as hot as the tropics nor as cold as the poles. |
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| The treeless biome in polar and alpine regions, characterized by short, slow-growing vegetation, permafrost, and a climate of long, intensely cold winters and very short summers. |
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| The specific short-term atmospheric conditions of temperature, moisture, sunlight, and wind in a certain area. |
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