Term
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Definition
| Large geographic areas that share common vegetation and similar climate (temp & precip) |
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Term
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Definition
-North pole area
-Cold, dry, treeless region
-"cold desert"
-Winter is 6-9 mos. long
-Ground is "Permafrost" (permanently frozen) |
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Term
| Taiga (aka Boreal Forest) |
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Definition
-Just south of tundra
-Cold, coniferous forest region
-Much wetter than tundra (more precipitation) |
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Term
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Definition
-4 distinct seasons
-Trees change color in autumn (deciduous)
-More precipitation than Tundra or Taiga |
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Term
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Definition
-Lower temps, much more precipitation
-Deciduous and coniferous trees |
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Term
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Definition
-Warm temps, wet weather, lush plant growth
-Near the equator
-Home to extremely wide variety of organisms! |
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Term
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Definition
-Driest ecosystem on earth-supports little plant life
-Ground is covered in thin, sandy soil
-Rare rain evaporates quickly |
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Term
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Definition
-Not much rain, only supports grasses
-Perfect for growing many crops and raising livestock |
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Term
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Definition
-Flowing freshwater
-Current washes nutrients into water from land
-Includes slow moving creeks to whitewater rapids |
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Term
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Definition
-Freshwater (hardly moving)
-More plant growth than flowing rivers
-Lakes-deeper and colder towards bottom=less plant and algae growth
-Ponds-shallow and warmer=filled with plant and animal life |
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Term
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Definition
-Wet for most or all of year
-Regions between land and water (swamps or bogs)
-Extremely fertile, but only for plants that can handle lots of water
-Full of diverse animals and plants |
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Term
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Definition
-Saltwater
-Contains different regions based on depth
-Home to various plankton and fish |
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Term
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Definition
-One of the most diverse ecosystems
-Formed over long periods of time by animals called corals
-Don't adapt well to stress or change |
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Term
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Definition
-Seashore-Shallow water along coastlines
-Estuary-where river meets ocean
-Organisms must adapt to drastic changes in water levels and temperatures
-Provide lots of seafood for humans! |
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Term
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Definition
| The study of the interactions that take place among organisms and their environment |
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Term
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Definition
| An individual living thing |
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Term
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Definition
| All the organisms in an ecosystem that belong to the same species |
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Term
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Definition
| All the populations in an ecosystem |
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Term
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Definition
| All the organisms living in an area AND the nonliving features of their environment |
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Term
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Definition
-Habitat-provides shelter and resources so that animals can survive
-Niche-the role of an organism in its ecosystem-how does it survive? |
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Term
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Definition
Producer-makes its own energy through photosynthesis(aka autotroph)
-Consumer-must consume other organisms to gain energy (aka heterotroph)
-Energy is constantly being transferred between organisms and their environments! |
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Term
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Definition
-Organisms depend on biotic and abiotic factors for survival
--Biotic:living
--Abiotic:nonliving
-Biotic and abiotic faco5s influence what organisms can live in a certain area
-*Limiting Factor-any resource that limits how large a population can grow |
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Term
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Definition
-Powerfully affect an ecosystem
-Include:
--Competition
--Predation
--Symbiosis |
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Term
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Definition
-Organisms attempt to use an ecological resource at the same place and the same time
-Resource-anything necessary to survive
--Food, water, space, mate, shelter, oxygen, sunlight, etc.
-Plants and animals compete
-Winner and losers |
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Term
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Definition
-Interaction where a consumer captures and feeds on another consumer
-Predator (consumer)
--Organism that does the killing and eating
-Prey (consumer)
--Organism that is being killed and eaten (victim) |
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Term
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Definition
-Any close relationship between two species
-Symbiosis literally means "living together"
-3 types:
--Mutualism (+/+)
--Commensalism (+/0)
--Parasitism (+/-) |
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Term
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Definition
-Both species benefit from the relationship
-A Happy couple
-(+/+) |
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Term
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Definition
-One member of the relationship benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped
-One-sided (+/0)
-Usually for food or shelter |
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Term
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Definition
-One organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it (+/-)
-Parasite obtains all or part of its nutrients from the other organism
-Host
--Organism that is harmed in relationship; the one that provides the nutrients to the parasite
-Parasite
--Organism that gets its nutrients from the host
-Do they want to kill their host?
--No, because they need them...they will weaken or hurt the host in some way |
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Term
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Definition
| Study of interactions between organism & environment |
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Term
| What are 3 relationships in ecosystems? |
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Definition
| Competition, Predator-Prey, Symbiosis |
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Term
| What are 3 types of symbiosis? |
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Definition
| Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism |
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Term
| What is the difference between an ECOSYSTEM and a BIOME? |
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Definition
Ecosystem-all living & nonliving factors of an environment
Biome-large geog. area w/similar climate & organisms |
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Term
| What are the 5 basic needs of all organisms? |
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Definition
oxygen
food
water
living space
proper temperature |
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Term
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Definition
| to change in order to make "fit" or suitable for an environment |
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Term
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Definition
Any body structure or behavior that helps an organism survive
Two types: structural & behavioral |
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Term
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Definition
| Physical characteristics that help an organism to survive. |
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Term
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Definition
| Activities performed by an organism to help it survive. |
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Term
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Definition
| An adaptation where an animal can hide by blending in with its surroundings. |
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Term
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Definition
| An adaptation where one organism imitates another organism |
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Term
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Definition
| A pattern of behavior that requires no thinking. Organisms know how to do this from birth. |
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Term
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Definition
| An instinctive behavior in which some animals move from one place to another for a period of time. |
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Term
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Definition
| An instinctive behavior in which some animals spend the winter in an inactive condition. |
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Term
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Definition
| A behavior that an animal learns through experience |
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Term
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Definition
A polar bear's fur
A bat eared fox's big ears
A moth's eyespots on its wings |
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Term
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Definition
Geese flying south for winter
A dormouse hibernating for the winter
Penguins huddling together to stay warm |
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Term
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Definition
Over time, populations change naturally
-Gradual process
-No human involvement
-Beneficial traits-become more common
-Harmful traits-become less common (and eventually disapear) |
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Term
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Definition
-Humans select specific organisms to breed together, in order to get certain "desirable" traits
-Humans control this process!!!
--often done by a professional breeder
Breeds-animals
Varieties-plants |
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