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Ch 50 Ecology and Biosphere

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9549650ecologyliterally means home
9549651abioticnon living components
9549652bioticliving components
9549653organismal ecologysubdivisions include physiological ecology, evolutionary ecology and behavioral ecology
9549654populationgroup of individuals of the same species living in an area
9549655communityassemblage of populations
9743877aphotic zoneThe part of the ocean beneath the photic zone, where light does not penetrate sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur.
9743878benthic zoneThe bottom surface of an aquatic environment.
9743879benthosThe communites of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome.
9743880biomeAny of the world's major ecosystems, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.
9744284biosphereThe entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems.
9744285canopyThe uppermost layer of vegetation in a terrestrial biome.
9744286chaparralA scrubland biome of dense, spiny evergreen shrubs found at midlatitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers.
9744287ecotoneThe transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another, such as the transition from a forest to a grassland.
9744288estuaryThe area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean.
9744289eutrophic lakeA highly productive lake, having a high rate of biological productivity supported by a high rate of nutrient cycling.
9744290intertidal zoneThe shallow zone of the ocean where land meets water.
9744291limnetic zoneIn a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore.
9744292littoral zoneIn a lake, the shallow, well-lit waters close to shore.
9744293neritic zoneThe shallow region of the ocean overlying the continental shelf.
9744294oceanic pelagic biomeMost of the ocean's waters far from shore, constantly mixed by ocean currents.
9744295oceanic zoneThe region of water lying over deep areas beyond the continental shelf.
9744296oligotrophic lakeA nutrient-poor, clear, deep lake with minimum phytoplankton.
9744297pelagic zoneThe area of the ocean past the continental shelf, with areas of open water often reaching to very great depths.
9744298permafrostA permanently frozen stratum below the arctic tundra.
9744299photic zoneThe narrow top slice of the ocean, where light permeates sufficiently for photosynthesis to occur.
9744300savannaA tropical grassland biome with scattered individual trees, large herbivores, and three distinct seasons based primarily on rainfall, maintained by occasional fires and drought.
9744301temperate broadleaf forestA biome located throughout midlatitude regions where there is sufficient moisture to support the growth of large, broadleaf deciduous trees.
9744302thermoclineA narrow stratum of rapid temperature change in the ocean and in many temperate-zone lakes.
9744303tundraA biome at the extreme limits of plant growth. At the northernmost limits, it is called arctic tundra, and at high altitudes, where plant forms are limited to low shrubby or matlike vegetation, it is called alpine tundra.
9744304wetlandAn ecosystem intermediate between an aquatic one and a terrestrial one. Wetland soil is saturated with water permanently or periodically.

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