Transcript Ecosystems Vocabulary PPT

Vocabulary Review
Ch 21
Ecosystems
A large region
characterized by a
specific type of
climate and certain
types of plant and
animal communities
Biome
A treeless plain that is
located in the Arctic or
Antarctic and that is
characterized by very low
winter temperatures; short,
cool summers; and vegetation
that consists of grasses,
lichens, and perennial herbs
Tundra
In arctic regions, the
permanently frozen
layer of soil or
subsoil
Permafrost
A region of forest or
jungle that is located near
the equator and that is
characterized by large
amounts of rain and little
variation in temperature
Tropical Forest
The layers of
treetops that shade
the forest floor
Canopy
A plant that uses
another plant for
support, but not for
nourishment
Epiphyte
A tree belonging to a
group of tree species
that bear their seeds
in cones and tend to
be evergreen
Coniferous Tree
A tree that sheds
and regrows its
leaves in response to
seasonal changes
Deciduous Tree
A region of forest that has
pronounced seasons, moderate
temperatures, and moderate
precipitation; characterized
by trees that shed their
leaves in the fall
Temperate
deciduous forest
A plain full of grasses and
scattered trees and
shrubs; found in tropical
and subtropical habitats
and mainly in regions with
a dry climate, such as
East Africa
Savanna
A type of vegetation that
includes broad-leafed
evergreen shrubs and that
is located in areas with
hot, dry summers and
mild, wet winters
Chaparral
A region that has little or
no vegetation, long periods
without rain, and extreme
temperatures; usually
found in warm climates
Desert
The deeper parts of
the ocean, where
there is so little light
that plants cannot
carry out
photosynthesis
Aphotic zone
The area of an
aquatic system that
receives enough light
for photosynthesis to
occur
Photic zone
An area along ocean
shorelines that lies
between low and high
water lines
Intertidal zone
A shallow marine
environment that is near
the shore or over the
continental shelf and that
is rich in minerals and
nutrients produced by
biotic activity
Neritic zone
The regions of the
open sea that lie
beyond and between
the continental
shelves
Oceanic zone
The upper, central,
or open region of a
body of water
Pelagic zone
The bottom region of
oceans and bodies of
fresh water
Benthic zone
The mass of mostly
microscopic organisms
that float or drift
freely in the waters of
aquatic (freshwater and
marine) environments
Plankton
An area where fresh
water from rivers mixes
with salt water from
the ocean; the part of
a river where the tides
meet the river current
Estuary
A lake that contains
a large amount of
decaying organic
matter and lacks
oxygen as a result
Eutrophic lake
A lake that lacks
organic nutrients and,
as a result, contains
high levels of
dissolved oxygen in
its lower layer
Oligotrophic lake
An area of land that
is covered in fresh
water for at least
part of each year
Freshwater
wetland