| A | B |
|---|
| grassland | biome composed of large communities of grasses and other small plants; receives 25-75 cm of rain annually |
| tropical rain forest | biome near the equator with warm termperatures, wet weather, and lush plant growth; receives at least 200 cm of rainfall annually |
| intertidal zone | part of the shoreline between the high and low tide lines |
| plankton | small organisms that live in the waters of the photic zone |
| secondary succession | sequence of community changes that take place after a community is disrupted by a natural disaster or human action |
| photic zone | portion of marine biome shallow enough for the sun to penetrate |
| tundra | surrounds the north and south poles; treeless land with long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight; beneath the topsoil is a layer of permafrost |
| estuary | coastal body of water, partially surrounded by land, where salt and fresh water mix |
| permafrost | layer of permanently frozen ground found under the topsoil in a certain biome |
| biome | group of ecosystems with the same climax communities |
| limiting factor | any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence, numbers, reproduction or distribution of organisms |
| temperate forest | biome composed of forests of broad-leaved hardwood trees that lose their foliage annually; recieves 70 to 150 cm of precipitation annaullay |
| climate community | stable, mature community that undergoes little or change in species over time |
| aphotic zone | portion of the marine biome that is too deep for sunlight to penetrate |
| desert | arid region with sparse to almost nonexsitent plant life; the driest biome, it gets less than 25 cm of annual rainfall |
| primary succession | colonization of new land that is exposed by avalanches, volcanoes, or glaciers by pioneer organisms |
| tagia | biome just south of the tundra; characterized by northern coniferous forest composed of pine, fir, and other trees and acidic, mineral-poor topsoil |
| succession | natural, orderly changes and species replacements that take place in ecosystem communities over time |
