| A | B |
|---|
| Abiotic | Describes nonliving factors in the environment. |
| Biome | A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animals communities. |
| Savanna | A tropical grassland biome with scattered clumps of trees. |
| Desert | a hot, dry biome inhabited by organisms adapted to survive high daytime temperatures and long periods without rain. |
| Tundra | a far-northern biome characterized by long, cold winters, permafrost, and few trees. |
| Permafrost | the permanently frozen ground below the soil surface in the arctic tundra. |
| Marine | describes an ecosystem based on salty water. |
| Phytoplankton | - a microscopic photosynthetic organism that floats near the surface of the ocean. |
| Zooplankton | protozoa that, along with the phytoplankton they consume, form the base of the ocean’s food web. |
| Estuary | an area where fresh water from streams and rivers spills into the ocean. |
| Tributary | a small stream or river that flows into a larger one |
| Littoral Zone | - the zone of a lake or pond closest to the edge of the land |
| Open-Water Zone | zone of a lake or pond that extends from the littoral zone out across the top of the water and that is only as deep as light can reach through the water. |
| Deep-Water Zone | - the zone of a lake or pond below the open-water zone where no light reaches. |
| Wetland | an area of land where the water level is near or above the surface of the ground for most of the year. |
| Marsh | a treeless wetland ecosystem where such plants as cattails and rushes grow. |
| Swamp | a wetland ecosystem in which trees and vines grow. |
