| A | B |
|---|
| a layer of permanently frozen topsoil | permafrost |
| any necessity of life | resource |
| one organism captures and feeds on another organism | predation |
| zone near the equator | tropical |
| natural situation in which heat is retained by a layer of gases | greenhouse effect |
| a layer of shorter trees and vines under a canopy | understory |
| material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter | humus |
| climate in a small area that differs from the climate around it | microclimate |
| the dense covering formed by the tops of tall, leafy trees | canopy |
| one organism is harmed while another benefits | parasitism |
| this occurs on surfaces where there was no previous ecosystem | primary succession |
| average year after year conditions of temperature and precipitation | climate |
| changes in an existing community because of a disturbance | secondary succession |
| trees that shed their leaves during a season each year | deciduous |
| the first species to populate an area | pioneer species |
| no two species can occupy the same niche, same habitat, at the same time | competitive exclusion |
| day to day condition of Earth's atmosphere | weather |
| the conditions in which an oranism lives and the way it uses them | niche |
| cone-bearing trees | coniferous |
| both species benefit | mutualism |
| one species is helped, the other is not harmed nor helped | commensalism |
| the ability to survive and reproduce in different conditions | tolerance |
| zones between polar and tropical | temperate |
| any relationship of two species living closely together | symbiosis |
| a complex of terrestrial communities characterized by soil & climate | biome |
| zones that receive the sun's rays at a very low angle | polar |
| interactions in which one organism feeds on a producer | herbivory |
| a single species that can cause dramatic change in community structure | keystone species |
| An area where an organism lives, including biotic & abiotic factors | habitat |
| biome receiving < 25 cm rain/year, extreme temps, poor soil | desert |
| biome receiving > 2 m rain/year, warm & wet, poor soil | rainforest |
| biome characterized by permafrost | tundra |
| biome characterized by presence of fir, pine, spruce, and redwood trees, cold temps, snow | taiga |
| animal that captures & feeds on another animal | predator |
| animal that is captured and eaten by another animal | prey |
