| A | B |
|---|
| climate | average conditions over a long period of time in a given area |
| weather | day-to-day conditions in Earth's atmosphere |
| climatographs | climate diagrams that show temperature and precipitation |
| gross primary production | the rate at which primary producers carry out photosynthesis |
| net primary production | the organic matter or biomass that remains after cellular respiration |
| canopy | tall trees form a dense covering in the rainforest |
| emergent layer | highest layer of the rainforest |
| understory | lowest layer of the rainforest; plants have large, flat leaves |
| epiphytes | plants that grow on other plants instead of soil |
| tropical dry forest | biome that is warm year-round, but has highly seasonal rainfall |
| deciduous trees | lose their leaves and stop photosynthesizing during part of the year |
| estivation | deep, sleep-like period of dormancy to avoid dry periods |
| savanna | tropical region with less rainfall than tropical dry forests but more rainfall than deserts |
| desert | biome that receives under 25 cm of rain each year |
| succulents | plants with a thick, waxy cuticle that store water in their tissues |
| temperate rainforests | biome w/ heavy rainfall and year-round moderate temperatures. Ex: Oregon |
| coniferous trees | trees that produce seed-bearing cones |
| temperate forest | Example: Northeastern US |
| temperate grassland | aka prairie; ex: Midwestern US |
| Chaparral | biome w/ warm, dry summers; mild, wet winters |
| long body appendages | adaptation that helps keep animals cool |
| boreal forest | aka taiga; long, cold winters and short, cool summers |
| tundra | cold desert |
| permafrost | underground soil that is frozen year-round |
| polar ice | not a biome since it is not technically on land |
| mountains | landform that could be home to many biomes due to changes in elevation |
| salinity | amount of salt in a body of water |
| brackish | less salt than ocean but more than freshwater |
| photic zone | light can penetrate through water; photosynthesis occurs |
| aphotic zone | no light penetrates |
| benthic zone | bottom of a body of water |
| littoral zone | shallow, near-shore portion of photic zone in a pond or lake |
| limnetic zone | farther from shore, no rooted plants w/in this area of a lake or pond |
| wetlands | any area of land that is covered in water at least part of the year |
| marsh | grassy wetland |
| swamp | wetland w/ woody shrubs and trees |
| bog | wetland with low nutrients, stagnant water, and peat on top |
| fen | similar to bog, but w/ a connection to groundwater; less acidic and stinky |
| rivers and streams | moving bodies of fresh water |
| flood plain | area near a river that floods periodically |
| estuary | where a river meets the ocean; usually brackish |
| world ocean | all of the oceans connected |
| currents | horizontal movements of ocean waters |
| tide | how far the ocean reaches up on a shoreline based on gravitational pull of moon and sun |
| upwelling | vertical flow of cold, nutrient-rich water toward teh surface |
| downwelling | when two currents pull away from each other and water flows downward |
| intertidal zone | organisms here must be tolerant to huge changes in temp and salinity |
| neritic zone | zone from low-tide to end of continental shelf; kelp forests and coral reefs here |
| open ocean zone | zone that is not very productive; very dark, few organisms live here |
| euglena | protists that can be heterotrophic or autotrophic |
| paramecium | moves w/ cilia |
| amoeba | moves with a pseudopod |
| flagella | long, whip-like tail |
| cilia | short, beating extentions |
| gonads | reproductive organs |
| echinodermata | means "spiny skin" |
