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Definition
| the long term pattern of temperature and precipitation |
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| the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator, which is designated as zero (0) degrees |
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| refers to the height above or below sea level |
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| a graph showing the monthly changes in temperature and precipitation throughout the year |
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| A large ecosystem with a specific range of abiotic and biotic factors such as temperature, precipitation, and characteristic organisms (including plants and animals) |
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| a massive biome that extends in a continuous belt across Canada, Alaska, Asia, and Europe. It has very little precipitation (usually less than 25 cm a year), permafrost, and small, slow-growing plants such as grasses and mosses. The growing season is limited to a brief period of about 8 weeks during the summer. This prevents any significant tree growth. |
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| the layer of permanently frozen subsoil in polar regions |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by acidic soils, dry winters, moderate precipitation, and the growth of conifers. Stretches across the northern parts of North America, Asia and Europe. Sometimes called taiga |
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| the upper layer of vegetation in a forest,often creates a dense layer, or cover, that prevents most sunlight from reaching the forest floor. |
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Temperate Deciduous Forest [image] |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by higher temperatures than the boreal forest and 75-220 cm of precipitation per year and that supports the growth of huge forests of broadleaf trees. Covers regions in sourtheastern Canda, the eastern US and large areas of Europe and Asia. |
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Definition
| the flowers, ferns, shrubs and small trees that grow below the canopy layer in a forest |
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Temperate Rain Forest [image] |
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Definition
one of the rarest of the world's biomes; characterized by abundant moisture, mild climate, thick and rich soil, and the growth of shrubs and small trees. Currently found only in BC, Alaska and Chile |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by rainfall between 25 and 75 cm per year supporting the growth of grasses |
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Definition
| a tropoical grassland biome, of all the biomes, savannas support the greatest number and variety of large herbivores |
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Tropical Rainforest [image] |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by rainfall between 200 and 450 cm annually and temperatures between 20 and 25 degress celsius throughout the year; believed to contain at least half of Earth's terrestrial organisms. |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by less than 25 cm of precipitation annually and little vegetation of small plants specialized to conserve water; occurs in North Africa, central Australia, southwestern North America, eastern Asia an the southeast tip of South America. |
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Definition
| the biome characterized by the presence of permanent ice and the absence of significant terrestrial vegetation; occurs at the North and South Poles |
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Definition
| any genetic trait that improves an organism's chance of surviving and reproducing |
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Definition
| a process that favours the survival of organisms with traits that make them better adapted to the environment; tends to eliminate those individuals that are poorly adapted |
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Definition
| a strategy whereby one species resembles another that is poisonous, dangerous, or distasteful to avoid predation; also refers to situations where two harmful species hae similar colouration. |
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Definition
| the type of interaction involving the adaptation of two species in response to each other |
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Definition
| the variety of, and the variation among, organisms within a given ecosystem, biome, or the entire Earth |
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Primary Productivity [image] |
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Definition
| a measure of the available energy provided by the producers in an ecosystem |
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Term
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Definition
| when a species is gone completely from Earth, or when so few individuals are left that reproduction is not possible |
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Definition
| the phenomenon of local extinction, which occurs when a species ceases to exist in one area but still exists elsewhere in the world |
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Definition
| a species whose presence plays an important ecological role in determining the types and numbers of other species in particular ecosystems. When these species are eliminated the effects on the ecosystem are dramatic |
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Definition
| the overall role of an organism in a community, including the range of biotic and abiotic conditions that the organism can tolerate |
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Definition
| when two organisms make use of the same resource so that their niches overlap |
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Term
Interspecific competition [image] |
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Definition
| competition between different species |
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Intraspecific competition [image] |
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Definition
| competition between organisms of the same species |
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Resource Partitioning [image] |
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Definition
| a process that reduces or eliminates competition for similar resources by individuals of different species; species develop adaptations that allow them to occupy different non-overlapping ecological niches and partition available resources |
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Adaptive Radiation [image] |
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Definition
| occurs when species adapt differently to changes in the environment and become specialized in order to exploit smaller parts of the ecological niche |
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Definition
| increase in numbers of individuals with new adaptive traits resulting from natural selection; populations with the new adaptations will proliferate until further selective pressure leads to further adaptations |
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Term
Foreign Species [image][image] Grey Squirrel (foreign) Red Squirrel (Native) |
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Definition
| species that are not native to a particular ecosystem they are often able to out compete the existing native species for a particular niche |
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Term
Ecological Succession [image] |
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Definition
| a gradual change in the types of plants that represent the structure of a community |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to the first species to arrive and colonize a new environment; over time, the presence of the pioneer species changes the environment, creating acceptable conditions for other speices |
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Term
Primary Succession [image] |
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Definition
| one of two types of ecological succession the occupation by plant life of an area not previously covered by vegetation |
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Definition
| a complex, stable ecosystem reached during late successional stages |
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Secondary Succession [image] |
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Definition
| one of two types of succession; the occupation by plant life in an area that was previously covered by vegetation but where there has been a significant disturbance such as fire, flooding, landslides, or forest harvesting |
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