M12 Terms

Question 1

Biotic

Answer 1

Living organisms

Question 2

Abiotic

Answer 2

Nonliving organisms

Question 3

Climate

Answer 3

Prevailing weather of a region over relatively long periods of times (30 years or more)

Question 4

Weather

Answer 4

Short-term atmospheric conditions in a limited geographic area

Question 5

Tundra

Answer 5

1/4 of Earth’s land surface, trees are scarce, low-growing plants, frozen for 10 months of the year, receives less precipitation

Question 6

Boreal Forest (Taiga)

Answer 6

Largest terrestrial biome, soil is thin, nutrient poor, low rainfall, and low plant diversity

Question 7

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Answer 7

Winter lasts 4-5 months, precipitation distributed evenly throughout the year, greater diversity in plants and animals, deciduous trees are dominant

Question 8

Grassland Biome

Answer 8

Found in temperate and tropical latitudes, receive 25-100 centimeters of precipitation annually (insufficient for vigorous tree growth), soils are deep and fertile

Question 9

Chaparral

Answer 9

Scrubland biome, cool, rainy winters and dry, hot summers, dominated by dense growths of scrub oak and other drought resistant plants, soil is relatively poor and most species are adapted to hot, dry conditions

Question 10

Desert Biome

Answer 10

1/3 of Earth’s land surfaced, lacks precipitation, air lacks moisture and can’t moderate temperature fluctuations, animal species are nocturnal

Question 11

Tropical Forest Biome

Answer 11

Warm temperatures, 12 hours daylight year-round, most biodiverse biome, home to 50~% of plant & animal species

Question 12

Freshwater Biome

Answer 12

Aquatic biome that includes lakes, streams, rivers, and ponds; salt concentration of less than 1%

Question 13

Marine Biome

Answer 13

Made up of three sections with the oceanic region, coastal region, and splash zone, makes 3/4 of Earth’s surface

Question 14

Abyssal Zone

Answer 14

Lies at depths of 4000 meters or more, few organisms survive, great pressures and low temperatures

Question 15

Continental Shift

Answer 15

Drop off edge of the coastal region that dips into the oceanic region

Question 16

Intertidal Zone

Answer 16

Closest to the shore and extends from the highest tide mark to the lowest tide mark, when exposed at low tide the organisms are vulnerable to predators

Question 17

Benthic Zone

Answer 17

Relatively stable habitat, rich in sediments containing the dead/ decaying remains of organisms

Question 18

Population Cycle

Answer 18

Consumers exerts a significant impact on a prey species that the population sizes of two species change together in a tightly linked cycle

Question 19

Carrying Capacity

Answer 19

Largest number of individuals of a population that an environment can support

Question 20

Keystone Species

Answer 20

Disproportionately large effect on types & abundances of other species in a community

Question 21

Trophic Levels

Answer 21

Position of group of organisms in the food chain

Question 22

Lentic

Answer 22

Still water systems; lakes

Question 23

Lotic

Answer 23

Flowing water systems; rivers, wetlands, bogs, swamps

Question 24

Energy Pyramid

Answer 24

How energy flows through different trophic levels in an ecosystem

Question 25

Secondary Productivity

Answer 25

Rate of new biomass production by consumers

Question 26

Mutualism

Answer 26

(+/+); both species benefit

Question 27

Commensalism

Answer 27

(+/-); one species benefits at no cost to the other

Question 28

Exploitation

Answer 28

(+/-); one species benefits and the other is harme

Question 29

Competition (Intraspecific)

Answer 29

Same species compete for a limited resource

Question 30

Competition (Interspecific)

Answer 30

Two species share an important resource that is limited

Question 31

Niche

Answer 31

An organism's role in an ecosystem

Question 32

Warning Coloration

Answer 32

Used by prey organisms to warn potential predators that they're heavily defended with toxins

Question 33

Concealing Camouflage

Answer 33

When an animal hides itself against a background of the same color and/or pattern

Question 34

Disguise Camouflage

Answer 34

Animals blend in with their surroundings by their shape and/or texture rather than color

Question 35

Disruptive Camouflage

Answer 35

Works by breaking up the outlines of an animal

Question 36

Mimicry Camouflage

Answer 36

When one organism looks or acts like an undesirable object

Question 37

Müllerian Mimicry

Answer 37

Two or more well-defended species mimic each other's honest warning colorization

Question 38

Batesian Mimicry

Answer 38

A harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species

Question 39

Induced Defenses

Answer 39

Responses from certain plants that are directly stimulated by an attack from herbivores

Question 40

Eutrophication

Answer 40

Gradual increase in concentration of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other plant nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem

Question 41

Food Chain

Answer 41

Linear sequence of who eats whom

Question 42

Food Web

Answer 42

Various food chains of a community, where they overlap, and how they are connected

Question 43

Richness

Answer 43

Number of species within an ecosystem or community

Question 44

Diversity

Answer 44

How even abundance is distributed across each species present

Question 45

Abundance

Answer 45

How common individuals of a species are compared with individuals of other species in the community