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Ch. 20 Ecosystems and the Biosphere Vocabulary

Across
____ ZONE- the upper layer of ocean water in which photosynthesis is able to take place
a biome found in temperate coastal regions characterized by low trees and dry-adapted shrubs and forbs
____ LEVEL- the position of a species or group of species in a food chain or a food web
___ CONSUMER- an organism at the top of the food chain
_____ REALM- the open ocean waters that are not close to the bottom or near the shore
the invertebrates found within the calcium carbonate substrate of coral reefs
___ FOOD WEB- a type of food web in which the producers are either plants on land or phytoplankton in the water; often associated with a detrital food web within the same ecosystem
the movement of one tectonic plate beneath another
____ ZONE- the deepest part of the ocean at depths of 4000 m or greater
_____ FOOD WEB- a type of food web that is supported by dead or decaying organisms rather than by living autotrophs; these are often associated with grazing food webs within the same ecosystem
____ CYCLE- the cycling of minerals and nutrients through the biotic and abiotic world
SUBTROPICAL ____- a biome found in the subtropics with hot daily temperatures, very low and unpredictable precipitation, and characterized by a limited dry-adapted vegetation
____ ZONE- the part of the ocean that is closest to land; parts extend above the water at low tide
the speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed
the bed and banks of a river or stream
____ FOREST- a biome found in temperate regions with moderate rainfall and dominated structurally by deciduous trees
___ ZONE- the part of the ocean that begins offshore where the water measures 200 m deep or deeper
ARTIC ____- a biome characterized by low average temperatures, brief growing seasons, the presence of permafrost, and limited precipitation largely in the form of snow in which the dominant vegetation are low shrubs, lichens, mosses, and small herbaceous plants
Down
a perennially frozen portion of the Arctic tundra soil
____ FOREST- a biome found in temperate and subarctic regions characterized by short growing seasons and dominated structurally by coniferous trees
____ ZONE- an area in a lake and ocean near the mouths of rivers where large areas are depleted of their normal flora and fauna; these zones can be caused by eutrophication, oil spills, dumping of toxic chemicals, and other human activities
an organism capable of synthesizing its own food using energy from inorganic molecules
____ CONSUMER- the trophic level that obtains its energy from the producers of an ecosystem
TROPICAL ____ - a biome found near the equator characterized by stable temperatures with abundant and seasonal rainfall in which trees form the structurally important vegetation
TEMPERATE _____- a biome dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants due to low precipitation, periodic fires, and grazing
____ REALM- the part of the ocean that extends along the ocean bottom from the shoreline to the deepest parts of the ocean floor
____ WATER- the point of origin of a river or stream
____ CONSUMER- a trophic level in an ecosystem, usually a carnivore that eats a primary consumer
____ ZONE- the part of the ocean where photosynthesis cannot occur
the steady state of a system in which the relationships between elements of the system do not change
the ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances
a large-scale community of organisms, primarily defined on land by the dominant plant types that exist in geographic regions of the planet with similar climatic conditions
The trophic level that obtains its energy from sunlight, inorganic chemicals, or dead and decaying organic material
a biome located in the tropics with an extended dry season and characterized by a grassland with sparsely distributed trees
a region where fresh water and salt water mix where a river discharges into an ocean or sea
____ ZONE- the part of the ocean that extends from low tide to the edge of the continental shelf
environment in which the soil is either permanently or periodically saturated with water
____ REEF- an ocean ridge formed by marine invertebrates living in warm shallow waters within the photic zone