Energy Transfer
Series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy.
Food Chain
A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
biomes
Includes ocean and sea areas; high salt content
marine ecosystems (saltwater)
series of gradual changes that occur in a community following a disturbance
ecological succession
Place where an organism lives
habitat
A community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
Food Web
a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.
tundra
An ecosystem found in streams, lakes, and rivers where the water has less than 1% salt content.
Freshwater ecosystems
succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
primary succession
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
biodiversity
A pyramid that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web
Energy pyramid
Biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw
taiga
the areas where salt water and fresh water mix, and are found at the end of a river basin that empties into the ocean.
estuaries
Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
secondary succession
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Ecosystem
An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.
consumers
a biome that has little or no plant life, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in hot climates
desert biome
Area where the ocean meets the land between high and low tides.
intertidal zone
A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time
climax community
Crabs, barnacles, and mussels are found in what zone?
Intertidal zone
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
decomposer
a biome characterized by conifers, cone-bearing evergreen trees
coniferous forest
The deep sea, absence of light, and occupied chiefly by carnivorous animals that are often blind or have special luminous organs
Abyssal zone
first species to populate an area during succession
Pioneer species
80% of the Earth's oxygen comes from where?
Ocean, tiny plankton