Definitions
Land Biomes & Ecosystems
Aquatic Ecosystems
Changes in Ecosystems
Mastery Connect Type ?s
100
the living or once-living parts of an environment
What are biotic parts?
100
I receive very little rain. Most of the time, I'm hot during the day and cold at night. I am on nearly every continent. My soil is not good enough for most plants to survive. You can find cactuses and snakes, and a few more living things, but not much more.
What is the desert?
100
I form from an underground source of water. My water is normally clear. Oxygen levels are high in me. I'm narrow, shallow, and fast flowing.
What is a stream?
100
What is the first species that colonize new or undisturbed land called?
What are pioneer species?
100
During the Quaternary Period around 2.5 million years ago, large sheets of ice began to appear in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time, mammals like mammoths, rhinos, and bison were very large and had thick coats of hair. About 10,000 years ago, the climate began to warm up and glaciers started to melt.
How did this change most likely affect Earth’s mammals over time?
A. The large mammals could not adapt to changes in temperature.
B. The large mammals underwent mutation to form smaller animals.
C. The large mammals lost their thick coats to survive the warm climate.
D. The large mammals started to migrate to the equatorial regions of Earth.
C. The large mammals lost their thick coats to survive the warm climate.
200
the nonliving parts that the living parts need to survive
What are abiotic parts?
200
People plow large areas of this biome to raise cereal crops. Large herbivores such as bison and elk roam here. You can also find coyote and lots of rabbits. Deep fertile soil supports plant growth, except for trees. You'll mostly find those along the moist banks of streams and rivers.
What is a grassland?
200
Plants many times surround my shore. Sunlight reaches the bottom most of the time, obviously depending on the depth. My surface contains plants, algae, and microscopic organisms. My water is very high in nutrients. I'm smaller than a lake.
What is a pond?
200
What occurs in areas where existing ecosystems have been disturbed or destroyed?
What is secondary succession?
200
Which of these will most likely occur if chemicals from fertilizers run off into lakes and streams?
A. Water quality will improve.
B. Aquatic animals will thrive.
C. Fish will die from a lack of oxygen.
D. Aquatic plants will stop growing.
C. Fish will die from lack of oxygen.
300
a geographic area on Earth that contains ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic features
What is a biome?
300
I grow near the equator. More than half of me has been cleared for lumber, farms, and ranches. Less than 1% of sunlight reaches my forest floor. My weather is warm and wet all year round.
What is the Tropical Rain Forest?
300
I have mostly shallow water. I'm an aquatic ecosystem that has a thin layer of water covering soil that is wet most of the year. Nutrient levels and biodiversity is high here. Wanna see an alligator? Then this would be a great place for that.
What is a wetland?
300
Have you ever seen weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalk? If they are not removed, the weeds would keep growing. The crack would widen, making room for more weeds. Over time, the sidewalk would break apart. Shrubs and vines would move in. Their leaves and branches would grow large enough to cover the concrete. Eventually trees would start growing there. What is this an example of?
What is ecological succession?
300
List 
List two biotic and two abiotic factors in the photo.
Answers will vary.
400
the amount of salt dissolved in water
What is salinity?
400
I am a forest biome consisting mostly of cone-bearing evergreen trees. I can only be found in the northern hemisphere. I occupy more space on Earth's continents than any other biome.
What is a taiga?
400
I am located in regions along coastlines where streams or rivers flow into a body of salt water. Some plants that grow here are mangroves, pickleweeds, and seagrasses. Many species of birds depend on this place for breeding, nesting, and feeding.
What is an estuary?
400
I am a stable community that no longer goes through major ecological changes.
What is a climax community?
400
Scientists have found that high temperatures and lack of rainfall can result in a sharp decline in the number of fish in a lake. This is most likely an example of what process?
A. abiotic factors increasing runoff pollution
B. abiotic factors decreasing the availability of resources
C. biotic factors increasing the salt content of water resources
D. biotic factors contributing to the decline in the amount of plant life
B. abiotic factors decreasing the availability of resources
500
the process of one ecological community gradually changing into another
What is ecological succession?
500
My winters are mild and rainy. My summers are cool and foggy. My soil is rich and moist. I am found in regions between the tropics and polar circles, but mostly in coastal areas. The trees you'll find here mostly are hemlock, spruce, cedar, fir, and redwoods. Be careful, because you may run in to a cougar or a bear here.
What is the temperate rain forest biome?
500
List three of the four important abiotic features in aquatic ecosystems.
Temperature, sunlight, dissolved oxygen, and salinity
500
What is the process of a body of water becoming nutrient rich? The word starts with the letter "e".
What is eutrophication?
500
Identify one change that would affect this habitat for the animals living there. Also, explain how this change would affect the animals.
Answers will vary.