Evolution
The gradual movement of the continents across the Earth’s surface through geologic time.
Continental Drift
The salt content of a body of water
Salinity
The place where an organism lives
Habitat
Existing together at the same time.
Coexistence
Powerhouse of the cell; where cellular respiration takes place
Mitochondria
Organisms that are best suited to be in an environment that are mostly likely to survive and produce offspring.
Natural Selection
Where the rivers empties into the ocean; freshwater from the land flows and mixes with saltwater.
Estuary
How an organism makes its living. Its role in the environment.
Niche
The struggle between organisms for basic needs.
Competition
Green plants use this process to convert solar energy to chemical energy.
Photosynthesis
Supercontinent that included all the current land masses that broke apart during the Mesozoic Era.
Pangaea
The effect of the Earth’s rotation on the movements of wind and water that influences ocean currents.
Coriolis Effect
The concentration or number of species living in a specific area.
Population Density
A relationship between two organisms where one animal feeds on another.
Predation
Process where food molecules are broken down and energy is released for cell processes.
Cellular Respiration
Traits passed from parent to offspring that can increase chance of survival.
Inherited Trait
The bond between water and other materials.
Adhesion
The maximum population size of a species that can be supported by that particular environment.
Carrying Capacity
A type of symbiotic relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is harmed.
Parasitism
The body processes that create energy, build, and repair tissues, and get rid of waste.
Metabolism
Non-functioning remnants of structures that were once operational in a distant ancestor.
Vestigial
A constantly moving system of deepwater circulation driven by temperature and saltwater.
Global Ocean Conveyer Belt
Nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Abiotic Factors
The close interaction between two organisms.
Symbiosis
Energy that is stored in the chemical bonds of glucose molecules.
ATP (Adenosine triphosphate)