Random I
the process where the best-adapted individuals are better suited to the environment
What is natural selection?
relationship in which two or more organisms live together in close association
what is symbiosis?
space between high and low tide
what is the intertidal zone
the flow of energy through the ecosystem
what is a food chain or food web?
animals whose internal metabolism is of negligible importance to controlling their body temperature (2 possible answers)
"cold-blooded organisms" -- ectothermic organisms
a group of individuals of one species that lives together
What is a population?
occurs when a predator affects not only the abundance of its prey, but also the abundance of its prey's resources
What is trophic cascade?
space where freshwater from rivers enters the sea
what is an estuary
each step in the food chain
What is a trophic level?
major physical environmental factor that is limited by both water depth and the number and the characteristics of particles in the water
What is light?
individual flexibility in changing characteristics like behavior or metabolism to adapt or acclimate to the environment
What is plasticity?
type of competition that occurs between species
interspecific
large geological structures that are built by organisms and are made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
coral reef
currency of an ecosystem
what is energy?
major physical environmental factor that affects chemical reactions in organisms in terms of their metabolic rate
What is temperature?
** Metabolic rate increases with an increase in temperature.
ring of reef that surrounds an island
what are atolls
in this type of relationship, one species gains shelter, food, or some other benefit without really affecting the other species
what is commensal symbiosis?
zone that often refers to the vast open ocean
pelagic zone
________ typically gain energy from the sun, using the energy to make their own food, and they, in turn, serve as food for ________
autotrophs; heterotrophs
diffusion of water across a cell membrane
what is osmosis
three specialized deep-sea habitats
hydrothermal vents, cold seeps/methane seeps, and whale falls
kind of relationship that anemonefishes have with anemones
mutualistic
the primary producers in hydrothermal vent communities
chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea or chemosynthetic organisms
Identify the correct order of the food chain or web starting and ending with primary producers
primary producers > primary consumers > secondary consumers > tertiary consumers > top predators > decomposers > primary producers ...
organisms that do not actively maintain salt and water balance
what are osmoconformers?