Campbell Biology: Chapter 34 - The Biosphere

Vocabulary terms and definitions from Chapter 34 covering the biosphere, ecology levels, environmental science history, and aquatic and terrestrial biomes.

Biosphere

The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life, extending from the atmosphere several kilometers above Earth to the depths of the oceans.

Ecology

The scientific study of the interactions of organisms and their environment.

Biotic factors

The living component of the environment, including all of the organisms in a given area.

Abiotic factors

The environment’s nonliving component, consisting of physical and chemical factors such as energy, temperature, water, and nutrients.

Habitat

The specific environment that includes the biotic and abiotic factors present in an organism's surroundings.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area.

Community

An assemblage of all the populations of organisms living close enough together for potential interaction.

Ecosystem

A level of ecological study that includes both the abiotic and biotic components of the environment.

Landscapes

Arrays of ecosystems that are usually visible from the air as distinctive patches.

DDT

The most widely used chemical pesticide in the 1950s, which remained in the soil or water long after application and affected birds of prey.

Rachel Carson

A former marine biologist and writer who published Silent Spring in 1962, bringing widespread attention to pesticide issues.

Pelagic realm

The region of the ocean that includes all open water.

Benthic realm

The region of the ocean consisting of the seafloor.

Aphotic zone

The portion of the ocean or a lake where there is insufficient light for photosynthesis to occur.

Photic zone

The region of aquatic biomes where photosynthesis by phytoplankton and multicellular algae can occur.

Phytoplankton

Microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that provide the energy for the marine web in the photic zone.

Zooplankton

Animals that are abundant in the pelagic photic zone and drift in the water column.

Intertidal zones

Biomes where the ocean meets the land, characterized by being pounded by waves during high tide and exposed to sun and winds during low tide.

Estuaries

Productive areas where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean.

Wetlands

Transition areas between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Tropical forests

Equatorial biomes with warm temperatures and days that are $11\text{--}12$ hours long year-round.

Savannas

Biomes dominated by grasses and scattered trees, warm year-round, with periodic fires and annual rainfall of $30\text{--}50\,cm$.

Deserts

The driest of all terrestrial biomes, characterized by low and unpredictable rainfall.

Desertification

The environmental process defined by the conversion of semi-arid regions to desert.

Chaparral

A terrestrial biome characterized by dense, spiny shrubs with tough, evergreen leaves, adapted to periodic fires.

Temperate grasslands

Mostly treeless biomes found in regions with cold winters and precipitation between $25\text{--}75\,cm$ per year.

Temperate broadleaf forests

Biomes with large trees that grow where moisture is sufficient, experiencing temperatures ranging from $-30^{\circ}C$ to $30^{\circ}C$ and high annual precipitation of $75\text{--}150\,cm$.

Taiga

Also known as the northern coniferous forest; the largest terrestrial biome on Earth, characterized by long, cold winters and short, wet summers.

Tundra

An expansive arctic area between the taiga and polar ice, characterized by permafrost and absence of trees.

Permafrost

Continuously frozen subsoil found in the arctic tundra.

Transpiration

Evaporative water loss from plants that helps move water between the land and the atmosphere.