Chapter 16

2. tiny organisms that live in the spaces between sand grains on the sea floor
3. a type of habitat that exists on a very small scale
7. area between the high tide mark and the low tide mark
10. saltwater plants
11. mats layers of partially decomposed organic matter that provide habitats for communities of invertebrates, water birds, juvenile fish, and other organisms
13. an overabundance of nutrients that causes an ecological imbalance
16. a distinct entity usually with clearly defined physical boundaries, distinct abiotic conditions, at least one energy source, and a community of interacting organism through which energy is transferred
17. partially decomposed organic matter that makes up a portion of sediments in an aquatic environment
19. snorkel-like root structures on some mangrove species that draw air from above the water's surface

1. sediment consisting of dead organisms, fecal pellets and other nutrients that constantly fall into the deep ocean from the productive shallow water above
4. an area located at approximately 65° to 70° south latitude where nutrient rich deep water reaches the surface
5. the area and conditions in which you find an organism
6. an organism's role in its habitat
8. living
9. the process of transporting material through a semipermeable membrane against the natural flow of diffusion
12. nonliving
14. a group of the same species living and interacting within a community
15. a collection of different populations of organisms living and interacting in an ecosystem
18. places where dead whales come to rest on the deep ocean floor
20. the science that studies how organisms relate to each other and their environment