Ch 2 Vocab

4. A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet, moon, or other celestial body.
9. The largest population that an environment can support at any given time.
10. The part of the Earth where life exists; includes all of the living organisms on Earth.
13. The mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the center of the core to the surface of the crust.
14. Literally, the “Middle sphere”; the strong lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.

1. A community of organisms and their abiotic environment.
2. The solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.
3. In Earth science, the layer of rock between Earth’s crust and core.
5. A diagram that shows the feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.
6. The solid, outer layer of Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
7. The thin layer and solid outermost layer of the Earth above the mantle.
8. The portion of the Earth that is water.
11. The central part of the Earth below the mantle.
12. A set of particles of interacting components considered to be a distinct physical entity for the purpose of study.