3.3 Vocab

Question 1

Biome

Answer 1

A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

Question 2

Canopy

Answer 2

Dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees

Question 3

Understory

Answer 3

Layer in a rain forest underneath the canopy formed by shorter trees and vines

Question 4

Humus

Answer 4

Material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter

Question 5

Taiga

Answer 5

Biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather; dominated by coniferous evergreens; also called boreal forest

Question 6

Permafrost

Answer 6

Layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra

Question 7

Photic Zone

Answer 7

Sunlight region near the surface of water

Question 8

Aphotic Zone

Answer 8

Dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone where sunlight does not penetrate

Question 9

Plankton

Answer 9

Microscopic organisms that live in the aquatic environments; includes both phytoplankton and zooplankton

Question 10

Wetland

Answer 10

Ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year

Question 11

Estuary

Answer 11

Kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean