Biomes

Question 1

Tropical Rainforest

Answer 1

biome type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator (in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn). This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall.

Question 2

Temperate Rainforest

Answer 2

are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive high rainfall.

Question 3

Taiga

Answer 3

also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces and larches. The taiga is the world’s largest terrestrial biome.

Question 4

Savanna

Answer 4

a hot, seasonally dry grassland with scattered trees. This environment is intermediate between a grassland and a forest.

Question 5

Temperate Grassland

Answer 5

a division of a larger biome grouping of grasslands that includes tropical savannas. Both biome types are characterized by a dominance of grasses

Question 6

Chaparral

Answer 6

vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.

Question 7

Desert

Answer 7

a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation.

Question 8

Tundra

Answer 8

type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons

Question 9

Lakes and Ponds

Answer 9

An inland body of standing water that is smaller than a lake. Natural ponds form in small depressions and are usually shallow enough to support rooted vegetation across most or all of their areas

Question 10

Marsh and Swamps

Answer 10

a place where the plants that make up the area covered in water are primarily woody plants or trees. Woody plants would be mangroves or cypress trees. A marsh, on the other hand, is defined as having no woody plants. The non-woody plants would be saltmarsh grasses, reeds, or sedges.

Question 11

Rivers

Answer 11

a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water.

Question 12

Estuaries

Answer 12

places where freshwater rivers and streams flow into the ocean, mixing with the seawater. A wide variety of birds, fish, and other wildlife make estuaries their home. People also live, fish, swim, and enjoy nature in estuaries and the lands surrounding them.

Question 13

Coral Reefs

Answer 13

diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures secreted by corals. Coral reefs are built by colonies of tiny animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups.

Question 14

Open Ocean

Answer 14

In deep water, the pelagic zone is sometimes called the open-ocean zone and can be contrasted with water that is near the coast or on the continental shelf. In other contexts, coastal water not near the bottom is still said to be in the pelagic zone

Question 15

Littoral Zone

Answer 15

is the near shore area where sunlight penetrates all the way to the sediment and allows aquatic plants (macrophytes) to grow.

Question 16

Benthic Zone

Answer 16

is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called bentho

Question 17

Invasive Species

Answer 17

are plants, animals, or pathogens that are non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm.

Question 18

Endangered Species

Answer 18

a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as likely to become extinct.

Question 19

Mass Extinction

Answer 19

is a widespread and rapid decrease in the amount of life on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms.