Biomes Unit Test Flashcards
Humanities
The study of people and culture
Geography
Geo=Earth, Graphy=Study; Study of the earth
Atmosphere
Gases surrounding the earth or another planet; gases in the air.
Biosphere
All land-based ecosystems; Zone of life
Geosphere
Earth’s inner core
Lithosphere
Solid earth; fossil fuels
Hydrosphere
All the water on earth
Impact
to affect, to influence, to change
Biome
A community of flora and fauna living in a major habitat.
Ecosystem
A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Population
A community of species living in a particular region.
Species
A group of organisms that reproduce with one another in nature and produce offspring.
Tundra
An extremely cold, dry biome; no trees
Permafrost
permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground
Coniferous Forest
Evergreen trees with needles and cones; not very fertile soil
Deciduous Forest
A biome with four seasons, plants shed leaves in the fall and grow new ones in the spring. Very fertile soil.
Desert
An extremely dry area with little water. Plant and animal life is scarce.
Symbiosis
relationship in which different species work together and depend on each other to exist.
Grassland
Consists of grass
African Savannah
A hot grassland
North America Grasslands/Prairie
Great soil for raising crops, cooler than African grasslands
Marine
Saltwater (oceans); lakes
Freshwater
Does not contain any saltwater and can be rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and wetlands
Tropical Rainforest
Lots of tall, dense vegetation; lots of rainfall.
Temperate Rainforest
Cooler than tropical rainforests; four different seasons.
Aquatic
75% of the earth’s surface.
Indigenous
Native
Stewards
Want to protect and preserve the environment.
Adaptation
a trait that helps an organism survive in its environment
El Niño
Warming of the ocean, leading to drier conditions on the eastern side of Australia.
La Niña
Cooling of the ocean, leading to wetter conditions on the eastern side of Australia.
Vine Forest
Forests north of Queensland; an indicator of the type of vegetation.
-Many vegetation geographers prefer this term over ‘rainforest’.
Ocean Current
The regular movement of water in the ocean in a particular direction.
Mangrove
Tropical trees that grow in swampy ground along calm coastal areas.
