Ch. 6 Key Terms Flashcards
biome
a large region characterized by specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
climate
the average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
latitude
the distance between north or south from the ecuador expressed in degrees
altitude
the height of an object above a reference point, such as sea level or the earths surface
tropical rain forest
a forest or jungle near the equator that is characterized by large amounts of rain and little variation in temeprature and that contains the greatest known diversity of organisms on earth
emergent layer
the top layer foliage in a forest where the trees extend above surrounding trees
canopy
the layers of treetops that shade the forest floor
epiphyte
a plant that uses another plant for support but not nourishment
understory
a foliage layer that is beneath and shaded by the main canopy of the forest
temperate rain forest
a forest community characterized by cool humid weather and abundant rainfall, where tree branches are drapped with mosses, tree trunks are cover with lichens, and the forest floor is covered with ferns
decidious rain forest
a forest that is characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall
taiga
a region of evergreen, coniferous forests below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions
savanna
a plain full of grasses and scattered trees and shrubs
temprate grassland
a community that dominated by grasses, has few trees and is characterized as cold winters
chaparral
a type of vegetation that that includes broadleafed evergreen shrubs that located in areas with hot dry summers and wet winters
