Ch. 6 Key Terms

Question 1

Biome

Answer 1

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.

Question 3

Latitude

Answer 3

the angular distance of a place north or south of the earth’s equator, or of a celestial object north or south of the celestial equator, usually expressed in degrees and minutes.

Question 4

altitude

Answer 4

the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.

Question 5

Tropical rain forest

Answer 5

The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome found near Earth’s equator. The world’s largest tropical rainforests are in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Question 6

emergent layer

Answer 6

The emergent layer is the name given to the tops of trees that poke up above the rainforest canopy. It is very sunny here and only the strongest and tallest plants reach this level.

Question 7

canopy

Answer 7

The layer of a tropical rainforest where plants form an umbrella type of overhang that rises high above the ground

Question 8

Epiphyte

Answer 8

a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.

Question 9

understory

Answer 9

a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.

Question 10

Temperate rain forest

Answer 10

Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rainfall.

Question 11

temperate deciduous forest

Answer 11

These forests are also known as broad-leaf forests because the trees have wide, flat leaves. Temperate deciduous forests lie in the mid-latitude areas of the Earth, between the Arctic poles and the tropics.

Question 12

taiga

Answer 12

the sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America.

Question 13

savanna

Answer 13

a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

Question 14

temperate grassland

Answer 14

Temperate grasslands have distinct hot and cold seasons and a moderate amount of precipitation in the late spring and early summer. Taller grasses dominate in the temperate grasslands that receive more rainfall, whereas shorter grasses can be found in drier regions.

Question 15

chaparral

Answer 15

The name chaparral is applied primarily to the coastal and inland mountain vegetation of southwestern North America; sometimes it takes the place of a more general term, Mediterranean vegetation, which denotes areas of similar vegetation around the Mediterranean Sea, at the southern tip of Africa, in southwestern

Question 16

desert

Answer 16

A desert is a barren area of landscape 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 17

tundra

Answer 17

a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen

Question 18

permafrost

Answer 18

a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions.