Ch. 6 Key Terms

Question 1

biome

Answer 1

is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

refers to the weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation,humidity, and winds, that occur in an area over a long period of time.

Question 3

Latitude

Answer 3

Latitude is the distance north or south of the equator and is measured in degrees, with the equator equal to 0

Question 4

Altitude

Answer 4

Altitude is the height of an object above sea level.

Question 5

Tropical rain forests

Answer 5

are always humid and warm and get about 200to 450 cm of rain a year

Question 6

emergent layer

Answer 6

It consists of the tallest trees, which reach heights of 60 to 70 m

Question 7

canopy.

Answer 7

Trees in the canopy can grow more than 30 m tall. The tall trees form a dense layer that absorbs up to 95 percent of the sunlight.

Question 8

epiphytes,

Answer 8

such as the orchid in Figure2.4, use the entire surface of a tree as a place to live.

Question 9

Below the canopy, very little light reaches the next layer, called the understory.

Answer 9

Trees, shrubs, and other plants that are adapted to shade grow here

Question 10

Temperate rain forest

Answer 10

Temperate rain forests have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity,and moderate temperatures.

Question 11

temperate deciduous forests

Answer 11

trees drop their broad, flat leaves each fal

Question 12

taiga

Answer 12

is the northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the Northern Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle.

Question 13

savanna

Answer 13

is a tropical biome dominated by grasses,shrubs, and small trees. Tropical seasonal forests have larger growths of trees.

Question 14

Temperate grassland

Answer 14

covers large areas of the interior of continents, where there is moderate rainfall but trees and shrubs cannot be established because there is not enough rain or fires are too frequent

Question 15

chaparral

Answer 15

is a temperate shrubland biome that is found in all parts of the world with a Mediterranean climate.

Question 16

Deserts

Answer 16

are areas that have widely scattered vegetation and receive very little rain

Question 17

tundra

Answer 17

biome is located in northern arctic regions, as shown in Figure 3.11. The winter is too cold and dry to permit the growth of trees in this biome.

Question 18

permafrost,

Answer 18

are permanently frozen throughout the year. As a result, the topsoil is very thin.