Ch. 6 Key Terms Flashcards
biome
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
climate
the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
latitude
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.
altitude
the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
Tropical rain forests
Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season
emergent layer
receives bright sunlight and plenty of rain, and is also very windy.
canopy
an ornamental cloth covering hung or held up over something, especially a throne or bed.
epiphyte
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.
understory
a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.
temperate rain forest
Temperate rainforests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rainfall.
temperate deciduous forest
Temperate deciduous or temperate broad-leaf forests are a variety of temperate forest ‘dominated’ by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are found in areas with warm moist summers and cool winters.
taiga
the sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America.
savanna
a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.
Temperate grassland
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
chaparral
vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.
