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
is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum.
Tropic Rain Forest
rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season
Canopy
an ornamental cloth covering hung or held up over something, especially a throne or bed.
Epiphyte
also called air plant, any plant that grows upon another plant or object merely for physical support.
Understory
a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.
Temperate Rain Forest
are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rainfall.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
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
biome of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar forested regions characterized by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation.
Savanna
vegetation type that grows under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions and is characterized by an open tree canopy above a continuous tall grass understory
Temperate Grassland
are characterized by the predominant vegetation i.e. grasses. Temperate grasslands generally have no trees.
Chaparral
a thicket of dwarf evergreen oaks broadly : a dense impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees.
Desert
is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation.
