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 anything above a given planetary reference plane
tropical rain forest
rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season
emergent layer
The top layer of a rainforest
canopy
an overhanging projection or covering
epiphyte
a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic
understory
a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.
temperate rain forest
coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rainfall.
temperate deciduous forest
a variety of temperate forest ‘dominated’ by trees that lose their leaves each year.
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
characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation.
chaparral
vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.
