Ch. 6 Key Terms Flashcards
Biome
a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities
Climate
climate refers to the weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity and winds, that occur.
latitude
the distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees
altitude
the height of an object above sea level.
savanna
a tropical biome dominated by grasses, shrubs, and small trees
Temperate grassland
covers large areas of the interior of continents, where there is moderate rainfall but trees and shrubs cannot be established because little rain or fires.
chaparral
a temperate shrub land biome that is found in all parts of the world with a mediterranean climate
desert
are areas that have widely scattered vegetation and receive very little rain
tundra
located in the northern Arctic regions, winter is to cold and dry to allow trees to be grown
permafrost
the deeper layers and are permanently frozen throughout the year.
tropical rain forest
are always humid and warm and get about 200cm to 450cm of rain a year
emergent layer
The top floor of the forest
canopy
the second highest level of the rain forest, considered the primary layer.
epiphyte
plants called epiphytes such as the orchid, use the entire surface of a tree to live.
understory
very little light reaches the understory, trees, shrubs, and other plants here are adopted to shade to grow here.
