ch.6

Question 1

biome

Answer 1

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.

Question 3

latitude

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

altitude

Answer 4

the height of an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.

Question 5

tropical rain forest

Answer 5

a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy called also tropical rain forest.

Question 6

emergent layer

Answer 6

The emergent layer is the name given to the tops of trees that poke up above the rainforest canopy. It is very sunny here and only the strongest and tallest plants reach this level. Trees here are mostly evergreen, meaning they don’t lose their leaves all at once.

Question 7

canopy

Answer 7

an ornamental cloth covering hung or held up over something, especially a throne or bed.

Question 8

epiphyte

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

understory

Answer 9

a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.

Question 10

temperate rain forest

Answer 10

woodland of a usually rather mild climatic area within the temperate zone that receives heavy rainfall, usually includes numerous kinds of trees, and is distinguished from a tropical rain forest especially by the presence of a dominant tree.

Question 11

temperate deciduous

Answer 11

The temperate deciduous forest is a biome that is always changing.

Question 12

taiga

Answer 12

the sometimes swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America.

Question 13

savanna

Answer 13

a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

Question 14

temperate

Answer 14

relating to or denoting a region or climate characterized by mild temperatures.

Question 15

grassland

Answer 15

a large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing.

Question 16

chaparral

Answer 16

vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes.

Question 17

desert

Answer 17

abandon (a person, cause, or organization) in a way considered disloyal or treacherous.

Question 18

tundra

Answer 18

a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

Question 19

permafrost

Answer 19

a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions