cha 6 Flashcards
biome
A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome
climate
climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years
latitude
Latitude is the measurement of distance north or south of the Equator. It is measured with 180 imaginary lines that form circles around the Earth east-west, parallel to the Equator.
altitude
Altitude, like elevation, is the distance above sea level. Areas are often considered “high-altitude” if they reach at least 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) into the atmosphere.
tropical rain forest
a tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches (254 centimeters) and marked by lofty broad-leaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy.
emergent layer
The emergent layer is the name given to the tops of trees that poke up above the rainforest canopy. The strong winds help to disperse the seeds from the tallest trees to other parts of the forest.
canopy
The forest canopy is a structurally complex and ecologically important subsystem of the forest. It is defined as “the aggregate of all crowns in a stand of vegetation, which is the combination of all foliage,
epiphyte
epiphyte, also called air plant, any plant that grows upon another plant or object merely for physical support. Epiphytes have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source and are not parasitic on the supporting plants.
understory
an underlying layer of vegetation specifically : the vegetative layer and especially the trees and shrubs between the forest canopy and the ground cover.: the plants that form the understory.
temperate rain forest
There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. Tropical rainforests are found closer to the equator where it is warm. Temperate rainforests are found near the cooler coastal areas further north or south of the equator. The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long.
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 taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle.
savanna
savanna, also spelled savannah, vegetation type that grows under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions and is characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above a continuous tall grass understory (the vegetation layer between the forest canopy and the ground).
temperate
having a moderate climate which especially lacks extremes in temperature. b : found in or associated with a moderate climate temperate insects.
grassland
grassland, area in which the vegetation is dominated by a nearly continuous cover of grasses. Grasslands occur in environments conducive to the growth of this plant cover but not to that of taller plants, particularly trees and shrubs.