Chapter 6 Flashcards
Biome
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
Climate
the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.
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
Regions on the Earth’s surface (or in its atmosphere) that are high above mean sea level are referred to as high altitude. High altitude is sometimes defined to begin at 2,400 meters (8,000 ft) above sea level. At high altitude, atmospheric pressure is lower than that at sea level.
Tropical Rain Forest
The tropical rainforest is a hot, moist biome found near Earth’s equator. The world’s largest tropical rainforests are in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Tropical rainforests receive from 60 to 160 inches of precipitation that is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.
Emergent Layer
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.
Canopy
In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants.
Epiphyte
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.
Understory
a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest.
Temperate Rain Forest
the Pacific temperate rain forests of North American Pacific Northwest as well as the Appalachian temperate rainforest of the Eastern U.S. Sun Belt; the Valdivian temperate rain forests of southwestern South America; the rain forests
Temperate Deciduous Forest
A temperate deciduous forest is a biome that has many deciduous trees which drop their leaves in the fall
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
relating to or denoting a region or climate characterized by mild temperatures.
Grassland
a large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing.
