Chapter 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 an object or point in relation to sea level or ground level.
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. — called also tropical rain forest.
Emergent layer
The emergent layer is the name given to the tops of trees that poke up above the rainforest canopy.
Canopy
An ornamental cloth covering hung or held up over something, especially a throne or bed.
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
Temperate broad-leaved forests, sometimes called temperate rainforests, are dominated by evergreen vegetation.
Temperate deciduous forest
The temperate deciduous forest is a biome that is always changing.
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.
