Chapter 9 - Climate and Life: Biomes

Question 1

biome

Answer 1

an extensive geographic region with relatively uniform vegetation structure

Question 2

vegetation structure

Answer 2

refers to the type of vegetation that dominates a region, such as closed-canopy forests (dense) or open grasslands (sparse)

Question 3

Köppen climate classification system

Answer 3

system that categorizes climates based on the temperature and precipitation characteristics of a region

Question 4

tropical rainforest biome

Answer 4

low-latitude biome found in the humid lowland tropics that has the highest primary productivity, the highest biomass (weight of dried vegetation), and the highest biodiversity of any biome

Question 5

buttress roots

Answer 5

roots that stabilize tall tropical rainforests trees with a camera tripod-like structure

Question 6

liana

Answer 6

a woody climbing vine

Question 7

epiphytes

Answer 7

plants that grow on the surfaces of other plants for access to light but do not take nutrients from those plants

Question 8

tropical seasonal rainforest biome

Answer 8

often mistaken for the tropical rainforest biome, this biome is distinguishable with a winter season and reduced precipitation

Question 9

tropical savanna biome

Answer 9

low-latitude, woodland biome featuring widely spaced trees with a continuous cover of grass, characterized by wet summers and dry winters

Question 10

temperate grassland biome

Answer 10

midlatitude (30-60 degrees) biome largely dominated by grasses, characterized by significant moisture deficits for most of the year, natural fires, and grazing herbivores

Question 11

mediterranean biome

Answer 11

midlatitude biome characterized by hot, dry summers and winter rainfall, and is the smallest of the biomes

Question 12

sclerophyllous leaves

Answer 12

hard, leathery, waxy leaves adapted to reduce water loss and herbivory

Question 13

temperate deciduous forest biome

Answer 13

midlatitude biome dominated by trees that shed their leaves in winter in response to low temperatures

Question 14

primary forest

Answer 14

forest that has never been significantly altered by people

Question 15

secondary forest

Answer 15

forest that has been cleared/disturbed and regrown

Question 16

temperate rainforest biome

Answer 16

midlatitude biome where annual precipitation is high and temperatures are mild, characterized by large trees that form a dense canopy

Question 17

boreal forest biome

Answer 17

high latitude, cold, coniferous biome where low winter temperatures and a short summer growing season are typical

Question 18

montane forest biome

Answer 18

multi-latitude biome where orographic lifting increases precipitation on the windward side of a mountain range, with needle-leaved vegetation in the northern hemisphere and broad-leaved vegetation in the southern hemisphere

Question 19

tundra biome

Answer 19

a multi-latitude biome that is too cold for trees to grow due to elevation or latitude

Question 20

alpine tundra

Answer 20

cold, treeles high-elevation biome whose vegetation consists mainly of shrubs and herbaceous perennials

Question 21

northern tundra

Answer 21

cold, treeless high-latitude biome dominated by herbaceous perennials

Question 22

northern tree line

Answer 22

the northern limit of the boreal forest

Question 23

alpine tree line

Answer 23

the upper limit of the montane forest, also called timberline

Question 24

desert biome

Answer 24

multi-latitude biome that covers nearly 30% of Earth’s surface and features chronic moisture deficits and sparse, dry-adapted vegetation