Environmental Systems

Question 1

biome

Answer 1

is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

refers to the weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation,humidity, and winds, that occur in an area over a long period of time.

Question 3

latitude

Answer 3

is the distance north or south of the equator and is measured in degrees, with the equator equal to 0°.

Question 4

altitude

Answer 4

is the height of an object above sea level.

Question 5

tropical rain forest

Answer 5

are always humid and warm and get about 200to 450 cm of rain a year.

Question 6

emergent layer

Answer 6

The four main layers above the forest floor are the emergent layer, the upper canopy, the lower canopy,and the understory.

Question 7

canopy

Answer 7

The next layer, considered the primary layer of the rain forest

Question 8

epiphyte

Answer 8

The lower canopy receives less light than does the upper canopy. Plants called epiphytes, such as the orchid use the entire surface of a tree as a place to live.

Question 9

understory

Answer 9

Below the canopy, very little light reaches the next layer

Question 10

temperate rain forest

Answer 10

occurs in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.Temperate rain forests have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity,and moderate temperatures.

Question 11

temperate deciduous forest

Answer 11

trees drop their broad, flat leaves each fall. These forests once dominated vast regions of Earth, including parts of North America, Europe, and Asia.

Question 12

taiga

Answer 12

is the northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the Northern Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle.

Question 13

savanna

Answer 13

is a tropical biome dominated by grasses,shrubs, and small trees.

Question 14

temperate grassland

Answer 14

covers large areas of the interior of continents, where there is moderate rainfall but trees and shrubs cannot be established because there is not enough rain or fires are too frequent.

Question 15

chaparral

Answer 15

is a temperate shrubland biome that is found in all parts of the world with a Mediterranean climate.

Question 16

desert

Answer 16

are areas that have widely scattered vegetation and receive very little rain.

Question 17

tundra

Answer 17

biome is located in northern arctic regions.

Question 18

permafrost

Answer 18

In many areas of the tundra, the deeper layers of soil are permanently frozen throughout the year.