Section 15.5- Exploring Earth's Biomes Flashcards
a large geographical region of the world with a characteristic climax vegetation and distinctive animals populations
biome
used to refer to the combination of the region’s climax vegetation and its animal populations
climac community
each biome is unique because of its
characteristic climate
geography
biome which extends across the northernmost parts of North America, Europe, and Asia
has long harsh winter, snow ice and high winds
Arctic tundra
a permanently frozen layer of soil 2 to 3 feet below the surfac
inhibits trees from growing in a tundra
permafrost
has vegetation and climatic conditions similar to those of the Artic tundra, although the soil has better drainage and lacks permafrost
alpine tundra
biome: boreal forest or taiga
harsh winters, permafrost rare
large animals
conifers are climax vegetation
northern coniferous forest
biome: well-defined seasons
sufficient precipitation to support large trees
white-tail dear, owl, bears, opossum
obvious autumn
diverse animal species
temperate deciduous Forest
biome: prairies, plains, savannas, steppes, pampas
low rainfall, high evaporation rate
unparalleled fertile soil
grassland
biome: more water lost through evaporation than is
gained by rain
tortoises, snakes,
hottest and driest biome
desert
biome: near the equator
abundant rainfall
biodiversity at its maximum
large canopy from broadleaf trees
tropical rain forest
a very special form of grasslands found not in temperate regions but in the tropics
savanna
larger than the terrestrial biomes and show great variations in temperature
aquatic biomes
distinguishes marine ecosystems from freshwater ecosystems
high salinity
are classified according to whether the water is flowing or standing
freshwater ecosystems
a major example of a freshwater ecosystem
wetlands
ecosystems associated with the ocean, starting from the shore and moving toward the open ocean
marine ecosystem
two special types of marine ecosystems are
estuary
coral reef
occurs where nutruent-rich fresh water from the rivers and streams meets and mixes with seawater
estuary
formed from the remains of stony corals and coralline algae
found where water is pretty warm, shallow, and grow parallel to shore
coral reef
the longest coral reef
Great barrier Reef
three ecological zones from near to far if standing on a shore
intertidal
neritic
oceanic
also called littoral zones
areas located between the highest and lowest tides along the coast
most studied of all marine communities
intertidal zone
also called coastal zone
the regions that extend past the intertidal zone to the edge of the continental shelf
where most of the world’s fishing occurs
neritic zones
extends from the continental shelves into the open ocean
oceanic zone
