topic 3 Flashcards
General type of communities with
similar climate conditions, growth
patterns, and vegetation types.
Biomes
Characteristics of biological
communities vary with temperature,
precipitation, and latitude
Terrestrial Biomes
occurs as vegetation
type change rapidly from warm and dry
to cold and wet as you go up a
mountain
- Vertical zonation
found high
in the mountains where fog and
mist keep vegetation wet all the
time
Cloud Forests
rainfall is abundant –
more than 200 cm (80 in) per
year – and temperatures are
warm to hot year-round.
Tropical rainforests
soil of these forest
types tends to be old, thin, acidic, and
nutrient-poor, yet an enormous number
of species can be present
Tropical Moist Forests
located along the
equator of continents such as South
America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
TROPICAL RAINFOREST
best-known tropical
rainforests are
The Amazon (Brazil), El
Yunque (Puerto Rico), The Congo
(Africa).
usually
located on the eastern coastline with
warmer ocean currents, ranging
between 20 and 35 degrees of latitude,
but extending only about 15 degrees
equatorward and 40 degrees poleward
(Francis, 2019)
TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Drought-tolerant forests that look
brown and dormant in the dry season
but burst into vivid green during rainy
months.
Tropical Seasonal Forests
Often called Dry Tropical Forests
because they are dry much of the year;
however, there must be some periodic
rain to support tree growth
Tropical Seasonal Forests
also known as prairies or
steppes; receive between 25 and 75 cm
of rain per year.
Grasslands
extensive grasslands w/
occasional or patches of trees; typically
tropical w/ 50-150 cm of rain per year.
Savannas
Occur where precipitation is rare and
unpredictable, usually with less than 30
cm of rain per year.
Desert
Their vegetation is sparse, but it can be
surprisingly diverse, and most
plants and animals are highly adapted to
survive long droughts and extreme heat,
and many can survive extreme cold.
Desert
As in tropical latitudes, temperate
(mid-latitude) grasslands occur where
there is enough rain to support
abundant grass but not enough for
forests.
Temperate Grasslands
In Africa’s_____________ (southern edge of
the Sahara Desert), livestock are
destroying much of the plant cover
vast Sahel
Evergreen shrubs with small, leathery,
sclerophyllous (hard, waxy) leaves form
dense thickets.
Temperate Shrublands
example of this forest is the deciduous forest
Temperate Forest
Broadleaf forests occur throughout the
world where rainfall is plentiful.
Deciduous Forests
Can re-grow quickly because they
occupy moist, moderate climates
Deciduous Forests
located primarily in the eastern half
of the United States, Canada, Europe,
parts of Russia, Chile and Japan
TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST
