Week 11 Vocab Flashcards
A forest or jungle near the equator that is characterized by large amount of rain and little variation in temperature and that contains the greatest known diversity of organisms on Earth.
Tropical Rain Forest
The top foliage layer in a forest where the trees extend above surrounding trees.
Emergent Layer
The layers of treetops that shade the forest door.
Canopy
A plant that uses another plant for support, but not for nourishment.
Epiphyte
A foliage layer that is beneath and shaded by the main canopy of the forest.
Understory
A forest community (or biome), characterized by cool, humid weather and abundant rainfall, where tree branches are draped with mosses, tree trunks are covered with lichens, and the forest floor is covered with ferns.
Temperate Rain Forest
A forest (or biome) that is characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
A region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions.
Taiga
A plain full of grasses and scattered trees and shrubs; found in tropical and subtropical habitats and mainly in regions with a dry climate, such as East Africa.
Savanna
A community (or biome) that is dominated by grasses, has fewer trees, and is characterized by cold winters and rainfall that is intermediate between that of a forest and a desert.
Temperate Grassland
A type of vegetation that includes broad-leafed evergreen shrubs and that is located in areas with hot, dry summers, and mild, wet winters.
Chaparral
A region that has little or no vegetation, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in warm climates.
Desert
A treeless plain that is located in the Arctic or Antarctic and that is characterized by
very low winter temperatures; short cool summers; and vegetation that consists of grasses, lichens, and perennial herbs.
Tundra
In arctic regions, the permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil.
Permafrost
