Question | Answer |
deciduous forest | Warm summers, cold winters, receives at least 50 cm of precipitation per year, trees shed their leaves and grow new ones each year |
grassland | Receives between 25 and 75 cm of rain each year, populated by grasses and many large herbivores |
boreal forest (taiga) | warm, rainy summers; very cold winters with heavy snow; trees produce cones with seeds that are eaten by many animals |
desert | hot in daytime, cool or cold at night; very dry; organisms are adapted to extreme temperatures and dry conditions |
tropical rain forest | warm temperatures do not vary much throughout the year; very wet and humid; greater variety of species than any other biome |
tundra | extremely cold winters, warmer summers; windy; very dry; no trees, only low-growing plants |
continental drift | the very slow motion of the continents |
biome | a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms |
canopy | the tall leafy roof in a rain forest biome |
understory | a second layer of shorter trees and vines in the tropical rain forest biome |
desert | an area in which the amount of evaporation is greater than the amount of precipitation |
savanna | a grassland biome that is closer to the equator and receives more rainfall |
deciduous trees | trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year |
coniferous trees | trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles |
permafrost | frozen soil in the tundra |
freshwater biomes | ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers |
marine biomes | salt water biomes |
estuary | where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean |
intertidal zone | the part of the shore between the highest high-tide line and the lowest low-tide line |
neritic zone | the region of shallow water below the low tide-line that extends over the continental shelf |