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Chapter21 Section1-2
Biology vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biome | A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities |
| Tundra | 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 |
| Permafrost | In arctic regions, the permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil |
| Tropical Forest | A region of forest or jungle that is located near the equator and that is characterized by large amounts of rain and little variation in temperature |
| Canopy | The layers of treetops that shade the forest floor |
| Epiphyte | A plant that uses another plant for support, but not for nourishment |
| Coniferous Tree | A tree belonging to a group of tree species that bear their seeds in cones and tend to be evergreen |
| Deciduous Tree | A tree that sheds and regrows its leaves in response to seasonal changes |
| Temperate Deciduous Forest | A forest (or biome) that is characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall |
| Taiga | A region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions |
| Temperate Grassland | A community (or biome) that is dominated by grasses, has few trees, and is characterized by cold winters and rainfall that is intermediate between that of a forest and a desert |
| Savanna | 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 |
| Chaparral | A type of vegetation that includes broad-leafed evergreen shrubs and that is located in areas with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters |
| Desert | A region that has little or no vegetation, longs periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in warm climates |
| Aphotic Zone | The deeper parts of the ocean, where there is so little light that plants cannot carry out photosynthesis |
| Photic Zone | The area of an aquatic system that receives enough light for photosynthesis to occur |
| Intertidal Zone | An area along ocean shorelines that lies between low and high water lines |
| Plankton | The mass of mostly microscopic organisms that float or drift freely in the waters of aquatic (freshwater and marine) environments |
| Estuary | An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean; the part of a river where the tides meet the river current |