click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
chapter 6 vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biome | A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities |
| Climate | The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time |
| Latitude | The distance north or south from the equator; expressed in degrees |
| Altitude | The height of an object above a reference point, such as sea level or the earth's surface |
| Tropical Rainforest | A forest or jungle near the equator that is characterized by large amounts of rain and little variation in temperature and that contains the greatest known diversity of organisms on earth |
| Emergent Layer | The top foliage layer in a forest where the trees extend above surrounding trees |
| Canopy | The layers of treetops that shade the forest floor |
| Epiphyte | A plant that uses another plant for support, but not for nourishment |
| Understory | A foliage layer that is beneath and shaded by the main canopy of a forest |
| Temperate Rainforest | 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in warm climates |
| 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 |