Ch. 6 Key Terms Flashcards
Biome
A large region characterized by a specific climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.
Climate
Refers to weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and winds.
Latitude
The distance north or south of the equator and is measured in degrees.
Altitude
The height of an object above sea level.
Tropical Rain Forest
Always humid and warm and get about 200 to 450 cm of rain a year. Help regulate the world climate and play a vital role in the nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon cycles.
Emergent Layer
The top layer that consists of the tallest trees.
Canopy
The primary layer of the rainforest, trees in the canopy can grow to be up to 30 m tall and form a dense layer that absorbs up to 95 percent of the sunlight.
Epiphyte
Plants that use the entire surface of a tree as a place to live.
Understory
The layer below the canopy that very little light reaches, usually contains small trees, shrubs, and other plants that are adapted to living with little light.
Temperate Rain Forest
Rain forests that have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity, and moderate temperatures.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
A variety of temperate forests that is dominated by trees that lose their leaves each year.
Taiga
The northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the northern hemisphere just below the arctic circle.
Savanna
A tropical biome dominated by grasses shrubs and small trees.
Temperate Grassland
Covers large areas of the interior of continents where there is moderate rainfall but trees and shrubs cannot be established.
Chaparral
A temperate shrubland biome that is found in all parts of the world with a Mediterranean climate.
