env sci Chapter 6 Flashcards
(18 cards)
Biome
A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.
Climate
Refers to the weather conditions such as temp, precipitation, humidity, and winds in an area over a long period of time.
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
Located around a belt near the equator
Emergent Layer
The top foliage layer in a forest where the trees extend above surrounding trees.
Canopy
The layers of tree tops that shape the forest floor.
Epiphyte
A plant the uses another plant for support but not for nourishment.
Understory
A foliage layer that is beneath and shaded by the main canopy of forest.
Temperate Rain Forest
A forest community characterized by cool humid weather and abundant rain fall where tree branches are draped with mosses,tree trucks are covered with lichens and the forest floor is covered with ferns.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
A forest that is characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall.
Taiga
A region of evergreen coniferous forest below arctics and subarctic tundra regions.
Savanna
A plain full of grasses and scattered trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical habitats. Mainly found in regions with dry climates such as east Africa.
Temperate Grassland
Large areas of the interior of continents where there is moderate rainfall but still to low for trees to grow.
Chaparral
Temperate scrubland biome is found in all 5 parts of the world with a Mediterranean climate.
Deserts
Areas that have wildly scattered vegetation and receive very little rain.
Tundra
Biome located in northern arctic regions.
Permafrost
In arctic regions the permanently frozen soil or subsoil.
