Section 4: Biomes Flashcards
What are the 6 major biomes?
The rain forest, desert, grassland, deciduous forest, tundra, and boreal forest.
What is a biome?
A group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms.
What determines the biome of an area?
Climate (temperature and precipitation).
What is a temperate rainforest?
A type of rain forest found in the northwestern coast of the USA. This part gets more than 300 cm of precipitation per year.
What does temperate mean?
To have moderate temperatures
What are tropical rain forests?
A type of rain forest usually found close to the equator. It gets around 300 cm of precipitation per year. This rain forest is warmer and more humid than temperate rain forests.
What is a canopy?
A leafy ‘roof’ made with tall trees’ leaves. This is only found in a tropical rain forest.
What is the understory?
The layer of shorter trees underneath the canopy. Many plants that grow in the understory are used to darkness.
About how many species have ecologists estimated there is in the tropical rain forest?
Millions
What are deserts?
An area that receives less than 25 cm of rain per year.
Why is the desert so dry?
The amount of evaporation is greater than the amount of precipitation.
How are organisms that live in the desert adapted to the lack of rain?
Some plants like the saguaro cactus can store large amounts of water for long periods with no rain. Gila monsters can dig a burrow in the ground to stay cool in.
What are grasslands
An area populates mostly by grasses and other non-woody plants. This booms gets around 25 to 75 cm of rain per year.
What is a savanna?
A biome that receives as much as 120 cm per year. A few scattered shrubs and small trees grow there.
What is a deciduous forest?
A forest populates mostly by deciduous trees. They get about 50 cm of rainfall per year.
What are deciduous trees?
Trees that shed their leaves every year and grow them back.
Is there a lot of activity during the winter in the deciduous forest?
No because most animals are hibernating or they went somewhere else.
What are boreal forests?
A forest with mostly coniferous trees. This forest has a colder climate.
What are coniferous trees?
Trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles.
What do coniferous trees have to help them survive the winter in a boreal forest?
They have waxy needles to keep water from evaporating.
What are tundras?
An extremely cold and dry biome. This biome doesn’t receive a lot of precipitation.
What is permafrost?
Frozen soil
What happens to the top layer of soil during the summer?
It thaws but the soil under it stays frozen.
What do birds in the tundra do when winter comes?
They migrate south.
