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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Tropical Rain Forest |
Found in Central America, South America, SE Asia, West Africa, and other tropical regions; Major Layers include the canopy, emergent layer, and understory; Plants have shallow roots that maximize their absorption of what little nutrients are available in the uppermost soil layers |
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Canopy |
dense covering that towers 50 - 80 meters above the ground, keeps the rain forest dark and damp |
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Emergent layer |
Rain forest's top layer |
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Understory |
Layer that consists of shorter trees and plants, which compete for available light |
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Epiphytes |
Plants that grow on other plants instead of in soil (i.e. orchids), take advantage of their host's height to gain access to sunlight |
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Tropical Dry Forest |
Located in India, S. North America, Central America, South America, and SE Asia; Tropical areas that are warm year-round but where rainfall is highly seasonal |
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Deciduous trees |
Trees that lose leaves and stop photosynthesis during part of the year |
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Estivation |
deep, sleeplike period of dormancy |
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How do the plants and animals of the tropical dry forest cope with the dry season? |
Trees survive by consuming food stored in their tissues, Animals enter estivation or migrate to areas that have plenty of water |
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Savanna |
Tropical regions with less rain than tropical dry forests, but more rain than deserts |
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Why is migration so common in the Savanna? |
Animals migrate to search for water and gather near widely spaced water holes |
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Desert |
Driest biome on Earth, animals and plants here have many adaptations that let them survive the harsh climate, receive well less than 25 cm of precipitation each year |
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Noctural |
Active only in the cool of night |
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Succulents |
Desert plants that store water in their tissues |
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Temperate Rain Forest |
Occur in regions (Pacific NW Coast, South America, Asia) with heavy rainfall and year-round moderate temperatures |
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Evergreen Trees |
Do not annually lose leaves |
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Coniferous trees |
Trees that produce seed-bearing cones |
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Difference between an evergreen tree and deciduous tree |
Deciduous trees lose leaves while evergreen trees don't |
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Temperate Forest |
Consist of broad-leafed deciduous trees; cover most of Europe, E. Asia, E. US |
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Hibernation |
Deep, sleeplike state that an animal enters for most of the winter |
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Reason why animals hibernate |
To avoid looking for food in the coldest months |
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Temperate Grassland |
Occur in areas with moderate seasonal precipitation |
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Why has so much grassland been converted for agriculture? |
To take advantage of the rich, fertile soil |
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Chaparral |
Conditions are highly seasonal with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers; common near oceans and is found around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe and Africa |
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How does fire help some chaparral plants? |
Fire helps seeds germinate, clear away dead vegetation, or help recycle nutrients |
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Boreal Forests |
Stretches in a broad band across much of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Scandinavia; experience long, cold winters and short, cool summers |
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Explain how conifers are well adapted to the boreal-forest environment |
Conifers' shape sheds snow so it doesn't pile up on tree branches |
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Tundra |
Occurs at very high latitudes along the northern edges of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia; Very cold, dark winters and moderately cool, bright summers |
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Permafrost |
underground soil that stays frozen year-round |
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Why do plants of the tundra tend to be short? |
Harsh winds, nutrient-poor soils, and freezing temperatures |
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Polar Ice |
extend from the tundra to the poles |
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Why do you think mountains are not typically classified as a biome? |
Climate changes and it consists of many biomes |
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Estivation vs Hibernation |
The first involves dry conditions, while the other involves the winter |
