Chapter 6

Understory

Below the canopy, very little light reaches the next layer; Trees, shrubs, and other plants that are adapted to shade grow here. Most plants in the understory do not grow more than 3.5 m tall. Herbs with large, flat leaves grow on the forest floor.

Canopy

The next layer; considered the primary layer of the rain forest; Trees in the canopy can grow more than 30 m tall. The tall trees form a dense layer that absorbs up to 95 percent of the sunlight. The canopy can be split into an upper canopy and a lower canopy. The lower canopy receives less light than does the upper canopy. the layers of treetops that shade the forest floor

Emergent layer

The top layer of the rain forest; consists of the tallest trees, which reach heights of 60 to 70 m. Trees in the emergent layer grow above the tops of most other trees in the forest.

Tundra

a biome is located in northern arctic regions. The winter is too cold and dry to permit the growth of trees in this biome.

Biome

a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities. (Each biome is made up of many individual ecosystems) (Each organism depends in some way on the other living and non-living things in its surroundings.)

Chaparral

a temperate shrubland biome that is found in all parts of the world with a Mediterranean climate. These areas have moderately dry, coastal climates, with little or no rain in the summer.

Savanna

a tropical biome dominated by grasses, shrubs, and small trees. 2 seasons one wet one dry

Living things

are all closely related to their environment

Tropical rain forests

are always humid and warm and get about 200 to 450 cm of rain a year. They help regulate world climate and play vital roles in the nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon cycles. The tropical climate is ideal for a wide variety of plants and animals, has the greatest biodivirsty

Deserts

areas that have widely scattered vegetation and receive very little rain.

Temperate grassland

covers large areas of the interior of continents, where there is moderate rainfall but trees and shrubs cannot be established because there is not enough rain or fires are too frequent. Being turned into grazinn land for farming

Examples of major biomes

deserts, forest, grasslands, tundras, and several types of aquatic environments

Climate and geography of a region

determines that type of biome can exist in that region

Temperate rain forest

occurs in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Temperate rain forests have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity, and moderate temperatures.

Climate

refers to the weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and winds, that occur in an area over a long period of time.

Epiphytes

such as the orchid; use the entire surface of a tree as a place to live. Epiphytes grow on trees instead of on the ground. Some grow high in the canopy, where their leaves can reach the sunlight needed for photosynthesis.

Permafrost

the deeper layers of soil; are permanently frozen throughout the year.

Latitude

the distance north or south of the equator and is measured in degrees, with the equator equal to 0°.

Altitude

the height of an object above sea level.

Taiga

the northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the Northern Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle; Winters are long; Have average temperature of below freezing. Soil is acidic

Temperate deciduous forests

trees drop their broad, flat leaves each fall. These forests once dominated vast regions of Earth, including parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Change with the season

Any change in one environment, like an increase of decrease of a species of animal or plant, causes a ripple effect of change in other parts of the environment.

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