Vocabulary
What is the CLIMATE where you live?
(Remember: Climate includes the temperature and the amount of precipitation over a long period of time.)
How is a biome related to a biosphere?
A biome is a smaller section of the biosphere.
What is the largest land biome?
the coniferous forest (or taiga)
Most of the trees in the coniferous forest are ______.
conifers (cone-bearing trees)
Give the two main aquatic biomes.
freshwater and marine/saltwater
We talked about fossils found in permanently frozen soil. In this chapter, we learned that soil is in the tundra. What is it called?
permafrost
What is the determining factor for deserts?
They receive very little precipitation. Unlike common perception, the temperature can vary greatly.
Is the deciduous forest known for being a wet or dry biome?
wet
How do many desert animals manage living in the extreme temperatures?
Many are nocturnal, or active at night.
What are the two main classifications of freshwater?
standing water or moving water
What does "deciduous" mean?
Trees/Shrubs will lose their leaves in the winter.
Which hemisphere has more biomes?
What biome is usually found between deserts and forests?
grasslands
What are some unique facts about bromeliads?
These plants often grow on the branches of trees in the rain forests. Their long, stiff leaves collect water, up to 7L sometimes!
What are the beginning and end of a river called?
headwater (beginning)
mouth (end)
Give an example of a succulent plant.
cactus
(a plant that stores water in its stem or leaves)
Where do scientist think half of all plant and animal species on the earth live?
in the rain forest
Tell me one main difference between a prairie and savannah.
Savannahs have only two seasons while prairies have four. Savannahs are hotter and have more trees.
What are formed by living animals called corals?
reefs
Give two examples of wetlands.
marshes, swamps, fens, bogs
What is "salinity"?
the amount of dissolved salt in the water
Why are coral reefs known as the "rainforest of the sea"?
They have such great biodiversity.
How are mountain biomes different from other land biomes?
The climate changes as you go up or down a mountain, which, in turn, affects the plants and animals that can survive. They have many types of biomes on one mountain.
What is the partially decayed plant material that piles up into dense layers in bogs called?
peat
What keeps river water flowing toward the ocean?
gravity