Vocabulary Review

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Vocabulary Review

• Ch 21
• Ecosystems

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A large region characterized by a specific type
of climate and certain types of plant and animal
communities
Biome
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A treeless plain that is located in the Arctic or
Antarctic and that is characterized by very low
winter temperatures short, cool summers and
vegetation that consists of grasses, lichens, and
perennial herbs
Tundra
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In arctic regions, the permanently frozen layer
of soil or subsoil
Permafrost
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A region of forest or jungle that is located near
the equator and that is characterized by large
amounts of rain and little variation in
temperature
Tropical Forest
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The layers of treetops that shade the forest floor
Canopy
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A plant that uses another plant for support, but
not for nourishment
Epiphyte
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A tree belonging to a group of tree species that
bear their seeds in cones and tend to be evergreen
Coniferous Tree
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A tree that sheds and regrows its leaves in
response to seasonal changes
Deciduous Tree
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A region of forest that has pronounced seasons,
moderate temperatures, and moderate
precipitation characterized by trees that shed
their leaves in the fall
Temperate deciduous forest
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A plain full of grasses and scattered trees and
shrubs found in tropical and subtropical
habitats and mainly in regions with a dry
climate, such as East Africa
Savanna
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A type of vegetation that includes broad-leafed
evergreen shrubs and that is located in areas
with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters
Chaparral
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A region that has little or no vegetation, long
periods without rain, and extreme temperatures
usually found in warm climates
Desert
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The deeper parts of the ocean, where there is so
little light that plants cannot carry out
photosynthesis
Aphotic zone
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The area of an aquatic system that receives
enough light for photosynthesis to occur
Photic zone
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An area along ocean shorelines that lies between
low and high water lines
Intertidal zone
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A shallow marine environment that is near the
shore or over the continental shelf and that is
rich in minerals and nutrients produced by biotic
activity
Neritic zone
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The regions of the open sea that lie beyond and
between the continental shelves
Oceanic zone
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The upper, central, or open region of a body of
water
Pelagic zone
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The bottom region of oceans and bodies of fresh
water
Benthic zone
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The mass of mostly microscopic organisms that
float or drift freely in the waters of aquatic
(freshwater and marine) environments
Plankton
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An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with
salt water from the ocean the part of a river
where the tides meet the river current
Estuary
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A lake that contains a large amount of decaying
organic matter and lacks oxygen as a result
Eutrophic lake
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A lake that lacks organic nutrients and, as a
result, contains high levels of dissolved oxygen
in its lower layer
Oligotrophic lake
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An area of land that is covered in fresh water
for at least part of each year
Freshwater wetland