| A | B |
|---|
| Biomes | a large geographical region of land or ocean with a distinct climate and certain types of plant and animal life. |
| Tundra | cold, dry, mostly treeless land biome that encircles the Arctic Ocean. Characterized by low temperatures and short growing season. |
| Coniferous/Boreal Forests | Primarily in areas just below the tundra, called the taiga. Cold winter temperatures with heavy snows and cool summers with little rainfall favors trees with water-conserving needle-like leaves. Trees remain green throughout the year, have needle like leaves, and produce seeds in cones. |
| Deciduous Forests | Contains many broadleaf trees that drop their leaves each year prior to winter. There is plenty of rainfall, with moderate temperatures, and a longer growing season. |
| Grasslands | The main types of plants in this biome are grasses. The climate is too dry to support trees of a forest, but the land is fertile and can support many species of grass. |
| Deserts | dry environments that generally receive less than 25 cm of rainfall each year. Characterized by temperature extremes from day to night; temperatures may fluctuate up to 40° C in only 12 hours. |
| Freshwater | types of organisms found in various freshwater ecosystems depend largely on temperature, current, and the amounts of oxygen and minerals dissolved in the water. Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, swamps, bogs |
| Marine/Saltwater | types of organisms found in various marine ecosystems depend on the amount of sunlight, water temperature, wave action, and water pressure at various levels of the ocean. |
| Estuaries | area where freshwater rivers flow into the ocean that are rich in nutrients to support many types of organisms |
| Coral reef | marine ecosystem commonly found in shallow seas of many tropical regions; provides a sheltered habitat to many types of animals; endangered due to human impact |
| Tropical Forest | Tropical forests are characterized by the greatest diversity of species. They occur near the equator, within the area bounded by latitudes 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S. One of the major characteristics of tropical forests is their distinct seasonality: winter is absent, and only two seasons are present (rainy and dry). The length of daylight is 12 hours and varies little. |
