| A | B |
|---|
| biogeography | the study of where organisms live |
| continental drift | the very slow motion of the continents |
| dispersal | the movement of organisms from one place to another |
| exotic species | an organism that is carried into a new location by people |
| climate | the typical weather pattern in an area over a long period of time |
| biome | a group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms |
| canopy | a leafy roof formed by tall trees |
| understory | a second layer of shorter trees and vines under a canopy |
| desert | an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year |
| grassland | an area populated mostly by grasses and other non-woody plants. |
| savanna | grasslands that are located closer to the equator than prairies; receives as much as 120 cm of rain/year |
| deciduous tree | trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year |
| coniferous tree | trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles |
| tundra | an extremely cold and dry biome |
| permafrost | soil that is frozen all year |
| estuary | found where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean |
| intertidal zone | an area between the highest high-tide line and lowest low-tide line |
| neritic zone | an area of shallow water below the low-tide zone that extends over the continental shelf |
