Habitat Types WMAN 175 Exam 3

tundra

• primarily found in northern canada and alaska

• short cool summers, long, cold winters

• short growing season, primary vegetation = grasses, lichens, and low shrubby plants

permafrost

• constant presence of frozen ground, short distance below soil surge

• limits tree root systems

altitudinal biomes

biomes at high elevation

alpine biomes

• more severe climates than the arctic tundra

• tops of high mountains like colorado and montana

northern coniferous forest (boreal/taiga)

• occupies a vast area south of the tundra

• primarily in canada and alaska

• longer and warmer growing seasons than the tundra

temperate forest

• deciduous trees

• occurs primarily below northern coniferous forest in eastern N. america

• varying climatic conditions across the range

• different vegetation patterns and animal communities

temperate grassland

• west of temperate forest

• south of coniferous forest

• low precipitation, hot summers, cold winters

• periodic droughts and fires

• dependent on rainfall starting from short grass prairies, tall grass and mixed grass prairies

tropical seasonal forest

• wet and dry seasons with hot seasons year round

• contains both evergreen and deciduous trees

Marshes

• low, treeless wet areas characterized by sedges, rushes, and cattails

Bogs

• wet areas characterized by floating spongy mats of vegetation often composed of sphagnum, sedges, and heaths

swamps

wet areas usually containing standing trees

coastal wetlands

transition areas between land and the ocean

estuary

transitional area between marine and freshwater area

wetlands

• areas where the water table is near ground level or just covers the land surface

• has hydrophytic plants and hydric soils

hydrophytic plants

plants associated with water

hydric soils

soils developed in wet areas

lentic

natural lakes, ponds, and reservoirs

oligotrophic

low in nutrients, usually deep natural lakes

eutrophic

body of water rich in nutrients

natural lakes

• naturally formed lentic bodies of water

• can vary in size and are formed in various ways

  • glaciers, movement of the earth’s crust, and changes in river courses

impoundments

lentic systems resulting from human activities that block natural waterways like rivers

ponds

• the smallest impoundments

• less than 10 hectares

lotic

• of or pertaining to flowing water as in river or stream

stream gradient

• rate of descent to sea level

riffles

shallow and narrow habitat with gravel and rocky bottom

pool

deeper, wider, and has softer bottom than riffles

erosional zone

outer segment of a curve, deeper than the inner segment

deposition zone

inner segment

cover habitat

used by organisms for shelter