ch.6 terms

Biomes

a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.

Climate

the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.

Weather

the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

Deciduous

(of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually.

Estivation

prolonged torpor or dormancy of an animal during a hot or dry period.

Coniferous

mostly evergreen trees and shrubs having usually needle-shaped or scalelike leaves and including forms (such as pines) with true cones

Hibernation

the condition or period of an animal or plant spending the winter in a dormant state.

Permafrost

a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions.

salinity

the measure of all the salts dissolved in water.

Brackish(water)

the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries.

Photic Zone

the upper layer of a body of water which enough sunlight can penetrate to permit photosynthesis.

Aphotic Zone

the portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight.

Benthic Zone

the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface, bottom

littoral zone (lake)

the near shore area where sunlight penetrates all the way to the sediment and allows aquatic plants (macrophytes) to grow.

limnetic zone (lake)

open surface waters in a lake away from the shore.

Wetlands

land consisting of marshes or swamps; land covered in water at least part of the year.

Estuaries

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.

source (river)

the start of the river

mouth (river)

where the river opens up to a larger body of water, like the ocean

tributary

smaller rivers and streams that flow into larger ones

watershed

the land area around a river