Vocabulary study guide

Vocabulary study guide

Climax Community

A community that has reached a stable

stage of ecological succession.

Succession

The normal, gradual changes that occur

in the types of species that live in an

area.

Intertidal Zone

The portion of the shoreline that is

covered with water at high tide and

exposed to the air during low tide

Grasslands

Temperate and tropical regions that

receive between 25 cm and 75 cm of

precipitation a year and and have climax

communities of grasses

Tropical rain forest

Forest with warm temperatures, wet

weather, and lush plant growth

Temperate deciduous forest

Forest dominated by climax

communities of trees that lose their

leaves every autumn

Biomes

Large geographic areas that have similar

climates and ecosystems

Tundra

A cold, dry, treeless region, sometimes

called a cold desert

Taiga

A cold forest region dominated by

cone-bearing evergreen trees

Desert

The driest biome, often covered with a

thin, sandy, or gravelly soil, contains

little organic matter

Estuary

He area where a river meets an ocean

contains both freshwater and salt water

Wetlands

Regions that are wet for all or most of

a year

Coral reef

Ecosystems formed from the calcium

carbonate shells secreted by animals

Pioneer Species

The first living things to arrive at a primary succession