Vocabulary Biomes – A group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms. Canopy – The leafy roof formed by tall trees. Understory – The second layer of shorter trees and fines below the canopy. Desert – An area that receives less than 25 cms of rain per year. Grassland – An area that is populated mostly by grasses and other non woody plants.

Vocabulary Savana – Grasslands that are located closer to the equator than praries. 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 in the tundra that is frozen all year.

Vocabulary Estuary – Found where fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean. Intertidal zone - Along the rocky shoreline, between the highest high-tide and lowest low-tide Neritic zone – The region of shallow water below the low-tide line.

A biome is a group of land ecosystems with similar climates. The six major biomes are: Rain forests Desert Grassland Deciduous forest Boreal forest_____ Tundra__________ Factors that determine biomes are temperature and precipitation .

Areas that have moderate temperatures and receive more than 300 cms of rain per year are known as temperate rain forests. Tropical rain forests are found in regions close to the equator that are warm and humid all year long with a lot of rain. Trees in the rain forest form several distinct layers . The leafy roof of tall trees is called the canopy . Below the canopy, a second layer of shorter trees and vines form an understory .

A desert is an area that receives less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. A grassland is an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other non-woody plants. Grasslands that are located closer to the equator than prairies are known as savanna . Trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year are known as deciduous trees . Most of the trees in boreal forest are coniferous trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles.

Another name for boreal forests is the taiga . The tundra is an extremely cold and dry biome. Most of the soil in the tundra is frozen all year. This frozen layer is called permafrost. Freshwater ecosystems include streams , rivers , ponds, and lakes. An estuary is found where the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean. Marine ecosystems include estuaries , intertidal zones, neritic zones , and the open ocean .

An area along the rocky shoreline between the highest high-tide line and lowest low-tide line is known as intertidal zone . Below the low-tide line is a region of shallow water called the neritic zone .