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Climinate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Chapter 7
11
Biology
Undergraduate 1
09/25/2011

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Term
biomes
Definition
large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals, regardless of where they are found in the world.
Term
climate
Definition
an area’s general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions measured over long periods of time ranging from decades to thousands of years.
Term
currents
Definition
Prevailing winds blowing over the oceans produce mass movements of surface water called currents.
Term
desert
Definition
In a desert, annual precipitation is low and often scattered unevenly throughout the year. During the day, the baking sun warms the ground and causes evaporation of moisture from plant leaves and soil. But at night, most of the heat stored in the ground radiates quickly into the atmosphere.
Term
forest systems
Definition
are lands dominated by trees.
Term
grasslands
Definition
occur mostly in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for deserts and too dry for forests. Grasslands persist because of a combination of seasonal drought, grazing by large herbivores, and occasional fires—all of which keep large numbers of shrubs and trees from growing.
Term
greenhouse effect
Definition
The natural warming effect of the troposphere.
Term
greenhouse gases
Definition
allow mostly visible light and some infrared radiation and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun to pass through the atmosphere.
Term
permafrost
Definition
underground soil in which captured water stays frozen for more than 2 consecutive years
Term
rain shadow effect
Definition
The loss of moisture from the landscape and the resulting semiarid or arid conditions on the leeward side of high mountains create the rain shadow effect.
Term
weather
Definition
a local area’s short-term temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, and other physical conditions of the lower atmosphere as measured over hours or days.
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