Biomes key terms

An area populated by grasses and other non-woody plants, most get 25 to 75 centimeters of rain each year

• tundra

• canopy

• grassland

• desert

A group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

• permafrost

• understory

• tundra

• biome

A layer of shorter plants that grow in the shade of a forest canopy.

A tree that sheds its leaves and grows new ones each year.

• deciduous tree

• coniferous tree

An extremely cold, dry biome.

• savanna

• desert

• tundra

• grassland

An area that receives less that 25 centimeters of precipitation per year.

• savanna

• tundra

• desert

• boreal forest

A grassland close to the equator that receives as much as 120 centimeters of rain per year.

• desert

• savanna

• deciduous forest

• coniferous forest

A leafy roof formed by the tall trees in a forest.

• canopy

• understory

• forest floor

• shrub layer

Soil that is frozen all year.

• crust

• permafrost

• alpine

A tree that produces its seeds in cones and that has needle-shaped leaves

• Eucolyptus

• palm

• coniferous tree

• deciduous tree