Transcript Vegetation Regions

Vegetation Regions
Tropical
Rainforest
• The trees are very tall and
of a great variety of
species.
• One rarely finds two trees
of the same species
growing close to one
another.
• The vegetation is so dense
that little light reaches the
forest floor.
• Most of the plants are
evergreen, not deciduous.
• The branches of the trees
are festooned with vines
Deciduous
Forest
• Hardwood trees (e.g., beech, maple, oak, hickory) which are
deciduous; that is, shed their leaves in the autumn.
• The number of different species is far more limited than in the
jungle.
• Large stands dominated by a single species are common.
• Deer, raccoons, and salamanders are characteristic inhabitants.
• New England and Northern Europe have deciduous forests.
Mixed
Forest
• An overlap area between coniferous (needle trees) and
deciduous (broadleaf trees).
• The Rocky Mountains and the area around Moscow, Russia are
examples of Mixed Forest.
Coniferous
Forest
•
•
•
•
•
Colder parts of the mid-latitudes
Trees have needles and seed cones.
Trees are evergreen
Redwoods in California are one example
Canada and Siberia, Russia are examples of coniferous forest.
Chaparral
• Trees in the chaparral are
mostly oaks, both
deciduous and evergreen -scrub oaks and shrubs like
manzanita and the
California lilac. All plants
are adapted to drought by
such mechanisms as waxy,
waterproof coatings on
their leaves.
• Texas and Southern
California are examples of
chaparral.
Savannah
Tropical Grassland
• tropical areas close to the equator mostly
grasses with scattered trees and shrubs has a
wet season and dry season wildfires are
common
• Most of southern Africa and parts of Brazil are
savannas.
Prairie
Temperate grassland
• Two types, depending on rainfall: "tall grass" or
"short grass"
• Cooler climates Wildfires are common
• Central Asia has steppes; the American
Midwest is prairie.
Desert
Scrub
• cactus plants, specialized to store water cactus
grow widely scattered due to little rain
• Arizona and parts of Pakistan are examples of
desert scrub.
Desert
• Pure desert - little or no plant life.
• The Sahara in Africa and most of Saudi Arabia
are examples of desert.
Tundra
• Climate is always cold. No trees. Short growing
season.
• Small plants, wildflowers, lichen (tiny, brightly colored
plants) permafrost under the soil
• Alaska and Iceland are examples of tundra.
Ice Cap
• Ice. Pure ice. Nothing but ice.
• This shot is from Greenland. How did that guy
get there?
• Greenland and Antarctica are examples of ice
cap.
Highland
Climate
• At higher elevations, climate can be very different
than the surrounding area. For instance, there is an
alpine ski lodge in the middle of the Arizona desert.
• The mountains of Peru and northern India are
examples of highland climates.