Science Vocabulary
Unit B Chapter 6
(17 words)

biome – one of Earth’s large ecosystems, with its own kind of climate, soil, plants, and animals

carbon cycle – the continuous exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen among living things

climax community – the final stage of succession in an area, unless a major change happens

condensation – the changing of a gas into a liquid

deciduous forest – a forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn

desert – a sandy or rocky biome, with little precipitation and little plant life

ecological succession – the gradual replacement of one community by another

evaporation – the slow changing of a liquid into a gas

grasslands – a biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life.  Prairies are one kind of grassland region.

nitrogen cycle – the continuous trapping of nitrogen gas into compounds in the soil and its return to the air

pioneer community – the first community thriving in a once lifeless area

pioneer species – the first species living in an otherwise lifeless area

precipitation – any form of water particles that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground

taiga – a cool forest biome of conifers in the upper Northern Hemisphere

tropical rain forest – a hot biome near the equator, with much rainfall and a wide variety of life

tundra – large, treeless plain in the arctic regions, where the ground is frozen all year

water cycle – the continuous movement of water between Earth’s surface and the air, changing from liquid to gas to liquid