The document discusses different vegetation regions around the world and their relationship to climate. It identifies tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, chaparral, savannas, grasslands, desert scrub, tundra, ice caps, and highland climates as the major vegetation regions. For each region, it provides characteristics of the climate and dominant plant life.

1. Vegetation Regions
Chapter 2 Section 4

2. Students will explore
Earth’s vegetation
regions in order to
explain the the
relationship between
climate and
vegetation.

3. The Amazon Basin in Brazil and
the islands of Indonesia are
examples of _________________.

4. 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.

5. New England and Northern Europe
have____________________

6. Mid-Latitude (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.

7. ___________ Forest

8. 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 also
examples of coniferous forest.

9. 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.

10. _______________________
 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.

11. _________________________
 Two types, depending on rainfall: "tall
grass" or "short grass"
 Cooler climates
 Wildfires are common
 Typical in the American Midwest.
 Also called "steppes" in central Asia

12. Desert Scrub
 cactus plants, specialized to store
watercactus grow widely scattered due to
little rain
 Arizona and parts of Pakistan are
examples of desert scrub.

13. __________________

14. Alaska and Iceland are examples of
tundra.

15. Tundra
 Climate is always cold.
 No trees.
 Short growing season.small plants,
wildflowers, lichen (tiny, brightly colored
plants)
 permafrost under the soil

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. Vegetation Map

19. What have we learned?