Understanding Biogeography and Its Key Concepts

Biogeography: The branch of geography that studies the biological landscape, vegetation, and its spatial distribution.

Deciduous: Deciduous plants lose their leaves in autumn.

Cliserie: Staggering vegetation on the mountain slopes, appearing with different species according to height and orientation.

Ecosystem: A living set of organisms that share a common space, interacting with each other and dependent on variations or alterations from other influences.

Edaphology: The science that examines and studies the phenomena relating to soil.

Endemism: Species that inhabit exclusively a specific space, region, or mountain.

Gypsophila Species: Species that develop on plaster.

Halophilic Species: Species that grow in brackish sites.

Pirophytic Species: Species that thrive after a fire.

Thermophilic Species: Species that are adapted to heat.

Xerophytic Species: Species that are adapted to drought.

Steppe: A formation of herbs and shrubs.

Garrigue: Mediterranean climate scrub on calcareous soils with Kermes oak.

Humus: Organic matter that originates from the decomposition and chemical transformation of organic material, which enriches the soil.

Landa: Atlantic Spain scrub in the types of heather.

Laurel: A species of the laurel family located in the Canary Islands.

Maquis: Mediterranean scrub with siliceous soils.

Evergreen: Evergreen plants retain their leaves all year round.

Soil Profile: A set of bands or horizons that have different characteristics in a vertical soil profile.

Podzols: Soils found in cold and moist areas with abundant rainfall, subject to intense leaching.

Understory: The layer of vegetation that develops under the canopy of forest trees.

Ground: The superficial crust on the rock that is physically and chemically altered and mixed with decaying organic matter, allowing it to sustain plant life.

Terra Rossa: Red soils rich in iron oxide.

Vegetation Climax: The final stage of development in a plant community where equilibrium has been reached between species and the maximum potential development of the same.

Esclerofic Vegetation: Plants with thick, hard, and leathery leaves that support drought conditions.

Riparian Vegetation: Vegetation along riverbanks, typically formed by poplar, willow, and other species.

Rupicola Vegetation: Vegetation that grows directly on rocks.