Some Biology Basics : C3, C4 Plants

ESO

Arid -  A climate lacking in moisture, especially having insufficient rainfall to support many trees or woody plants.

C3 plant - A plant in which CO2 is first fixed into a compound containing three carbon atoms before entering the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Most trees and temperate plants are C3 plants.

C4 plant - A plant in which CO2 is first fixed into a compound containing four carbon atoms before entering the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Most tropical grasses are C4 plants.

Mesic - A climate with medium moisture supply, neither too dry nor too wet, with sufficient rainfall to support trees and woody plants.

Monsoon - A wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally, bringing with it heavy rainfall to the region. Most of continental south Asia gets monsoon rains.

Savanna - A mixed tree and grass system, with trees ranging from sparse to medium density, with an understory of grasses. Savannas are open, well lit systems. Rainfall usually occurs in the warmer, summer months with a dry period of 2–8 months. Fires are typical across savannas during drier months, and occur at intervals from 1 to 50 years.

Topkill - Stem death as a result of fire, although the plant as a whole still survives and can resprout from root-stocks. Seedlings and saplings are particularly vulnerable to topkill.

Tropical dry forest - A type of forest found in tropical to sub-tropical regions that has distinct rainy and dry seasons. Many tropical dry forest plants are adapted to withstand high temperatures and seasonal droughts.

source: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIODIVERSITY, SECOND EDITION, Academic Press is an 2013