1. The Biomes of Earth
34.3

2. What’s a Biome?
Biome - Major types of ecosystems on land (not in the oceans)
Similar biomes can exist in many places, but the animals that live there are different

3. Biome Distribution

4. Tropical Forest

5. Tropical Forest

6. Tropical Forest Temperature usually stays between 93ºF and 68ºF
Rainfall is more than 100 inches per year
Trees are very tall
Produce 40% of the earth’s oxygen

7. Savanna

8. Savanna

9. Savanna Type of grassland with shrubs and few trees Little rain falls
Found on the edges of rainforests
Warm temperatures year round but has a very dry season and a very wet season
Lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes

10. Break!! In the margin of your handout answer the following questions
How much rain does a tropical rainforest usually get in a year?
True or false: Savanna are usually cold and have a cold wet season.
Share your answers with another person at your table

11. Desert

12. Desert

13. Desert Animals must be able to get underground in order to survive
Some deserts are cold deserts
Cover 1/5th of earth’s surface
Rainfall (or snow in cold deserts) is around 15 cm per year

14. Chaparral

15. Chaparral

16. Chaparral Found a little bit on most continents Hot and Dry
Looks like the “wild west”
Animals include coyotes, deer, horned toads, praying mantis

17. Break!! In the margin of your handout answer the following questions
How much of the earth’s surface is covered by a desert
True or false: Chaparrals are found only on the South American continent.
Share your answers with another person at your table

18. Temperate Grassland

19. Temperate Grassland

20. Temperate Grassland Large, rolling terrains
Local climates determine what plants grow there
Fires are common and stop large forests from growing

21. Temperate Deciduous Forest

22. Temperate Deciduous Forest

23. Temperate Deciduous Forest
4 seasons - spring, summer, fall, winter
Our area is a natural deciduous forest
Animals adapt by hibernating in the winter
Plants lean towards the sun
Most land has been turned into farm land
Soil is very fertile

24. Break!! In the margin of your handout answer the following questions
In a temperate grassland, what stops large forests from growing?
True or false: We live in a temperate Deciduous Forest.
Share your answers with another person at your table

25. Coniferous Forest

26. Coniferous Forest

27. Coniferous Forest Pine trees = Coniferous Forest
Trees with needles
Don’t loose their needles in the winter
Some animals hibernate in the winter, others fly south
Many wildfires - trees have thick bark to protect themselves

28. Tundra

29. Tundra

30. Tundra Very cold Not many plants grow here
If it starts to thaw out, it’s almost like a marsh
Annual average temperature is -18ºF
Animals include caribou, wolves, foxes, bears, deer

31. Break!! In the margin of your handout answer the following questions
What kind of trees grow in a Coniferous Forest
True or false: The tundra does not have many plants because it is so cold.
Share your answers with another person at your table