2. Biomes and Ecosystems 5 th Grade Life Science Mrs. Boylan

3. Ecosystems A small or large unit of the environment containing a community of organisms An ecosystem can be as small as a puddle or as large as a mountain

4. Biome A large area of Earth that is defined by its type of climate (average weather over a period of time ) and the types of plants and animals that live there Earth has 6 major land biomes and 3 major water biomes We are about to take a little tour of each biome on Earth!

5. Tropical Rain Forests Found near the equator Climate is warm and wet – 90 inches of rain per year Made up of four layers – Emergent Layer – Canopy – Understory – Forest Floor

6. Deciduous Forests Located where there are moderate temperatures and moderate rainfall (30 – 60 in. per year) Has 4 distinct seasons – fall, winter, spring and summer

7. Grasslands Temperatures are moderate Rainfall is light (10 – 30 in. per year) Various grasses are the dominant plants in big open spaces

8. Deserts Very sunny and dry (less than 10 in. per year) Warm Temperatures during the day, but it can be very cold at night All desert organisms have adaptations to extremes in temperature and little water

9. Taiga Largest biome in the world Primarily a coniferous forest (evergreen trees with needles) Summers are warm, winters are cold – Temperature is below freezing 6 months out of the yr. Rainfall is about 12 - 33 inches per year

10. Tundra How cold is cold? The tundra biome is at the top of the world -- around the North Pole! Below a thin layer of tundra soil is its permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of ground. During the brief summers, the top section of the soil may thaw just long enough to allow plants and microorganisms to grow and reproduce. During the summer the sun shines all the time, during the winter the sun is rarely seen.

11. Comparing Land Biomes From the poles to the equator biomes occur in this order – tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, grassland / desert and finally tropical rain forest. Amounts of Rainfall:

12. Salt Water Ecosystems This includes the oceans and seas Organisms live at different zones in saltwater ecosystems – This largely has to do with the amount of sunlight and oxygen available

13. Freshwater Ecosystems This includes lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, some marshes and swamps Water temperature and the speed at which water moves determines what kinds of organisms that live in this ecosystem

14. Estuaries This is a place where a freshwater river empties into the ocean The water in an estuary is brackish meaning it is a mixture of salt water and fresh water Salt Marshes and Mangrove Swamps are two examples of this type of estuary

15. Do you remember? The next few slides will show you a picture of one of the biomes we learned about. Your job is to identify the biome and tell me two things you remember about it! GOOD LUCK!

16. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

17. You Got it! Taiga

18. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

19. That’s Right!! Tropical Rain Forest

20. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

21. Yeah – You Know It! Desert

22. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

23. Excellent! Tundra

24. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

25. There You Go!! Grassland

26. Tundra, Taiga, Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Deciduous Forest, or Desert

27. Awesome!! Deciduous Forest

28. One More Question? Which type of biome do we live in? How do you know?

29. The End Now it is time for you to apply what you learned today!! We will be doing a project where you will write a report, make a visual aid and present all of your information to the class about the adaptations different animals and plants have to survive in each ecosystem or biome of the world! A rubric and details will follow!