BIOMES

What is a biome?  A group of ecosystems with similar climate and organisms.  Temperature and rainfall determine the plants that will grow.  The plants that grow determine the animals that will live in the biome.

Major Terrestrial Biomes of the World  Desert  Tundra  Deciduous Forest  Taiga  Rain Forest  Grasslands

Tundra Extremely cold and dry Temp. -15° C – 5° C; 10” rain/yr Soil frozen most of year – permafrost Plants – mosses, ferns, few dwarf trees Animals – insects, insect-eating birds, caribou, foxes, wolves

Tundra

Taiga Largest of terrestrial biomes. Also referred to as the boreal forest or coniferous forest. Cold winters; precipitation – snow: 30” per year Nutrient poor soil, acidic Plants – cone-bearing trees –fir, hemlock Animals – red squirrels, insects, birds, lynx, otters, great horned owl

Taiga

Deciduous Forest Warm summers and cold winters Temps. -5° C – 20° C 60” rain per year Rich soil Trees lose leaves in winter (an adaptation due to short days and cold temps)– birch, maple, oaks. Animals – deer, fox, squirrels

Deciduous Forest

Grasslands Two types: temperate grasslands and tropical grasslands (savannah). Savannah located near equator and receives enough rain to support some small trees. Temperate Temps. -10° C – 23° C Savannah Temps. 10° C - 22° C Rainfall: 60” per year Plants – dominated by grasses Animals –elephants, bison, giraffe, zebras, lions.

Grassland Temperate GrasslandSavannah

Grassland Food Webs PrairieSavannah

Rain Forests Two types – temperate & tropical Temperate – plenty of rain; moderate temps. Plants – redwoods, cedars, firs Tropical – warm and humid year round; lots of rain! Tropical Temps: 25° C – 28° C 90” of rain per year High biodiversity – probably have more species of plants and animals than all other biomes combined. pecies/frogs/index.html#frogcalls

Rain Forests TemperateTropical  ienspeciesinhawaii/spec ies/frogs/index.html#fr ogcalls

Desert Warm days and cold nights 10”of rain per year Temps.: 12° C – 33° C Plants – saguaro cactus (leaves modified to lose less water – spines, leathery) Animals – adapted to little water and high temps – thick skin, produce little to no urine, active at night. Ex. Gila monsters.

Desert

Marine Biomes  Consists of oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries  The ocean is the largest of all ecosystems.  The ocean contains a diverse array of plants and animals at various depth zones.  Coral reefs consist mainly of coral.  Estuaries are areas where fresh and salt water environments converge. Mangroves, oysters, crabs and marsh grasses are examples of species in this environment.

Ocean Zones Intertidal – area covered or exposed due to high and low tides. Neritic – over the continental shelf, shallow, receives much sun Oceanic – rest of ocean Benthic – along the bottom Pelagic – floating in water Photic – gets sunlight Aphotic – does not receive sun, colder

Estuaries

Freshwater Biome  Includes ponds, and lakes; streams and rivers, and wetlands.  Ponds and lakes have well lit zones and a variety of fish dominate this zone.  Streams and rivers move in one direction.  Wetlands are areas of standing water that support aquatic plants.

List the major biomes of the world.

List 2 unique characteristics of each biome.

Which biome(s) receive(s) the least amount of rainfall?

What distinguishes one biome from another?

How does climate influence what organisms live in a biome?