Biomes Where the plants and the animals live

Biomes Large regions with plants and animals that are well adapted to the soil and climate of the region

Biomes ➢ Ice ➢ Tundra ➢ Taiga/Boreal/Coniferous Forests ➢ Temperate Deciduous Forests ➢ Chaparral ➢ Grasslands ➢ Savanna ➢ Deserts ➢ Tropical Rain Forests ➢ Fresh Water ➢ Wetlands ➢ Ocean

Ice ▪ Below freezing all year round ▪ No plants, but some algae live in the ice ▪ Few animals live on the ice including polar bears, penguins, seals ▪ Some live in the waters near and under the ice including fish and whales ▪ Examples: Polar Caps, Greenland, high mountains such as the Andes, Himalayas

▪ A cold and treeless area ▪ Very little precipitation, similar to a desert (15 to 25 cm annually) ▪ Alpine tundra is above the tree line in mountains throughout the world ▪ Frozen layer called permafrost just below the surface never thaws ▪ Lichens, moss, and short, hardy, shallow-rooted plants ▪ Mosquitoes, flies, other insects ▪ Caribou, reindeer, mountain goats and sheep, snowshoe rabbits ▪ Wolves, polar bears, arctic foxes ▪ Far northern Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Europe, and Russia Tundra

Taiga/Boreal Forests Coniferous Forests ▪ Average of 25 to 100 cm annual precipitation (mostly snow) ▪ Cooler temperatures reduce evaporation ▪ Short summers ▪ Long, cold, dry winters ▪ Lower plant and animal diversity due to harsh winters ▪ Pine, spruce, douglas fir ▪ Elk, moose ▪ Squirrels, snowshoe hare ▪ Lynx, bobcat ▪ Stretch across northern North America, Europe, and Asia

Deciduous Forests ▪ Receive between 70 and 150 cm annual precipitation ▪ Four distinct seasons ▪ Leaves fall off in the fall ▪ Trees include oak, elm, maple, willow ▪ Animals include squirrels, deer, foxes, bears ▪ Found in North America, Europe, and Asia around 0° to 50° north latitude

Chaparral ▪ Generally receive 25 to 60 cm or less annual precipitation ▪ A little more rain than deserts, primarily during mild winters ▪ Summers long, hot, and arid ▪ Dominant plants generally have hardened evergreen leaves ▪ Animals include coyotes, jackrabbits, mule deer, lizards ▪ Occur in California, South Africa, and Mediterranean regions

▪ Large, rolling terrains of grasses, rich and fertile soil ▪ Enough precipitation to keep deserts from forming but not enough to support forests (50 to 89 cm annually) ▪ Dominated by grazers and burrowers such as bison, wild horses, prairie dogs, coyotes ▪ Plants include buffalo grass, clovers, asters ▪ Examples: North America’s shortgrass and tallgrass prairies, South America’s Pampas Grasslands

▪ Between tropical rainforests and deserts ▪ Enough precipitation to keep deserts from forming but not enough to support forests (38 to 64 cm annually) ▪ Long, dry winters, short rainy seasons ▪ Dominated by grazers and burrowers for example elephants, zebras, meerkats, lions, kangaroos ▪ Plants include bermuda grass, acacia and eucalyptus ▪ Found in South America, Africa, Australia Savanna

Deserts ▪ Receive less than 10 cm annual precipitation ▪ Cover about 20% of the earth’s land area (and increasing) ▪ Can be very hot during the day and very cold at night ▪ Some are cold all the time ▪ The plants and animals have adaptations to cope ▪ Plants are spread out, spiny, thick outer layers ▪ Animals include coyotes, jack rabbits, lizards, snakes, owls ▪ Examples: Arabian, Atacama, Australia, Chihuahuan, Gobi, Kalahari, Mojave, Sahara

▪ Annual mean temperature of 25° C (77° F) ▪ Regular, heavy rainfall ▪ Humidity of at least 80% ▪ Evergreen trees drop leaves and produce new ones year round ▪ Litter does not accumulate because decomposition is rapid ▪ Very thick and diverse plant and animal populations ▪ Band around the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn ▪ South America, West Africa, Australia, Southern India, and Southeast Asia Tropical Rainforests

▪ Ponds and Lakes ▪ Streams and Rivers ▪ Make up less than half of one percent of the world’s water ▪ Supply half of the drinking water ▪ Supply one third of the irrigation water Freshwater

▪ Marshes ▪ Freshwater ▪ Saltwater ▪ Swamps ▪ Bogs ▪ Estuaries – where freshwater rivers flow into the sea ▪ Intertidal Zones ▪ Rocky shores ▪ Sandy and Muddy shores ▪ Plants include reeds, cattails, lilies, cypress ▪ Animals include ducks, herons, beavers, moose, shrimp Wetlands and Intertidal Zones

▪ Cover nearly three- fourths of the world’s surface ▪ Supports more life forms than all the other biomes combined ▪ The smallest creatures can be seen only with a microscope, the largest creature, the blue whale, can be up to 110 feet long Ocean

Biosphere Made up of all the ecosyste ms on Earth

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