Before, you learned that Feeding relationships describe how energy flows through ecosystems The sun is the original source of energy and that light energy is transformed into chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. The amount of available energy decreases as it flows through ecosystems.

Now you will learn About the different land and water biomes on Earth How different ecosystems make up a biome How biomes vary by region

What is a biome? A biome is a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms. Classifying ecosystems into biomes helps ecologists describe the world.

What identifies a biome? Temperature and rainfall are two major factors that help identify biomes. Climate limits the distribution of plants in an area and the types of plants in the area will help determine the types of animals that live there.

Tundra

The tundra is an extremely cold, dry biome The tundra is an extremely cold, dry biome. Most of the soil is frozen all year long. This is called permafrost. The tundra receives very little precipitation per year.

All plants and animals of the tundra have special adaptations for living in this very cold environment. Plants found are typically mosses, lichens, grasses and woody shrubs. All plants have thick, waxy coverings to prevent water loss and cold stuns. They grow in clumps and grow low to the ground to withstand winds and extreme temperatures. Animals have very thick coats and large fat deposits beneath the skin to withstand the extreme temperatures.

Average temperature and precipitation per year Usually receives less than 20 cm of precipitation per year. Temperature averages between -60 – 10 degrees Celsius.

Taiga

May also be referred to as: Coniferous forest biome or Boreal forest biome

This biome is characterized by the large numbers of coniferous, or evergreen trees. Varieties of pines, fir, hemlock and spruce trees can be found here.

This area is typically very cold in the winter with the main precipitation being snow. Summers are rainy and warm enough to melt the snow.

Adaptations for organisms in the taiga Plants have waxy, needle-like leaves to conserve water and thick bark for protection from the cold. Animals that stay year-round grow thicker coats in the winter and shed some off during summer months and have large deposits of fat underneath their skin to withstand cold temperatures. Many animals migrate to warmer areas during the extremely cold months or hibernate until outside temperatures warm up.

Average temperature and precipitation per year Usually receives about 50 cm of precipitation per year Temperatures average between -29 – 22 degrees Celsius

Deciduous Forest

This biome is characterized by deciduous trees This biome is characterized by deciduous trees. Deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in the fall and grow new ones in the spring.

This area displays very mild temperatures, usually having four very distinct seasons. Winters are normally cool and mild and summers are normally very warm. The general rule of thumb is “not too hot and not too cold… just right.”

This biome has a variety of habitats due to the mild climate and plentiful rainfall. Many animals that live here are migratory and will not be seen throughout the entire year due either to hibernation or migration. Plant life is plentiful due to nice amounts of rainfall that can support many types of plant life.

Average temperature and precipitation per year Usually averages about 125 cm of precipitation per year Temperature averages between -20 – 30 degree Celsius per year