Biomes of the World Classified by: 1) the animals that live there 2) the plants that grow there 3) the climate

Alpine

Climate: cold, snowy & windy Plants: low growing wildflowers & mosses Animals: mountain goats & snowshoe hare Location: high elevations / mountains Interesting Fact: less oxygen as you increase in elevation

Tropical Rainforest

Climate: very humid, warm, lots of rain Plants: “thick, tangled jungle” of trees and vines Animals: monkeys, parrots, insects Location: near the equator Fact: called the “lungs” of our planet because the trees supply much of our oxygen

Savanna

Climate:warm all year / dry winter /wet summer Plants: grasses, shrubs and short trees Animals: lions, zebras, elephants, giraffes Location: Africa / flat plain Fact: a type of grassland (Think of The Lion King)

Taiga

Taiga (coniferous forest) Climate: winter is cold and snowy – summer is warm, rainy and humid Plants: coniferous trees – needles for leaves such as evergreens (Christmas Trees) shaped like a cone with flexible branches Animals: lynx, bobcat, moose, elk, bear Location: top of North America and Eurasia Facts: also called Coniferous Forest

Deciduous Forest

Climate:four seasons –fall, winter, spring & summer Plants: broadleaf trees – oak, maple, walnut trees lose their leaves and go into dormancy in the winter months Animals: deer, squirrels, raccoons, mice Location: eastern half of the US – middle of Europe Facts: this is the biome we live in

Grassland

Climate: hot summers & cold winters Plants:covered in tall & short grasses w/ flowers Animals: bison, geese, eagles Location: Mid-west of North America, flat plains Facts: also called plains, prairies, steppes, pampas

Desert

Climate: hot and dry – very little rain Plants: brittle bush and prickly pear – very rare Animals: horned vipers, insects, small nocturnal carnivores Location:near Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn Fact: animals are nocturnal to survive the heat

Tundra

Climate: cold Plants: no trees, moss, dwarf shrubs, lichens Animals: caribou, reindeer, wolves, polar bears Location: top of Northern Hemisphere and Antarctica Facts: frozen ground called permafrost

chaparral

Chaparral Climate: hot and dry Plants: shrubs, cacti and tumbleweeds Animals: lizards, coyotes, jack rabbits Location: West Coast of US – West Coast of SA Fact: used in movies for the “wild west”

Marine (Ocean)

Climate: saltwater Plants: kelp and seaweed Animals: fish, dolphin, whale, & shark Location: covers ¾ of the Earth’s surface Fact: low and high tides – has currents

freshwater

Freshwater Climate: no salt – speed of the water flow affects it Plants: lily pads, algae (pond scum) Animals: salmon, bass, & trout Location: rivers, lakes, ponds and streams Fact: dependent on run-off water from the land

Estuary

Climate: saltwater meets freshwater- called brackish water Plants: cattails, cord grass Animals: egrets, geese, herons Location: a bay Other facts: rest stop for migratory birds