Geography

Learning Objectives  Students should be able to define Physical and Human Geography  Students should be able to list the 7 Major Biomes  Students should be able to identify the characteristics of a particular Biome

Geography  Physical geography is the study of the natural features of the Earth’s surface: eg mountain ranges, deserts, oceans, forests and ecosystems.  Human geography is a branch of the social sciences that studies the world, its people, communities and cultures.

Physical Geography has two main factors  Abiotic (non-living) factors – temperature, wind, humidity, rainfall, soil types-salinity-pH, seasons, altitude (height above or below sea level), latitude (distance away from the equator).  Biotic (living) factors – Fauna (animals), Flora (plants), Fungi and micro-organisms such as protozoa, bacteria and viruses (which are not defined as being alive)

5 Kingdoms of Life

Ecosystem  An ecosystem is a local community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.communitynon-living components  Ecosystems are smaller components of the larger Biomes.

Biomes  A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment.  The climate and geography of a region determines what type of biome can exist in that region.  Major biomes include deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra, and several types of aquatic environments.  Each biome consists of many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to the small differences in climate and the environment inside the biome. Eg Marine Biomes contains, reef, tidal, mid-ocean ecosystems.

Earth BiomesEarth Biomes – click on this link for examples 1. Tundra – Frozen lands 2. Taiga (Coniferous Forest) 3. Temperate Forest 4. Tropical Rainforest 5. Grassland (Prairies) 6. Desert 7. Marine/Freshwater