Biomes

What is a biome?  Biomes refer to a large region or area characterized by the following: 1. A particular pattern of the annual temperature and precipitation distribution, and 2. The dominant fauna (animals) and flora (plants).  In describing a biome, the focus is on its plant life, animal life, and climate of the region.

Biomes TerrestrialAquatic

Terrestrial Biomes  Desert  Taiga  Tundra  Grassland  Temperate Forest  Tropical Rainforest

Desert  A desert is a landscape or region that receives very little precipitation or as areas in which more water is lost than falls.  Deserts take up about one third of the Earth's land surface. The temperature in the daytime can reach 45 °C or higher in the summer, and dip to 0 °C or lower in the winter.

 Cold deserts (polar deserts) have similar features, except the main form of precipitation is snow rather than rain.  Sand dunes are not prominent features in these deserts, but snow dunes occur commonly in areas where precipitation is locally more abundant.  Antarctica is the world's largest cold desert. Desert

 Deserts have a reputation for supporting very little life, but in reality deserts often have high biodiversity, including animals that remain hidden during daylight hours to control body temperature or to limit moisture needs.  Some fauna includes the kangaroo rat, coyote, jack rabbit, and many lizards.  These animals adapted to live in deserts are called xerocoles. Desert

 Most desert plants are drought- or salt- tolerant or xerophytes.  Some store water in their leaves, roots, and stems.  Other desert plants have long taproots that penetrate to the water table if present, or have adapted to the weather by having wide-spreading roots to absorb water from a greater area of the ground. Desert

Taiga  Taiga, the world's largest biome, has a harsh continental climate with a very large temperature range between summer and winter.  The forests of the taiga are largely coniferous, dominated by larch, spruce, fir, and pine.

 The taiga is home to a number of large herbivorous mammals and smaller rodents. These animals have also adapted to survive the harsh climate.  Some of the larger mammals, such as bears, eat during the summer in order to gain weight and then go into hibernation during the winter.  Other animals have adapted layers of fur or feathers to insulate them from the cold. Taiga

Tundra  Temperature – very cold, harsh weather for nine months - the ground below remains frozen (permafrost) - water collects on top of the soil as lakes and ponds  Plants – are small, they grow on the short summer. They easily grow seeds which can survive until the following summer

 Animals – many animals do not live there all year long - insects are plenty during the summer Tundra

Grassland  The temperature and precipitation vary throughout the year. It is somewhat similar with temperate deciduous forests.  Dry periods occur often.  This biome is characterized by many grasses and few trees.  The soil in grassland is fertile that is why it is use for farming.  Most of the world’s wheat, corn and soybeans are grown on grassland. Grassland

 Many small animals such as burrowing owls and ground squirrels live in grassland.  Large grazing animals such as herd of pronghorn and bison once roamed in this biome. Grassland

 This biome is characterized by deciduous trees.  Experiences four seasons. The winter is cold and the summer is hot. The spring and autumn season are mild.  Many kinds of plants and animals live here because the cold period is short and there is much precipitation. Temperate Forest

 Has much rainfall and high temperatures all year because it is located near the equator.  Tropical rain forests have no seasons.  More organisms live here than in all the other biomes combined.  The soil here is thin and not very fertile because the nutrients are cycled very quickly. Tropical Rainforest

Aquatic Biomes  Pond  Coral Reef

 Small body of water which allows small plants to grow in its area.  It has calm water which makes it ideal for insects and small water dwelling invertebrates to live in.  This includes the pondskater, the water boatman, the diving beetle, the whirligig beetle and the water scorpion. Pond

 Found in marine waters.  Home for a lot of aquatic animals.  Has the most diverse group of organisms Coral Reef Atlantic Coral Reef

What is the significance of having many kinds of biome? Which biome do you like best and why?