Biomes Earth has SEVEN major biomes: Marine Tropical rain forest Grassland Desert Temperate deciduous forest Tundra Taiga

Aquatic Biomes Covers about 75% of the Earth's surface Freshwater and saltwater Wide variety of animals and plants

Saltwater The marine biome is the biggest biome in the world! – It covers about 70% of the earth. Includes oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries(river flows into ocean). Five main oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic & Southern, as well as many smaller Gulfs and Bays.

Tropical Rain Forest Location: the Amazon in South America, Central Africa, mainly involving Zaire, & Southeast Asia. Warm temperatures all year 68  F-93  F Abundant rain fall all year 150 cm per year (177 in) 49 in per year in Ga Soil is thin & lacks nutrients.

Rainforest Plants Lush, thick forests Canopy consists of uppermost branches of trees Trees have short roots Plants grow on trees to get sunlight Bromeliads Epiphytes Buttress Roots Orchids

Rainforest Animals Home to more than half of the world’s animals Range from tiny insects to large mammals Macaw Toucan Jaguar Spider Monkey Poison-Arrow FrogBoa Constrictor Morpho Butterfly

Grassland Located: Africa, South America, Eurasia, and the plains of North America Hot summers & cold winters Temperatures range from 100  F to - 40  F. 10 and 35 inches of precipitation a year, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer Soils that are nutrient-rich from the growth and decay of deep, many- branched grass roots

Grassland Plants Primary plant life is grass Trees & large shrubs are largely absent Cottonwood Willow Purple Needlegrass Buffalo GrassBlazing Stars Asters

North American Grassland Animals Herbivores dominant- Animals that eat only plants Bison Pronghorn Prairie Dog Coyote Hawk

African Grassland Animals Elephant Caracal Lion Zebras Emu Chacma BaboonAfrican Wild Dog

DESERT Located: North & South America, Africa, Australia Temperature ranges from 64  F-120  F VERY dry climate – South America=less than 1.5 cm a year – North America=almost 28 cm a year Soils are coarse-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely

Desert Plants Plants have long roots & the ability to collect &store water Asian MustardElephant Tree Mojave Yucca Barrel CactusPopcorn Flowers

Desert Animals Nocturnal animals live in deserts, they come out at night to avoid the high temperatures Sonoran Desert ToadArizona Bark ScorpionGreater Roadrunner Black-Tailed JackrabbitMeerkatTexas Horned Lizard

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome where you live! Located: Eastern half of the United States, Canada, Europe, parts of Russia, China, and Japan 4 distinct seasons Average temperature=50  F Average rainfall per year=30-60 inches Soil is thick and rich in nutrients to support a variety of plants

Temperate Deciduous Forest Plants Deciduous trees found here=lose their leaves in the fall Maple TreeFerns Oak TreeBirch Tree Beech Tree Lichen

Temperate Deciduous Forest Animals Animals must be able to adapt to changing seasons Broad-Winged Hawk Ladybug OpossumRaccoon White-Tailed DeerTurtle

Tundra Located: Alaska, Northern Canada, edges of Greenland, Northern Scandinavia, northern Siberia, & Russia Long, cold winters and short, summers (snow can fall in summer) Temperature ranges from -18  F- 20  F 6-10 inches of rain a year Soil is frozen=permafrost

Tundra Plants Bearberry Caribou Moss Diamond Leaf Willow Tufted Saxifrage

Tundra Animals Polar Bear Arctic FoxGrizzly Bear Arctic Hare Snowy Owl

Taiga Located: Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia; spreading through the Northern Hemisphere. Temperature range 25  F- 50  F Winter precipitation=snow annually about inches. Rainfall usually occurs in the summer=10-20 inches Soil lacks nutrients

Taiga Plants Coniferous trees dominate this biome=have cones Pine Tree Douglas Fir Tree HemlockTree

Taiga Animals Mammals with heavy fur coats can be found living in this biome Fox Caribou Reindeer Mink Grey Wolf