1. Introduction

2. World Biomes

3. What is a Biome?
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.

4. How are biomes formed?
Biomes are distributed across the Earth based primarily on climate. Similar climates, will have similar biomes.
One factor affecting climate is latitude. Typically, the farther you move north or south of the equator, the colder the temperature gets. Another factor affecting climate is elevation. The higher you go in elevation, the colder the temperature gets.
Climate is a major factor in forming biomes because it is a major factor in controlling which living organisms survive.
Most plants that live in cold climates have developed similar adaptations to the cold, and those adaptations are significantly different from the ones required to survive in warm climates.
As a result, areas with similar climates (on a global scale) have similar biotic communities and are therefore considered the same biome.
Climates change as we move north or south from the equator. As a rule, temperatures drop the farther you get from the equator. Therefore, many biomes are distributed along very distinct lines of latitude. For example, deserts are typically found around 30 degrees North or South latitude.
However, climate can also be affected by elevation. Thus, biomes that are typically found closer to the poles may also be found on mountains located near the equator.

5. How many biomes? We will be studying the following: Tundra
Northern Coniferous Forest (Taiga)
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Grassland
Desert
Rainforest
Lotic Ecosystems (streams, rivers, brooks)
Lentic Ecosystems (lakes and ponds)
Estuaries
Oceanic Ecosystems
Coral Reefs
Hydrothermal Vents
…However, there is some disagreement among scientists about how many biomes there should be. Some argue that there are as few as five and others that there are as many as thirteen or more. For our purposes, we will focus only on the terrestrial (land) biomes. If we included aquatic, there would be even more.
The eight biomes represented here are pretty standard, but they are relatively generic. It is possible to divide these into smaller biomes. For example, we could break the tundra into arctic tundra and alpine tundra.

6. Biomes

7. To understand a world biome, you need to know:
What the climate of the region is like.
Where each biome is found and what its geography is like.
The special adaptations of the vegetation.
The types of animals found in the biome and their physical and behavioural adaptations to their environment.
Threats to the biome
One specific Animal

8. The Arctic Ocean!!!
Consisting of deep ocean covered by drifting pack ice and surrounded by continents and archipelagos around the Earth's North Pole, the Arctic is the planet's largest and least fragmented inhabited region.

9. Geography/Location The farthest northern ocean.
Continually covered by ice, but it does have summer and winter months.
The ice melts up to 50% in the summer.
There is no land under the ice.

10. Plants
Unlike most biomes, very few plants. Mostly mosses and fungi. In the ocean itself, mostly algae and seaweeds.

11. Animals
Animals that can survive in the Arctic Ocean are adapted for this extreme environment. Yet, the Arctic Ocean is teeming with life. Some examples include whales, seals, polar bears, plankton, fish, birds. Mostly predators. All have a thick layer of fur or fat to protect from extreme cold.

12. Climate
It is the coldest ocean on Earth and is often capped with sea ice. During the coldest winter months there is little or no sunshine penetrating the water. During the summer months, the sun shines up to 24 hours a day.

13. Increased exploitation
Threats
Climate Change
Oil Drilling
Increased exploitation
Long Range Pollution

14. Monodon monoceros: Narwal
One of the only animals to live year round in the arctic ocean.
Only males have the long tusk
Declared endangered due to climate change.
12-18ft long
Eat halibut, cod, shrimp ,
and squid