1. The World’s Biomes

2. What is a Biome?
A biome is an area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it.
Temperature, soil, and the amount of light and water help determine what life exists in a biome. 
Biomes change based on climate patterns / change

3. What is a Biome?
 Biome is different from an ecosystem.
An ecosystem is the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment.
A biome is a specific geographic area notable for the species living there. A biome can be made up of many ecosystems.
For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forests.

4. Types of Biomes Not all scientists classify biomes in the same way.
Some use broad classifications and count as few as five biomes.
These are 
Forest, 
Grassland, 
Freshwater,
Marine,
 Desert,
 Tundra. 

5. Types of Biomes: Forest
Today, forests occupy approximately one-third of Earth's land area
Forests are threatened from human activity such as deforestation, pollution, and industrial usage
There are three major types of forests, classed according to latitude:
Tropical
Temperate
Boreal forests (taiga)

6. Forest Biome: Tropical
Tropical forest
Tropical forests have the greatest diversity of species.
They occur near the equator.
They have only two seasons: (rainy and dry). There is no winter.
The length of daylight is 12 hours
Olympic Peninsula rain forest, Washington

7. Forest Biome: Temperate
Temperate forest
Found in eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and western and central Europe.
Well-defined seasons with a distinct winter.
Moderate climate and a growing season of days during 4-6 frost-free months
Wisconsin woods

8. Forest Biome: Boreal / Taiga
Boreal is the largest Biome
Boreal forests can be found in Siberia, Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada.
2 seasons: short, moist, and warm summers and long, cold, and dry winters.
The length of the growing season is 130 days
Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

9. Types of Biomes: Grassland
Also known as the prairies, are located in the Southern parts of Manitoba, Sask. and Alberta
Very dry climate that is suited for grass
Drought resistant short grasses, sagebrush and cactus
Soils: limited rainfall and high evaporation create calcified soils which are unsuitable for crops – cattle are grazed instead

11. Grasslands Cont’d
In southern grassland areas precipitation encourages the growth of tall grasses
Year after year as the tall grasses die in the fall, they produce large amounts of humus that result in rich, black soil.
This is the richest soil in Canada and produces some of the best grains in the world.

12. The Freshwater Biome
Freshwater is defined as having a low salt concentration — usually less than 1%.
Plants and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (i.e., ocean).

13. Freshwater Biome There are different types of freshwater regions:
Ponds and lakes
Streams and rivers
Wetlands

14. Types of Biomes: Marine
Marine regions cover about three-fourths of the Earth's surface and include oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries.
Marine algae supply much of the world's oxygen and take in a huge amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

15. Marine Biomes
The evaporation of the seawater provides rainwater for the land.
Types of Marine Biomes include
Oceans
Coral reefs
Estuaries

16. Marine Biomes: Oceans
The largest of all the ecosystems, oceans are very large bodies of water that dominate the Earth's surface.
Oceans have a great diversity of species even though fewer species than on land.

17. Marine Biomes: Coral Reefs
Coral reefs live in warm shallow waters. E.g. The Great Barrier Reef off Australia
Reef waters are nutritionally poor, so corals get nutrients through the algae using photosynthesis
Reefs include microorganisms, fish, sea urchins, octopuses, and sea stars.

18. Marine Biomes: Estuaries
Estuaries are areas where freshwater streams or rivers merge with the ocean.
Different salt concentrations creates a very unique ecosystem.
Plant life includes algae, seaweeds, marsh grasses,
Organisms include worms, oysters, crabs, and waterfowl.

19. Types of Biomes: Desert
Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year.
Most deserts occur at low latitudes. E.g. the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia.

20. Desert Biome Most deserts have specialized vegetation and animals.
Soils often have abundant nutrients because they need only water to become very productive
Problems: occasional fires or cold weather; sudden, infrequent, but intense rains that cause flooding.

21. Types of Biomes: Tundra
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes.
It has frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.
Tundra near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

22. Tundra Cont’d Characteristics of Tundra include:
Extremely cold climate
Low biotic diversity
Simple vegetation structure
Limitation of drainage
Short season of growth and reproduction
Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material

23. World Map Task Fill out a World Map. You must include: Continents
Political divisions / Countries
World Biomes
Make sure you label the map clearly!