1. Just to refresh your memory…
Biomes
Just to refresh your memory…
Biosphere
You are here Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism

2. A Biome is…
A large geographical area that is characterized by its climate and the flora (plants) & fauna (animals) that live in there.
A biome contains related ecosystems. For example: the temperate deciduous forest biome contains ecosystems in the tree-tops, the forest floor, and mid-canopy.

3. Earth’s Major Terrestrial Biomes
Earth’s Major Terrestrial Biomes. Don’t get hung up on this list…there are others!
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Coniferous Forest (aka: Taiga, Boreal Forest)
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate Grassland (e.g.. Prairies, Pampas, Steppes)
Tropical Grassland (e.g.. Savanna, and some in S. America, and Australia.)
Deserts…hot like the Sahara, Sonora, etc., and cold like the Gobi.
Tundra (Polar & Alpine)

4. How Do We Decide What’s What?
Characterized by:
Climate …NOT weather!
Climate is the average temperature and precipitation in an area over time.
What lives there? Not just animals…plants too.
What is the topography of the area…the landforms.

5. What is This Thing. Why…it’s a CLIMATOGRAM It shows the avg
What is This Thing!?! Why…it’s a CLIMATOGRAM It shows the avg. monthly temperatures and the amount of precipitation
This Y- axis shows the avg. ppt.
The bars!
This Y-axis shows the avg. TEMP.
The line!
Here’s your KEY…tells you what’s what.
Here’s where you see the month…X-axis

6. How Do They Compare? Here’s a Graphic Organizer that shows the relationship among the biomes/habitats with regard to temp. and ppt.
Temp. Grassland
S. America
Tropical Grassland

7. Which Biome is this?

8. Temperate Deciduous Forest
This is where we live!
Deciduous forest contain trees that shed their leaves every year.
Location:
Mid-latitudes (between the poles and the tropics)
Precipitation
Yearly Avg: cm ( inches)
Temperature
Summer Avg: 28⁰c (82⁰f)
Winter Avg.: 6⁰c (43⁰f)
Not too hot…not too cold
There are seasons here!
Flora
Oaks, Maples, Hickory, Beech, Poplar, Sweetgum, and other decid. trees.
Woody shrubs, flowers, ferns, mosses.
Fauna
Mammals (deer, bear, raccoon, squirrel)
Birds
Reptiles, Amphibians, and Inverts.

9. Here’s Where They are and What the Graph Looks Like…typically.
Temp. Decid. Forests

10. Which Biome is This?

11. Coniferous Forest (aka: Taiga, Boreal Forest)
Lots and lots of pine trees! Get it pine cone…coniferous?
Coniferous means “cone-bearing”. Their trees have need-like, waxy leaves to retain moisture.
Location:
Northern hemisphere. High latitudes near the poles.
Relatively unpopulated.
Precipitation
Yearly Avg: 35-75cm ( inches)
Temperature
Summer Avg: 14⁰c (57⁰f)
Winter Avg.: -10⁰c (14⁰f)
Cold winters…cool summers.
Flora
Pines, firs, spruce (all cone bearing) are dominant here.
Fauna
Mammals (wolf, lynx, bobcat, weasels, rabbit, squirrel, deer, elk)
Birds-migratory
Inverts.

12. Here’s Where They are and What the Graph Looks Like…typically.
Coniferous Forest

13. Which Biome is This?

14. Tropical Rainforest Greatest biodiversity of any land biome. Location:
Equatorial. (near the equator.)
Soil is nutrient poor…it’s all in the plants!
Precipitation
Yearly Avg: up to cm ( inches). Greatest ppt. of any biome!
Temperature
No Seasons. It’s near the equator…think about it!
Night: 20⁰c (68⁰f)
Day:34⁰c (93⁰f)
Flora
All types of trees, vines, flowers. There really is no dominant species like in the other types of forests.
Fauna
Mammals: depends which TRF, but…Jaguars, monkeys, tapirs, sloths, rodents.
Lots of reptiles and amphibians.
Birds-colorful, vocal, fruit-eating.
Insects: the largest group in this biome.

15. Here’s Where They are and What the Graph Looks Like…typically.
Tropical Rain Forest

16. Which Biome is This?

17. Temperate Grassland
There are a few. The Steppes of Asia, The US Prairies, and Las Pampas de Argentina…that’s Spanish for the Pampas of Argentina.
Location:
Mid-latitudes. Interior of continents. Rolling hills with few trees.
Precipitation
Yearly Avg: up to cm ( inches). Usually there only dormant (colder) and growing (warmer) seasons.
Temperature
Avg Summer: 30⁰c (86⁰f)
Avg Winter: 0⁰c (32⁰f)
Flora
Grasses and flowers. Very few trees.
Fauna
Mammals: bison, antelope, coyotes, wolves,
Reptiles.
Birds-seed and insect-eating.
Insects and other inverts.
Sea anemones…just making sure you’re payin’ attention.

18. Here’s Where They are and What the Graph Looks Like…typically.
Temperate Grassland

19. What Biome is This?

20. Tropical Grassland(Savanna)
Rolling grassy terrain (like prairies). Clumps of trees here and there.
A long dry season and a rainy season.
Location
Found north and south of the Equator, on the edges of TRF’s. Africa, India, & S. America.
Precipitation
Yearly Avg: 150 cm (59 inches). Usually there only dormant (colder) and growing (warmer) seasons.
Temp:
Dry Season: 34⁰c (93⁰f)
Wet Season: 16⁰c (61⁰f)
Flora
Grasses and flowers. Very few trees. In Africa…acacia trees.
Fauna
Mammals: Lions, cheetah, wildebeest, zebra, antelope, giraffe…those are all African Savannah.
Reptiles.
Birds-seed and insect-eating.
Insects and other inverts.
Unicorns and talking fish…checking again.

21. Here’s Where They are and What the Graph Looks Like…typically.
Tropical Grassland

22. What Biome is This?

23. Alpine & Arctic Tundra Fairly low diversity with simple food chains.
From the Finnish word for barren land.
Fairly low diversity with simple food chains.
As dry or even drier than deserts!
ARCTIC has characteristic PERMAFROST (a frozen layer of soil which keeps tall trees from growing!)
Location
-Arctic: High, middle, and low Arctic zones.
-Alpine: northern hemisphere at high elevation
Precipitation
<10 inches (25 cm) per year.
Temp:
Avg. Summer: 12⁰c (54⁰f)
Avg. Winter: <O⁰c (<32⁰f)
Flora
Shrubs, dwarf trees, grasses, lichen, mosses, liverwort, angiosperms (flowering plants).
Fauna
Birds: ptarmigan, grouse, migratory birds
Mammals: polar bear, wolves, foxes, lemmings, caribou, arctic hares, squirrels, marmot, pikas, moutain goat, sheep elk.
Insects, some fish

24. Map and Climatogram* for the Tundra…in general*.

25. What Biome is This?

26. Hot Deserts
Greatest daily differential of any biome. Very hot days and cold nights.
Location
-Under zones of high atmospheric pressure
-West coasts of continents between 20° and 30° latitude
-Rainshadows of high mountain ranges & interiors of continents.
Precipitation
<10 inches (25 cm) per year.
Temp:
Day: 38⁰c (>100⁰f)
Night: 7⁰c (45⁰f)
Flora
Shrubs w/small leaves, spines, or thorns are dominant (evergreen or deciduous). Shallow but extensive root systems to max. rainwater xerophytes-adapted to tolerate extreme drought. Phreatophytes-plants with long taproots. Succulents-like cacti.
Fauna
Rodents and some larger mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and other inverts.
Behavioral Adaptations: living underground (fossorial), noctornal (active at night), crepuscular (dawn and dusk). Physical Adaptations: long ears, concentrated urine, no sweat glands, fat deposits.

27. Map and Climatogram* for the Hot Desert…in general*.