1. Mind Stretcher - 2. Which process does NOT release carbon dioxide?
Which of the following is NOT a way that nitrogen cycles through the environment?
Decomposition releases nitrogen into the soil.
Plant roots take up nitrogen from the soil.
Nitrogen is stored in fossil fuels.
2. Which process does NOT release carbon dioxide?
Combustion
Respiration
Photosynthesis

2. Earth’s Biomes
Chapter 23

3. Average Temperature and Average Rainfall
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Biomes are dependent on two very important environmental factors:
Average Temperature and Average Rainfall
Biomes are named after the dominant type of vegetation associated with large land areas.
The three major biomes are: (1) Deserts,
(2) Grasslands, (3) Forests

4. Taiga Deciduous Prairie Savanna Tundra
BIOME
Organizer
Cold Temp.
Avg. Temp.
Hot Temp.
Heavy Rainfall
Average
Rainfall
Light
Taiga
Coniferous or
Boreal
Forests
Deciduous
Temperate
Forests
Tropical Rain Forests
Prairie
Temperate Grasslands
Savanna
Tropical Grasslands
Tundra
Polar Grasslands
Cool Deserts
Temperate Deserts
Tropical Deserts

5. Celsius Scale 30’s Warm 20’s Nice 10’s Cold 0’s Ice

6. Deserts have these qualities:
Precipitation is low and limited
Evaporation exceeds precipitation (Rain dries out very fast)
Light vegetation & clear skies
Most animals are small and nocturnal (come out at night)
Hot days – Cool nights!!

7. Types of Deserts
Tropical Desert - hot all year, few plants, wind-blown surfaces EX: Sahara

8. Desert Climate Graph

9. Types of Deserts
Temperate Deserts - Daytime temp. hot in summer & cool in winter EX. The Mojave Desert

10. Types of Deserts
Cool Desert – Warm summers & cold, cold winters EX: The Gobi Desert
Brrr…It’s cold here

11. Desert Food Web

12. NO, you don’t have to write this question down!
What do all of these deserts have in common? Think of three observations.
NO, you don’t have to write this question down!

13. Grasslands have these qualities:
Precipitation is high enough to allow grass to grow.
Droughts and fires prevent permanent forests.
Home to large herbivores (bison, zebras etc.) and many borrowing animals (meerkats, prairie dogs)

14. Types of Grasslands
Savanna (Tropical Grassland): high avg. temps. with a prolonged dry season of 4-6 months. Rest of the year is wet.

15. Types of Grasslands
Prairie (Temperate Grasslands): Strong winds that blow almost continuously & evaporation is rapid.

16. Prairie Climate Graph

17. Types of Grasslands
Tundra (Polar Grasslands): Most of the year the climate is extremely cold with high winds & snow cover. Winters are long and avg. precipitation is low (mostly snow)

18. Question????? HANDS FREE! EYES ON ME! EARS PLEASE!
Close your eyes and imagine a simple savanna food web.
What would happen in your food web, if the top level consumers were removed?
HANDS FREE!
EYES ON ME!
EARS PLEASE!

20. Forests have these qualities:
A wide variety of plants, dominated by trees.
Provides a variety of habitats for a variety animals. (birds, deer, bears, mice, opossum, insects, etc.)

21. Types of forests:
Tropical Rain Forests: constant hot temp., high humidity, daily afternoon rains, poor soil, hardwood trees, most animals live in the canopy, most biologically diverse

22. Rainforest Climate Graph

23. Types of forests:
Deciduous forests: moderate temps., changes a lot during the 4 seasons, abundant precipitation, deciduous trees loose their leaves each fall, nutrient rich soils

24. Types of Forests:
Taiga: winters are long & dry, lots of snowfall & short days, temps. range from cool to extremely cold, dominated by conifers

26. Compare and contrast
Draw the following venn diagram on your paper and fill it in.
Forests
Deserts
Grasslands