1. What are Biomes?

2. WORLD BIOMES Tundra Deciduous Forest Taiga Desert Grasslands
    
Tundra
Deciduous Forest
Taiga
Rainforest
Grasslands
Desert

3. KEY WORDS Precipitation
Rain, snow, or hail, all of which are formed by condensation of moisture in the atmosphere and fall to the ground
Climate
The typical weather pattern in a place over a long period, including the precipitation, temperature, and seasonal patterns
Biome
a stable community of plants and animals in a particular geographic area with a distinct climate
Abiotic: non living factors in an environment
Biotic: living factors in an environment

4. Land Biomes
The climate of the region depends partly on where on Earth the region is.
*remember: Climate includes a region’s precipitation, temperature, and seasonal patterns.
When climates stay the same over long periods of time, the living parts of an ecosystem tend to become stable.
Therefore, Biomes are stable communities of plants and animals in certain locations that have distinct climates.
There are SIX different land biomes: starting at the poles and moving toward the equator, biomes occur in the following order:

5. TUNDRA

6. Tundra
Located in the far Northern and Southern parts of the world, and at the tops of very high mountains
Most of the ground remains frozen for several inches making it impossible for deep-rooted plants to grow—top layer of soil is called permafrost (only part that thaws)
A lot of lichen and moss on the rocks
Long winters and short summers
In the winter it is dark all of the time, while in the summer the sun barley sets
Precipitation is roughly 10 inches annually
In North America the tundra is limited to northern Alaska and Canada, and to the higher peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

7. TAIGA

8. Taiga Located South of the northern tundra
Taiga is the Russian word for forest and is the largest biome in the world.
The average temperature is below freezing for six months out of the year. The winter temperature ranges from -65 to 30° F. Temperatures in the summer get as low as 20° F. The high in summer can be 70° F.
Precipitation is roughly 8-24 inches annually.
The taiga in North America stretches from Alaska across central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.

9. TEMPERATE DESCIDOUS FOREST

10. Temperate Deciduous Forest
"Deciduous" means to fall off, or shed, seasonally.
Trees are “dormant” in the winter
Four distinct seasons each year
Approximately inches of rainfall annually
Soil is very rich in nutrients
Many types of plants grow there
Therefore, many types of consumers live in these forests
In North America occur mostly from southeastern Canada through the mountains of northern Georgia and west to the Mississippi River.

11. GRASSLANDS

12. Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya
Grassland
Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya
Located in the interiors of continents
Rainfall is irregular: approximately 4-16 inches annually
Wind blows constantly
Many herbivores that graze live on the grassland prairies
Most of the world’s wheat, corn, and soybeans are grown here
North American grasslands stretch from central Canada through Texas and into Mexico.
In Africa, the grasslands are called “Savannahs”

13. DESERT

14. Desert
Deserts can be either hot such as the Australian Desert or cold such as the Gobi Desert.
Very little rainfall from year-to-year: approximately 4 inches annually
Some have warm to hot temperatures all year round
No trees, some dry brush, bushes, grasses, cacti
Others have a wider range of temperature from winter to summer
Much warmer during the day than it is at night
In North America, desert reach from the interior of southwestern Canada through northern Mexico

15. TROPICAL RAINFOREST

16. Tropical Rain Forest Nearest to the equator
It is the same temperature all year long
There are two seasons-rainy and dry (which just means there is less rain than in the rainy season)
Approximately 100 inches of rainfall annually
Lots of birds, some mammals and a lot of insects.
In North America, Tropical Rain Forest occur from southern Mexico through Panama, on many of the islands in the Caribbean and in Hawaii.

17. Conclusion
The Six Major Land Biomes are: The Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest, Grassland, and Desert.
The climate of each Biome is unlike the other biomes
Climate is affected by the temperature, precipitation, and seasonal patterns
The coldest climate zones are near the poles
The warmest climate zones are near the equator
Plants and animals will demonstrate their adaptation to the climate of a particular biome.