1. Ecology and Sustainability

2. Types of Biomes Tropical Rainforests Hot Deserts
Boreal Forests (Taiga)
Grasslands
Tundra
Temperate Deciduous Forests

3. Tropical Rainforest High biodiversity High biomass
Little seasonal change (always warm)
VERY WET! (Annual precipitation inches! )
Broadleaved evergreen and deciduous trees

4. Tropical Rainforest Charlotte, NC average rainfall = 44 inches
Has Four layers
Emergent = Top, Most Sunlight
Canopy= Most trees grow to this height
Understory = Not much light, dense vegetation
Forest Floor = Dark, damp, leaves

5. Tropical Rainforest Animals
Bonobo
Anaconda
Jaguar
Poison dart frog

6. Human Impact
Tropical rainforests are disappearing due to logging and conversion to pasture and croplands.
½ of the tropical rainforest biome has been destroyed
Recovery of rainforests is uncertain

7. Why are Tropical Rainforests called the lungs of the Earth?

8. Deserts High temperatures, low moisture
Sparse vegetation and animal populations
Low water availability constrains plant abundance and influences form
Deciduous shrubs, grasses, and short-lived annual plants that are active only after a rain

9. Desert Animals
Camel
Scorpion
Roadrunner
Rattlesnake

10. Desert Plants

11. Human Impact
Humans use deserts for agriculture and livestock grazing

12. What is unique about desert plants?
Deserts
What is unique about desert plants?

13. Boreal Forests (Taiga)
Long, severe winters
Permafrost (soil that remains frozen year-round)
Boreal forests have not been as affected by human activities.
Trees are pines, spruces, larches and birches

14. Boreal Forests (Taiga) Animals
Wood Bison
Elk
Moose
Black Bears

15. Boreal Forest

16. Human Impact
Boreal forests have not been as affected by human activities
Logging and oil and gas development occur in some regions

17. Grasslands Warm, wet summers and cold, dry winters
Grasses are the major plant group

18. Grasslands Animals
Gazelles
Prairie dog
Elephants
Lion

19. Human Impact
grazing by domestic animals can exceed capacity for regrowth, leading to grassland degradation and desertification.

20. Grassland Africa = Savanna Asia = Steppe North America = Prairie
South America = Los Llanos

21. Tundra Cold temperatures, low precipitation No Trees
Grasses, low-growing shrubs, lichens, and mosses (no trees)

22. Tundra Animals
Caribou
Wolves
Polar bears
Musk oxen

23. Human Impact Human settlements are rare
This biome has the largest pristine areas on Earth

24. Tundra
What is the main difference between the tundra and the boreal forest (taiga)?

25. Temperate Deciduous Forests
Strong seasonality
Leaves fall off of the trees in the fall/winter
Species diversity lower than tropical rainforests
Fertile soils and climate make this biome good for agriculture

26. Temperate Deciduous Forest Animals
Opossum
Cardinals
White-tailed Deer
Raccoons

27. Human Impact Agriculture was an issue
As agriculture has shifted to the tropics, temperate forests have regrown

28. Biodiversity The total amount of species living in a given area
This includes a range from single celled bacteria to the largest of the top consumers (tertiary consumers)

29. Biodiversity
Higher biodiversities are found in your biomes that have warm temperatures and wetter conditions
Examples?
Tropical Rainforest
Boreal Forest (Taiga)

30. Biodiversity Lower Biodiversity biomes would be cooler and/or dry
Examples?
Desert
Tundra