1. North American Biomes
Made by Lauren Shepard

2. What is a Biome?
Biomes are the world’s major communities where insects, animals, plants, and people live in a certain type of climate.
The biomes we will be covering in this lesson are:
Desert
Deciduous Forest
Arctic tundra
Tropical Rainforest
Grasslands
Taiga

3. The Desert Biome Characteristics: Hot and dry
Desert covers about 1/5 of the Earth’s land surface
For the plants to survive they adapt:
Store water for long periods of time
Stand the hot weather

4. The Desert Biome: Climate
Hottest biome on earth
Can be over 100 degrees during the day and below 32 degrees at night
There is very little rain in the desert but when it does rain, it pours
After a storm, it may not rain again for weeks or months

5. The Desert Biome: Plants
Plants in the desert may have to go without water for over a year!
Here some examples of desert plant life:
Chainfruit Cholla
Creosote Bush
Jumping Cholla
Saguaro cactus

6. The Desert Biome: Animals
Some animals that live in the Desert include:
Bobcat
Cactus Wren
Coyote
Javelina
Thorny Devil

7. The Deciduous Forest Biome
Characteristics:
5 different zones
Tree Stratum: trees between 60 and 100 feet high
Small tree and sapling: young and short trees
Shrub zone
Herb zone
Ground zone

8. The Deciduous Forest Biome: Climate
Has four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter
Almost all deciduous forests are located by an ocean
The ocean and the wind are two main reasons that the temperate and climate change so much during the year

9. The Deciduous Forest Biome: Plants
Some examples of deciduous forest plants are:
American beech
Guelder Rose
Pecan
White Birch

10. The Deciduous Forest Biome: Animals
There are a lot of animals that live in the deciduous forest biome but some examples are:
American Bald Eagle
Duckbill Platypus
Eastern Chipmunk
Least Weasel
White-tailed Deer

11. The Arctic Tundra Biome
Characteristics of the Arctic Tundra:
Treeless
Very cold
The ground is permanently frozen
There is barely any plant life, but there are animals

12. The Arctic Tundra Biome: Climate
Unusually cold and dry climate
The Tundra is cold through all months of the year
The short summer lasts only 6 to 10 weeks and does not get any warmer than degrees

13. The Arctic Tundra Biome: Plants
There are few plants that can grow in the arctic tundra, but some that can include:
Arctic Moss
Bearberry
Pasque Flower
Tufted Saxifrage

14. The Arctic Tundra Biome: Animals
Animals that live in this biome include:
Arctic Fox
Caribou
Musk Ox
Polar Bear

15. The Tropical Rainforest Biome
Characteristics:
Forest of tall trees
The rainforest now covers less than 6% of Earth’s land
Layers
Emergent: trees are feet tall!
These trees grow above everything else
Upper canopy
The trees are feet tall
Most of the animals live in this layer
Understory or Lower canopy
Trees are about 60 feet tall
The Forest Floor
Completely shaded and very few plants

16. The Tropical Rainforest Biome: Climate
In the rainforest the climate is:
Very humid because of the heavy rainfall
Very hot and wet

17. The Tropical Rainforest Biome: Plants
Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth’s oxygen, some of the plants that live in this biome include:
Bengal Bamboo
Coconut tree
Kapok Tree
Mangrove Forests

18. The Tropical Rainforest Biome: Animals
Half of the world’s plants and animals species live in the rainforest! Here are some of the many animals:
Bengal Tiger
Chimpanzee
Toco Toucan
Sumatran Rhinoceros

19. The Grassland Biome Characteristics
Large rolling fields of grasses, flowers, and herbs
Drought and fire percent large forests from growing
Grass survives the fire because they grow from the bottom instead of the top

20. The Grassland Biome: Climate
There are many different types of grasslands around the world. But the climate in the United States is:
The temperature is moist and humid
The summers are warm and humid but the winters are not too cold
There is constant Wind

21. The Grassland Biome: Plants
Some plants that thrive in this biome are:
Ironweed
Common teasel
Dogbane
Queen Ann’s Lace

22. The Grassland Biome: Animals
Animals that are commonly found in the grassland are:
Red milkweed beetle
Bison
Przewalski’s horse

23. The Taiga Biome Characteristics:
Coldness and food shortages make things very difficult
The largest biome in the world
Known as the boreal forest

24. The Taiga Biome: Climate
The climate in the Taiga is:
The winter is freezing cold
The temperature range goes from -65 degrees Fahrenheit all the way to 70 degrees
Average rainfall is between inches

25. The Taiga Biome: Plants
Plants that are able to survive in the taiga include:
Balsam Fir
Jack pine
White fir
White Spruce

26. The Taiga Biome: Animals
Most animals in the taiga hibernate in winter or fly south but some stay which is very difficult! Here are some examples of animals that live in the taiga:
Bobcat
Long-Eared Owl
River Otter
Wolverine

27. References http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/