1. Chapter 6 – Biomes
Living World Unit

2. Major world biomes Desert Tropical Rain Forest
Deciduous Forest (temperate and tropical)
Savannah/Grasslands (temperate and tropical)
Taiga (aka Boreal forest, coniferous forest)
Tundra
Mountains

3. Biomes Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn Semidesert,
arid grassland
Arctic tundra (polar grasslands)
Desert
Boreal forest (taiga), evergreen coniferous
forest (e.g., montane coniferous forest)
Tropical rain forest,
tropical evergreen forest
Mountains
(complex zonation)
Temperate deciduous forest
Tropical deciduous forest
Ice
Temperate grassland
Tropical scrub forest
Dry woodlands and
shrublands (chaparral)
Tropical savanna,
thorn forest

4. Biomes Altitude Latitude Mountain Ice and snow Tundra (herbs, lichens,
mosses)
Coniferous
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Latitude
Tropical
Forest
Tropical
Forest
Deciduous
Forest
Coniferous
Forest
Tundra (herbs,
lichens, mosses)
Polar ice
and snow

5. Desert General Geographic region:
Typically near 30oN and 30oS latitude
Near interior of continents
30% of Earths surface
Climate information:
Evaporation exceeds precipitation
Tropical desert: hot and dry year round
Temperate desert: cooler in winter; more vegetation; more precipitation than tropical
Cold desert: cold winters/hot summers

6. Desert
General fauna:
Lizards, snakes, kangaroo rat, roadrunner, jack rabbit
Most animals are small, active during cool parts of day and night, wastes contain little water
General flora:
Cactus, yucca, agave
3 adaptations: no leaves, store water, open stomata only at night.
Lifecycles: bloom, seed, and die quickly

7. Desert Environmental concerns: Deserts are expanding (desertification)
Storage of toxic wastes
Testing for nuclear weapons
Pictures:

8. Grasslands General Geographic region: Continent interiors
Climate information:
Enough precipitation to support grasses and shrubs, but fewer trees
Can be tropical, temperate, or polar

9. Grasslands General fauna: Hoofed herbivores, grazing animals
Giraffe, elephant, warthog, gazelle, tiger
General flora:
Mostly grasses with deep roots, fewer trees that are drought tolerant
Plants must be able to re-grow after frequent fires

10. Grasslands Environmental concerns:
Frequent fires, overgrazing, desertification
Pictures:

11. Tropical Rain Forest General Geographic region: Found near equator.
Covers 2% of Earth
Climate information:
Lots of warmth and direct sunlight
Lots of precipitation

12. Tropical Rain Forest General fauna: HUGE biodiversity
Monkeys, frogs, snakes, macaw, etc
Stratification to reduce competition
Contains half of terrestrial species
General flora:
HUGE biodiversity
Ground layer, shrub layer, understory, canopy, emergent layer

13. Tropical Rain Forest Environmental concerns: Deforestization,
Slash and burn agriculture
Pollution/resource depletion
Pictures:

14. Tropical Rain Forest 45 Emergent layer 40 35 Canopy 30 Height (meters)
Harpy
eagle 40 35
Toco
toucan
Canopy 30
Height (meters) 25 20
Understory
Wooly
opossum 15 10
Brazilian
tapir
Shrub
layer 5
Black-crowned
antpitta
Ground
layer
Tropical Rain Forest

15. Deciduous Forest General Geographic region: Further from equator
Between 30o and 60o N and S latitude
Climate information:
Significant change in temperatures during seasons.
Precipitation fairly evenly spread over year.
Warm summers, cold winters

16. Deciduous Forest General fauna:
Many top predators have been extirpated (wolves, cougars, bear)
Deer, raccoons, squirrel, (our area animals)
General flora:
Trees drop leaves in winter
Fewer tree species than TRForests, but more ground level plant life

17. Deciduous Forest Environmental concerns: Loss of biodiversity
Large predators removed
Deforestization
Pictures:

18. Taiga (Boreal Forest) General Geographic region: Found in the north
Just south of the arctic tundra
Climate information:
Winters are long, dry, and very cold.
Winter sunlight is 6-8 hours a day.
Mild summers with 19 hours of sunlight a day.

19. Taiga (Boreal Forest) General fauna:
Moose, wolves, rabbits, bear, eagles
General flora:
Coniferous trees, some wildflowers and grasses

20. Taiga (Boreal) Forest Environmental concerns: Drilling for oil
Deforestization
Air pollution
Pictures:

21. Mountains General Geographic region:
Frequently on continent edges; where tectonic plates collide
25% of Earth’s surface
Climate information:
Varies depending on elevation.
Higher elevation = colder
Leeward side of mountains gets less precipitation

22. Mountains General fauna:
Big horn sheep, mountain goats, taiga animals at lower elevations
General flora:
Little flora at high elevation, lichen, conifers as you go down in elevation

23. Mountains
Environmental concerns:
Air pollution
Mining
Pictures: