1. What Are Biomes?

2. Biomes (Terrestial)
An Interdependent system of plants, animals and land
Large regions with similar Ecosystems
Tundra
Taiga
Desert
Savanna
Grassland
Temperate forest
Temperate rain forest
Tropical rain forest

3. Biomes of the World Biomes:
Characterized by their dominant vegetation & also by animals adapted to that environment
Distribution of biomes is determined mostly by temperature & rainfall

4. Figure 50.24 The distribution of major terrestrial biomes

5. Biomes & Climate

6. Tropical Rainforests Occur near the equator Warm temperatures
Days 11 – 12 hours long
Rainfall is variable
Very biodiverse (up to 300 species of trees)
Poor soil

7. Tropical Rainforest

8. Savannas Grasslands with scattered trees Can be temperate or tropical
Grasses main vegetation
Animals include: giraffes, zebra, antelope, baboons, lions, cheetahs

9. Figure 50.25b Savanna

10. Deserts Hot during the day, cold at night Under 30 cm of rain per year
Large deserts found near 30o N and 30o S latitude

11. Deserts
Desertification: conversion of other biomes (especially savannas) to deserts
Is a major ecological problem
Plants include yucca & cactus
Animals include snakes, birds, insects, lizards, rodents

12. Chaparral Region of dense spiny shrubs
Mild, rainy winters & long, hot, dry summers
Vegetation is adapted to periodic fires
Animals include deer, fruit eating birds, seed eating rodents, lizards, & snakes

13. Figure 50.25d Chaparral

14. Temperate Grasslands Are mostly treeless except along rivers & streams
Keys to persistence of grasslands: seasonal drought, fires & grazing by large mammals
Amount of annual rainfall determines the height of the grassland vegetation

15. Temperate Deciduous Forests
Grow in latitudes between 35o and 50o
Areas must have sufficient moisture to grow trees
Deciduous: leaf bearing trees (ex: oak, maple, cherry, hickory)
Cold winters, hot summers

16. Temperate Deciduous Forests
High precipitation year round
Trees have a distinct annual rhythm
Rich soil
Animals include deer, bear, squirrels, raccoons, birds, insects

17. Taiga: Coniferous Forests
Conifers: cone bearing trees (ex: pine, spruce, fir)
Taiga: northern coniferous forests
Taiga is cold, but many coniferous forests are temperate

18. Figure 20.25g Coniferous forests

19. Tundra Near the North Pole
Little vegetation, but mostly mosses, lichens, & small shrubs
Very cold
Permafrost: layer of soil that remains permanently frozen

20. Tundra Very little precipitation, but swampy in the summer
Animals include: artic fox and hare, insects (in summer), musk oxen, caribou

21. Video Quiz