Lesson Overview

1. Lesson Overview 4.4 Biomes

2. The Major Biomes • What abiotic and biotic factors characterize biomes? • abiotic factors climate and soil type • biotic factors  plant and animal life.

3. Factors that affect global climate • Latitude • heat • area’s proximity to an ocean or mountain range.

4. Defining Biomes • Biomes  Classification of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems based on regional climate communities. • Major biomes include: • tropical rain forest, • tropical dry forest, • tropical grassland/savanna/shrubland, • desert, • temperate grassland, • temperate woodland and shrubland, • temperate forest, • northwestern coniferous forest, • boreal forest, • tundra.

5. Defining Biomes The map shows the locations of the major biomes.

6. TROPICAL RAIN FOREST • home to more species than all the other biomes combined. • get at least 2 meters of rain a year!

7. TROPICAL RAIN FOREST • Canopy: • Tall trees • dense, leafy covering • 50 to 80 meters above the forest floor. • Understory: • below the canopy, • shorter trees and vines

8. TROPICAL RAIN FOREST • Epiphytic plants grow on the branches of tall plants as opposed to soil. • This allows the epiphyte to take advantage of available sunlight while obtaining nutrients through its host.

9. TROPICAL RAIN FOREST Biotic Factors – Animal Life Leaf Insects • active all year. • Many use camouflage to hide from predators or to match their surroundings. • Animals that live in the canopy have adaptations for climbing, jumping, and/or flight.

10. TROPICAL DRY FOREST • Abiotic Factors • warm year-round, with alternating wet and dry seasons. • rich soils which are subject to erosion.

11. TROPICAL DRY FOREST • Biotic Factors – Plant Life • Adaptations: • extra thick waxy layer on leaves to reduce water loss, • or they store water in their tissues. • seasonal loss of leaves to survive the dry season. • A plant that sheds its leaves during a particular season is called deciduous.

12. TROPICAL DRY FOREST • Biotic Factors – Animal Life • Adaptaions: • Emigration of animals in dry season • reduce need for water by estivation. • Estivation long period of inactivity. • similar to hibernation, but typically takes place during a dry season. Snails in estivation

13. TROPICAL GRASSLAND/SAVANNA/SHRUBLAND • Abiotic Factors • warm, with seasonal rainfall. • Compact soil • frequent fires set by lightning.

14. TROPICAL GRASSLAND/SAVANNA/SHRUBLAND • Biotic Factors – Plant Life • Adaptations • waxy leaf coverings to prevent water loss. • seasonal leaf loss. • Some grasses have a high silica content that makes them less appetizing to grazing herbivores.

15. TROPICAL GRASSLAND/SAVANNA/SHRUBLAND • Biotic Factors – Animal Life • Adaptations: • Migration in dry season to search for water. • Some smaller animals burrow and remain dormant during the dry season.

16. DESERT • Abiotic Factors • low precipitation and variable temperatures. • Their soils are rich in minerals, but poor in organic material. Biotic Factors – Plant Life Adaptations: • Plants like cacti store water in their tissues • Small leaf surface area to cut down on water loss. • Cactus spines are actually modified leaves.

17. DESERT • Biotic Factors – Plant Life • Modified photosynthesis--some plants leaf pores open only at night, so they can conserve moisture on hot, dry days. Biotic Factors – Animal Life • get the water from the food they eat. • nocturnal—to avoid the day time heat. • Large or elongated ears, many blood vessels close to the surface to help the animal lose body heat and regulate body temperature. Long-eared Jerboa,

18. Honey pot ants & Camels Desert animals • Get nectar from plants • The ants feed some particular ants in the colony with nectar until their whole abdomen swells up with honey. • During the drought, other ants will feed on the honey, and the ants' abdomens shrink back to its normal size. • The honey-pot ants save food in this way. • They are also a source of food supply for other desert animals, including humans!

19. TEMPERATE GRASSLAND • Plains and prairies once covered vast areas of the midwestern and central United States. • Periodic fires and heavy grazing by herbivores. Abiotic Factors • Soil is rich in nutrients and is ideal for growing crops. • warm to hot summers • cold winters, • moderate seasonal precipitation.

20. TEMPERATE GRASSLAND Biotic Factors – Plant Life Grasses are resistant to grazing and fire. Wind dispersal of seeds grassland plants help establish and retain deep, rich, fertile topsoil. Biotic Factors – Animal Life Open, exposed environments make predation a constant threat for smaller animals. Camouflage and burrowing are two common protective adaptations.

21. TEMPERATE WOODLAND AND SHRUBLAND • Communities that are more shrubland than forest are known as chaparral. Abiotic Factors • hot dry summers • cool moist winters. • thin, nutrient-poor soils • periodic fires.

22. TEMPERATE WOODLAND AND SHRUBLAND Biotic Factors – Plant Life tough waxy leaves that resist water loss. Some seeds are fire resistant Some seeds need fire to germinate. Biotic Factors – Animal Life varied diets of grasses, leaves, shrubs etc. camouflage is common.

23. TEMPERATE FOREST Biotic Factors – Plant Life Deciduous trees drop their leaves and go into a state of dormancy in winter. Conifers have needlelike leaves that minimize water loss in dry winter air. Biotic Factors – Animal Life Some animals hibernate, Others migrate to warmer climates. Animals that do not hibernate or migrate may be camouflaged to escape predation in the winter. Abiotic Factors cold to moderate winters and warm summers. year-round precipitation and fertile soils. The fertile soils are rich in humus material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter.

24. NORTHWESTERN CONIFEROUS FOREST • moist air from the Pacific Ocean influenced by the Rocky Mountains provides abundant rainfall to this biome. • Due to the lush vegetation it is sometimes called a “temperate rain forest.”

25. NORTHWESTERN CONIFEROUS FOREST Abiotic Factors mild temperatures abundant precipitation in fall, winter, and spring. Summers cool &dry. Soils rocky & acidic. Variation in seasonal temperature results in less diversity. Biotic Factors – Plant Life Trees  among the world’s tallest. Biotic Factors – Animal Life Camouflage helps insects and ground-dwelling mammals avoid predation. . Many animals eat a varied diet—an advantage in an environment where vegetation changes seasonally.

26. BOREAL FOREST • Also called taiga. • Occurs mostly in the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. • The word boreal comes from the Greek word for “north.”

27. BOREAL FOREST Abiotic Factors long cold winters and short mild summers. moderate precipitation and high humidity. soil is acidic and nutrient-poor. Biotic Factors – Plant Life conical shape of conifers sheds snow, wax-covered needlelike leaves prevent excess water loss. dark green color of most conifers absorbs heat energy. Biotic Factors – Animal Life Most have small extremities and extra insulation in the form of fat or downy feathers. Migrate in winter.

28. TUNDRA • characterized by permafrost • permafrost a layer of permanently frozen subsoil.

29. TUNDRA Abiotic Factors strong winds and low precipitation. short and soggy summers long, cold, and dark winters Poorly developed soil Biotic Factors – Plant Life mosses and other low-growing plants. Seed dispersal by wind. legumes, which have symbiotic bacteria on their roots that fix nitrogen to the soil Biotic Factors – Animal Life Some migrate to warm areas. Those that live here year-round display adaptations such as natural antifreeze, small extremities that limit heat loss, a varied diet.

30. Mountain Ranges • not easily classified into a biome • exist on all continents and in many biomes. • temperature, precipitation, exposure to wind, and soil types all change with elevation, and so do organisms. Yaks and Sherpas at the Foot of Himalayan Mountain Range

31. Polar Ice Caps • not easily classified into a biome • border the tundra and are cold year-round. • Plants are few, though some algae grow on snow and ice. • mosses and lichens may grow where ground is exposed • Marine mammals, insects, and mites are the typical animals.