Terrestrial Biomes

1. Terrestrial Biomes

2. Terrestrial Biomes • Large regions of earth • Dependent on Rainfall & Temperature • Characterized by specific vegetation & animal life • Characteristic biomic progression in terrestrial latitude & altitude in a mountain range • Aquatic biomes are very stable due to the high specific heat of water which is due to ________ _____ .

3. Terrestrial Biomes Tundra Coniferous Forrest Temperate Broadleaf Forest Chaparral Temperate Grassland Savanna Desert Tropical Rain Forest

7. Terrestrial Climograph

8. Tropical Rain Forest • Found near to the equator • Abundant rainfall, stable temp., & high humidity • Only cover 4% of the surface, but accounts for 20% of the Earth’s carbon fixation • Most diverse biome • 4 vertical zonations – floor, understory, lower canopy, & Dense upper canopy • Canopy prevents most light from reaching floor • Allows rain water to drip down to the floor

9. Vertical Zonation

10. Epiphytes • Many trees are covered with epiphytes • Photosynthetic plants that grow on other trees rather than supporting themselves • Not parasites, but may block too much light thus leading to death of the host plant

11. Desert

12. Desert • Insufficient rainfall to even support grass growth • Rainfall < 10 inches • Most extreme temperature fluctuations of any biome • May feature cacti, sagebrush, and other hardy bushes • Some small, temporary plants • Germinate only after rain – only around for a few weeks • CAM plants are common • Most animals are active at night (nocturnal) • During the day - they burrow underground or hide in shade • Reptiles & rodents

13. Savanna • Grassland with a few trees • Fire is a dominant abiotic factor • Migrating mammals • Plant growth is substantial during rainy season, but adaptations to dry climate

14. Chaparral • Mild rainy winters & long, dry summers • Plants are adapted for fires • Shrubs & small trees highly adapted to dry conditions • Southern California & Mediterranean

15. Temperate Grassland • Covers large swaths of land in both the temperate & tropical regions of the world • Characterized by low annual rainfall of seasonal occurrence of rainfall • Inhospitable for trees or forests • Grazing mammals • bison, gazelle • prairie dogs

16. Temperate Broadleaf Forest • Located Primarily in the Northeast US & • most of Europe

17. Temperate Broadleaf Forest • Also called a Deciduous forest • Seasonal loss of leaves • Many mammals hibernate in the winter • Dense strands of deciduous trees • Shows vertical stratification of plants & animals • Canopy (upper layer) contains 1 or 2 strata of trees • Shrubs are beneath • @ bottom, a herbaceous layer (die at the end of the growing season) • Soil is rich due to decomposition of leaf litter • Squirrels, deer, foxes, & bears

18. Coniferous (Boreal) Forest

19. Coniferous Forest • Also called “Taiga” or Boreal Forest • Conifers are the most common primary producer • Pine, Spruce, and fir = Christmas trees • Conical shape of leaves prevents snowfall accumulation and subsequent destruction of leaves • Very cold winters • Largestterrestrial biome • Heavy snowfall • Moose, black bear, lynx, elk, & wolverines

20. Tundra • Permafrost • Frozen subsoil found in the extreme North, such as Alaska • Commonly referred to as the frozen desert • What little rainfall is received cannot penetrate the frozen ground • Appearance of gently rolling plains, dotted with lakes & ponds • Insects are abundant in summer, hence many birds nest in the tundra during the summer

21. Tundra