Biomes of the World

1. Biomes of the World

2. What are biomes? * A biome is an area that has the same climate (weather) and the same organisms that live there. * Biomes help scientists describe the world.

3. Land Biomes *Tundra *Coniferous Forest *Deciduous Forest *Tropical Rain Forest *Grassland *Desert

4. Tundra • Where is the tundra? • Around the North Pole and near the Arctic Ocean • Climate (weather) • Very cold and dry. Winter temperatures average –34oC while summer temperatures usually average below 10oC • Low precipitation (15–25 cm per year) but ground is usually wet because of low evaporation. • What the land looks like • Permafrost: the dirt that is always frozen (even in the spring and summer) • Flat land with only a few small, thin trees

5. Plants and Animals of the Tundra Tundra Plant Adaptations Growing close to the ground Having shallow roots to absorb the limited water resources. Trees grow less than 1 m high! The Tundra has a lot of plant life within this biome. Some common plants include the bearberry, arctic moss, Caribou moss, Diamond leafwillow, Labrador Tea, Pasque Flower, and the Tufted Saxifrage. The animals in the tundra eat these plants to survive and gain energy to stay warm. Some plants are useful for humans.

6. snowy owl Arctic fox Caribou Grizzly Bear Wolf Many visitors, migration Few predators Little Competition Small ears Insulation, thick coat Musk ox Tundra Animal Adaptations

7. Tundra

8. Views of the Tundra

9. TOP 10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE TUNDRA BIOME: The Tundra Biome is the 2nd most deadliest environment. The Tundra Biome has only 6 weeks of summer. There is little to no precipitation. The soil has very little nutrients for plants. It the least inhabited by humans biome. The Tundra Biome is the biome most affected by human pollution. The sun is almost 24 hours up a summer day, meaning that there are mostly no nights. During the winter, this biome has few hours of sunlight. The Tundra Biome is covered permanently by a frozen layer of soil. The Tundra Biome is the most vital role in keeping global temperature at a stable place.

10. Coniferous Forest Also known as Tiaga and Boreal Forest. • Climate • Winters are long and cold • Averages 100 in/yr precipitation—mostly snow • Has two seasons . Long winters and short summers • What the land looks like • In the winter: • Ground is frozen • In the spring: • Taiga: swampy forest • Snow melts and the ground becomes wet and swampy because the deeper ground is frozen

11. Where are coniferous forests? Alaska Canada Europe Asia In Canada, Alaska, northern Asia, and northern Europe

12. Plants of the Coniferous Forest • Conifer trees (have cones) • Have needles covered with wax • Wax protects the needles from freezing cone needles Kinds of conifer trees pine spruce fir

13. Taiga Plant adaptations Balsam Fir • Coniferous (needle-bearing) trees are abundant. Stay green all year ( evergreens) • Roots long to anchor trees • Needles long, thin and waxy • Low sunlight and poor soil keeps plants from growing on forest floor http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/plants.htm Fireweed

14. Moose Beaver Wolf Black bear Wolverine Red Squirrel Hawk Owl Lynx Animals of the Coniferous Forest Snowshoe Rabbit

15. Moose Animal Adaptationsof the Taiga • Adapt for cold winters • Burrow, hibernate, warm coat, insulation, etc. http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/animals.htm Great Grey Owl

16. Ten Fun Facts!1. Taiga/boreal forest is the Russian word for forest.2. In the taiga/boreal forest biome, the average annual rainfall is aproximately 33 inches.3. It is believed that more than 32,000 species of insects live in the taiga/boreal forest biome.4. Many of the animals that live in the taiga/boreal forest biome are able to change color based on the time of year.5. The trunks of the conifer trees in the taiga/boreal forest are used to produce paper.6. The world's oldest trees can be found in the taiga/boreal forest. The bristlecone pines in California are a prime example. One of them is 4,600 years old!7. Scientists believe that the area covered by the taiga/boreal forest will decrease by50-90% over the next 50 years, causing many species to become endangered andextinct.8. Winter, with its below freezing temperatures, usually lasts about 6-7 months while the hot and rainy summer is much shorter.9. In the taiga/boreal forest, leaves are needles on all the trees.10. An interesting fact about the taiga/boreal forest is that as the seasons change rapidly, the weather goes from one extreme to another.

17. Coniferous Forest

18. Winter in the Coniferous Forest

19. Deciduous Forest • Climate • Summers are warm • Winters are cold • Gets 75 centimeters of rain every year (that’s over 2 feet of rain!) Characterized by 4 seasons • What is special about deciduous trees? • The leaves change colors and fall off the trees in autumn and grow new leaves in the spring • The leaves on the ground decompose and make the soil have more nutrients to help plants grow.

20. Where Are Deciduous Forests? Deciduous forests are between northeastern United States and Canada. Some are in the eastern United States. Others grow in Europe and eastern Asia. Much of the human population lives in this biome.

21. Plants of the Deciduous Forest * Trees * Flowers * Oak * Hickory * Lily of the valley * Maple * Beech * Star Flower

22. Lady Fern More diversity in the deciduous forest vs. the coniferous forest due to increased sunlight.Trees adapt to varied climate by becoming dormant in winter Temperate Deciduous forestPlant adaptations White Birch Birchhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_plant_page.htm Deciduous forests grow in layers More sunlight reaches the ground compared to a rainforest so you will find more ground dwelling plants. Geulder Rose

23. Animals of the Deciduous Forest Eagle Brown Bear Black Bear Chipmunk Raccoon Porcupine Red Fox White-tailed Deer Mouse Coyote

24. Bald Eagle Temperate Deciduous ForestAnimal Adaptations • Shed Winter Coat • Hibernate or migrate for the winter. Least Weasel Fat Dormouse http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_animal_page.htm

25. The Deciduous Forest

27. Tropical Rain Forest • Climate • Rains almost everyday which makes this biome very humid. • Gets almost 10 feet of rain every year. (250 cm) • Very hot all year long

28. Where are Tropical Rain Forests? The largest tropical rainforest is in South America. It is called the Amazon rain forest. They are also found in central Africa, Central America, Southeast Asia, Hawaii, and a small area of Australia.

29. Layers of the Rainforest Emergent Layer Canopy Layer Understory Layer Forest Floor

30. Plants of the Rain Forest Orchid Banana Vanilla Coffee Fern Cacao (chocolate)

31. Bougainvillea Tropical Rainforest Plant adaptations • Sunlight is a major limiting factor • Plants grow in layers (canopy receives most light) • Shallow, wide roots since soil is so thin and poor in nutrients • Little sun reaches the floor • Some plants have a drip tip to shed excess water. Bangul Bamboo

32. Birds of the Rain Forest Blue Parrot Cassowary Blue-Gold Macaw Cockatoo Yellow-eared Parrot Rhino Hornbill Scarlet Macaw Toucan

33. Bugs, Snakes, and Frogs of the Rain Forest Katydid Posion Dart Frogs Preying Mantis Python Red-Eyed Tree Frog Scorpion Walking Stick Zebra Butterfly Ulysses Butterfly

34. Animals of the Rain Forest Flying Squirrel Benegal Tiger Capybara Chimpanzee Leopard Spider Monkey Gorilla Lemur Tapir Mandrill Jaguar Olive Baboon

35. Silvery Gibbon Tropical Rainforest Animal Adaptations Many animals are specialists and require special habitat components to survive Many animals have physical characteristics that help them adapt to their rainforest environment like camouflage or poisons. Camouflage is common. Most are great climbers and never have to touch the forest floor. • Many symbiotic relationships • Live in different levels of canopy Wagler’s pit viper Slender Loris http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_animal_page.htm

36. Views from the Rain Forest

37. Rain Forest

38. Water Within the Rain Forest

39. Wow! What a sight!

41. Grasslands • There are _____ kinds of grasslands. two • Temperate grasslands: called prairies • Tropical grasslands: called savannas • Climate • All grasslands get between 25 and 75 centimeters of rain every year. Coniferous forest

42. Where are grasslands? Savannas Temperate Grasslands The largest grassland is in Africa. There are also grasslands in North America, South America, central Asia, and northern Australia.

43. Savannas (Tropical Grasslands) Contain the greatest number of grazing animals on Earth. Location: Found in the tropics…near equator Mostly in Africa • Climate • All grasslands get between 25 and 75 centimeters of rain every year during wet season. Amount of precipitation supports tall grasses but only occasional trees. The word savanna stems from an Amerind term for plains http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/savanna/savanna.html

44. Tropical Grasslands (Savanna) • Largest savannas are found in Africa • There are only a few trees on the savanna • Why don’t a lot of trees grow? • Savanna does not get a lot of rain • People set the grass on fire to stop trees from growing • Animals eat the trees before they can start growing tall

45. Plants of the Savanna • Grass: Rhodes grass, red oats grass, lemon grass, star grass Shrubs. • Acacia tree • Baobab tree

46. Whistling Thorn Umbrella Thorn Acacia Tropical SavannaPlant Adaptations Grows in Tufts Resistance to Drought Many plants have thorns and sharp leaves to protect against predation. Kangaroos Paws Baobab http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_plant_page.htm

47. Black Rhinoceros Cheetah Wild Dog African elephant Giraffe Animals of the Savanna Zebra Ostrich Hippopotamus Hyena Warthog Lions

48. Chacma Baboon —migrate as necessary to adapt to rainy seasons Reproduce during rainy season—ensures more young survive http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_animal_page.htm Tropical SavannaAnimal Adaptations Zebras

49. Savanna Scenes