Biomes of the World

1. Biomes of the World

2. A BIOME is the largest geographic biotic unit, a major community of plants and animals with similar life forms and environmental conditions. What is a biome?

3. Terrestrial Biomes Self-Quiz

4. Biomes: major types of ecosystems that occupy very broad geographic regions

5. Figure 34.12 Figure 34.12 Figure 34.7C Climate and elevation determine biomes

6. Climograph: plot of temperature & precipitation in a particular region

7. Using Precipitation And TemperatureTo Identify Biomes

8. How are biomes formed? Biomes are distributed across the Earth based primarily on climate. Therefore, in areas that are far apart, you will sometimes find similar plants and animals because the climate is similar. One factor affecting climate is latitude. Typically, the farther you move north or south of the equator, the colder the temperature gets. Another factor affecting climate is elevation. The higher you go in elevation, the colder the temperature gets. Biomes usually found at cold latitudes far from the equator are sometimes also found on high mountains at low latitudes. Typically, a climb of 100 feet in elevation is equivalent to traveling 600 miles northward.

9. How many biomes are there? 8

10. Tropical Rainforest Tropical Savanna Desert Chaparral Grassland Temperate Deciduous Forest Temperate Boreal Forest Tundra How many biomes are there? Although there is some disagreement among scientists on how to divide up the Earth’s biomes, most can agree on the following eight:

11. Tropical Rainforest • Typically found near the equator • Receives more than 200 cm of rain annually • Temperatures typically fall between 20oC and 25oC for the entire year • As many as 50% of all the world’s animal species may be found here

12. Jungle Python Green Winged Macaw • Location: Near the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. South America, Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa • Description: Two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. Several varieties of exotic plants and animals. Lush greens and vibrant colors. • Plants: Vines, palm trees, orchids, ferns. Most plants must compete for sunlight and nutrients due to their dense population. The majority of common houseplants come from the rainforest. • Animals: Life inside the wet tropical rainforest is bustling with slithering snakes and chirping birds. An animal must be both smart and strong to survive in this environment.    Click here to see more examples of Rainforest Plants and Animals EXIT

13. More Rainforest Plants and Animals Capybara Flying Dragon Chimpanzee Bamboo Orchid EXIT Banana Tree

14. Savanna

15. Tropical Savanna • Grasslands with a few scattered trees • Experience a wet and dry season • Hot temperatures • Annual rainfall is between 50 and 127 cm • More species of grazing mammals than any other biome

16. Tropical Biomes • Savanna • Occurs in topical areas with low or seasonal rainfall • Acacia trees, elephant grass, baobab trees, Bermuda grass • Giraffes, elephants, lions, hyenas, springbok

17. Desert • Typically found between 25o and 40o latitude • Receives less than 25 cm of rain each year • Temperatures typically range between 20oC and 25oC but some extreme deserts can reach temperatures higher than 38oC and lower than –15oC

18. Gila Monster Sidewinder • Location: North & South America, Africa, Middle East, Australia, and Asia • Description: Extremely hot and dry (less than 10 inches of rain a year). Some deserts can be cold at night (40s or 50s) • Plants: Cacti, small bushes, and short grasses. Desert plants are adapted to collect and store water, and/or reduce water loss. • Animals: Animals in this biome must adapt to intense heat and lack of water. Some animals never drink water, instead they get water from the seeds and plants that they consume. Many animals are nocturnal so that they do not have to combat the sun’s heat. Click here to see more examples of Desert plants and animals EXIT

19. More Desert Plants and Animals Lappet Faced Vulture Cactus Wren Thorny Devil Hairy Old Man Cactus Prickly Pear Cactus Saguaro Cactus EXIT

20. Chaparral

21. Chaparral (Scrub) • Cross between grassland and a forest, may have mountain slopes and plains • Found between 32o and 40o latitude on the west coast of continents • Receives between 35 and 70 cm of rain, usually in the winter • Extremely resistant to drought and weather events • Nutrient poor soil with low moisture

22. Chapparal Organisms Producers Consumers Aardvark Coyotes Lynx Chipmunks • Trees such as oak • Shrubs with thick waxy coverings to conserve water

23. Temperate Grassland

24. Grassland • Because of the dry climate, trees are found only near water sources such as streams • Usually receives between 50 and 90 cm of rainfall each year • Summer temperatures can reach up to 38oC, and winter temperatures can fall to –40oC • Soil is rich and fertile • Grass has extensive root systems called sod

25. Location: Every continent except Antarctica • Description: Grasslands are big open spaces. There are not many bushes in the grassland. Trees are found only by rivers and streams. • Plants: Grasses (prairie clover, salvia, oats, wheat, barley, coneflowers) • Animals: Many large herds of grazing animals such as zebras or bison. Animals live in herds for protection, because there are few trees and bushes to camouflage themselves. Click here to see more Grassland plants and animals American Bison Zebra EXIT

26. More Grassland Plants and Animals Brown Hyena Black tailed prairie dog Giraffe Coneflower Salvia Wheat Grass EXIT

27. Grasslands • Temperate grassland • Deep, mineral-rich soil • Moderate but uncertain precipitation • Well suited to growing grain crops • Chaparral • Thickets of small-leaf evergreens • Climate of wet, mild winters and dry summers

28. Temperate Deciduous Forest • Moderate climate • Most trees will lose their leaves in the winter • Temperatures range between –30oC and 30oC • Averages from 75 to 150 cm of precipitation • Well developed understory

29. Raccoon White Tailed Deer • Location: Eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan • Description: Temperate forests go through four distinct seasons. Leaves change color in autumn, fall off in the winter, and grow back in the spring. This adaptation allows plants to survive the cold winters. • Plants: Broadleaf trees (oak, maple, beech), shrubs, and mosses • Animals: Animals living within this biome must adjust to cold winters and hot summers by hibernating, migrating, or keeping active all winter. Click here to see more examples of Temperate Forest Plants and Animals Temperate Forest EXIT

30. More Temperate Forest Plants and Animals Grey Squirrel Wild Turkey Black Bear Oak Maple American Beech EXIT

31. Temperate Boreal Forest/ Taiga • Also known as Taiga • Typically found between 45o and 60o North latitude • Cold climate with summer rains • Very few reptiles • Limited understory • Snow is primary form of precipitation (40 – 100 cm annually)

32. Moose Eurasian Beaver • Location: Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United States • Description: Also known as “Coniferous forests.” Taiga regions have cold, long, snowy winters, and warm, humid summers; well-defined seasons • Plants: Coniferous-evergreen trees (trees that produce cones needles). The trees are narrow and grow very close together. This is so they can help protect each other from the weather. There are also moss, lichen, and other species of plants that live in the Taiga’s bogs. • Animals: Snow, cold, and a scarcity of food make life very difficult, especially in the winter. Some taiga animals migrate south, others go into hibernation, while others simply cope with the environment.  Click here to see more examples of taiga animals and plants EXIT

33. More Taiga Animals and Plants Wolverine Red Throated Loon Lynx Hemlock Lichen growing on a tree Larch Needles EXIT

34. Tundra • Means treeless or marshy plain • Characterized by permafrost – permanently frozen soil starting as high as a few centimeters below the surface – which severely limits plant growth • 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

35. Polar Bear Artic Fox • Location: Regions south of the ice caps in the Artic. In North America, Europe, and Siberia. • Description: Coldest biome and also covers 1/5 of the Earth’s surface. • Plants: lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, shrubs. Almost no trees due to short growing season and permafrost • Animals: Every animal must adapt in order to survive. Some have grown thick fur which turns white in the winter. Others find a place to hibernate during the winter months. Click here to see more Tundra Plants and Animals Tundra EXIT

36. More Tundra Plants and Animals Snowy Owl Siberian Lynx Caribou Cotton Plants Yellow Tundra Flower EXIT Lichen

37. Aquatic Biome

38. Aquatic Biomes • Thermoclines= narrow layers of fast temperature change that separate a warm upper layer of water and cold deeper waters

39. Aquatic Biomes • Freshwater, Marine, and Estuaries • Defined by salinity of the water • Benthic zone = bottom • Organisms that live here can be used as biological indicators • Grouped as filter feeders or deposit feeders. • Photic = receives light • Aphotic = does not receive light

40. Aquatic Ecosystems Important environmental factors • Salinity • Amount of dissolved oxygen • Availability of light for photosynthesis

41. Aquatic Life • Aquatic life divided into 1. Plankton - Free-floating organisms 2. Nekton- Strongly swimming organisms 3. Benthos- Bottom-dwelling organisms Aquatic Biomes They help with O2 production and CO2 consumption. (Phytoplankton performing photosynthesis.)

42. Littoral zone = shallow waters near the shore, light is present for plants • Rooted and floating aquatic plants • Limnetic zone = well-lit open surface water farther from shore, “middle” surface • Phytoplankton and zooplankton (float on top) • Profundal zone= deep middle region, usually where fish group • Benthic- bottom area Fresh Water terminology

43. Freshwater Ecosystem • Freshwater ecosystems include: • Flowing-water ecosystems • Streams and rivers • Standing-water ecosystems • Ponds and lakes • Freshwater wetlands • Estuaries

44. Features Of ATypical River

45. Clear water due to lack of phytoplankton and lack of nutrient at surface. Very little place because nutrients at the bottom Oligotrophic Lake

46. Freshwater Biomes • Oligotrophic lakes = deep lakes that are nutrient-poor and oxygen-rich and contain sparse phytoplankton

47. Murky water due to abundance of phytoplankton and dissolved nutrients in the water Tend to have lots of plants and animals because nutrients within reach Eutrophic Lake

48. Freshwater Biomes • Eutrophic lakes = shallower and have high nutrient rich content and lower oxygen content with a high concentration of phytoplankton • Organic material accumulates on the lake bottom and reduces the depth of the lake • Detrivores use up oxygen as they decompose the dead organic matter • Lower oxygen levels means fish can’t survive • The cycle continues

49. Located in mountains Waters are cold, clear, fast, narrow, nutrient poor, high dissolved O2 Stream Headwaters

50. Located between mountains and coast Waters warm, slow, nutrient rich and murky due to erosion, lower dissolved oxygens Midstream