Transcript Biomes - Scio School District Page

Forest Ecology
Biomes
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All organisms living in
a certain climate
Biomes
We already learned about biotic and abiotic
 Abiotic would be the air, soil, rainfall
 How many of you saw the movie Biodome?
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Forests and Biomes
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As we look at each Biome in Oregon, we will
notice that there are different types of leaves
for each forest
Leaf Type
Larger leaf; the more tropical climate
 Smaller leaf; the more arid climate
 Why do trees have needles?
 Summer
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The air in the crowns of the trees gets very hot in
the summer
 The needles have low transpiration (remember
what that means)
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Biomes in Oregon
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We divide Oregon into four biomes
Coast Range
 Willamette Valley Grasslands
 Cascade Mountain Forests
 Eastern Oregon High Desert
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Coast Range
Dominated by conifer forests
 Moist climate
 Average rainfall is greater than Willamette
Valley
 Timber grows taller
 Variety of animals and vegetation
 Average rainfall is 80 inches per year
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Willamette Valley Grasslands
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Mild climate
Due to our close proximity to the Pacific Ocean
 Enough rain to keep the fields green most of the
year
 Average four month growing season
 Most things can grow because of the mild climate
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Type of forest would be an Oak Savannah
Willamette Valley Grasslands
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Wildlife
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Many populations of wildlife because of the mild
climate
Plants
Wet and moist fields
 Plants need to be able to adapt to wet climates
 Grass seed does well in the moist climate
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Average rainfall is 40 inches per year
Cascade Mountain Forests
Grows some of the finest timber in the world
 Dominated by Conifer forests
 Primarily on the west side of the cascades
 3 times the rainfall on the west side compared
to the east side
 As the air blows the clouds up the elevation,
the rain is deposited and we end up with a very
dry climate on the east side
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Cascade Mountain Forests
This is called the Rain Shadow Effect
 Douglas fir, western hemlock and western
redcedar all thrive in the moist climate
 Woody stems help the trees withstand the
heavy snows in the winter
 Trees help protect the more delicate plants that
grow beneath them
 Leaf size is a fair indicator of climate
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Cascade Mountain Forests
Animals have to adapt to cold winters and
snow
 Some animals hibernate
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Bears
 Squirrels
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Some move to lower elevations
Elk
 Deer
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Average rainfall is 66 inches per year
Cascade Mountain Forests
As we crest the summit of the cascades we
find something very interesting
 The change of vegetation
 Alpine fir
 Grand fir
 Ponderosa pine
 Juniper
 Which leads us to our next biome…
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Eastern Oregon Desert
Very harsh biome compared to the Cascade or
Willamette Valley
 Little rainfall
 Extreme temperature ranges
 Growing season can be as little as a few weeks
 Plants that do grow have extensive root
systems
 Plants have small needles or leaves to reduce
water loss through transpiration
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Eastern Oregon Desert
Many animals are cold blooded to adjust to the
outside temperature
 Hibernation during the winter is common
 Some animals Aestevate (go dormant) during
the hot summer
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Reptiles
 Insects
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Average rainfall is 10 inches per year
 Dominated by Juniper forests
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Average Rainfall
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Coast Range
Tidewater: 91.4
 Falls City: 68
 Hoskins: 68.8
 Valsetz: 119
 Dallas: 49.2
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Average Rainfall
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Willamette Valley
Philomath: 40.6
 Corvallis: 39.6
 Albany: 42
 Eugene: 36.8
 Jefferson: 41.4
 Salem: 39.2
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Average Rainfall
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Cascade Forests
Mehama: 65.8
 Cascadia: 62.6
 Detroit Dam: 86.6
 Foster: 52.9
 Stayton: 51.6
 Santiam Pass: 77.3
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Average Rainfall
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Eastern Oregon
Sisters: 14.4
 Redmond: 8.6
 Madras: 11.9
 Bend: 9.5
 Vale: 9.1
 Baker City: 10.9
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Average Rainfall
Coast Range: 79.28
 Willamette Valley: 39.9
 Cascade Forest: 66.1
 Eastern Oregon: 10.7
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