Transcript Land Biomes of the World

Land Biomes of the World
Biome-An area of land with the same
climate, soil conditions, and
temperatures no matter where it is
located in the world
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Rain Forest
• Locations: South America, Africa, Asia, Central America,
Australia (along the equator)
• Temperature Range- 68 to 93 degrees F
• Precipitation- About 80-180 inches/year
Rain Forest contd…
• Rain Forest Animals: Parrots, monkeys,
gorillas, tree frogs, snakes, sloths, lemurs
• Half of the species of land animals live in the rain forest (2 million-20
million species)
• Not all of them have even been identified!
Rain Forest Plants
• The rain forest has four layers of plants
• Emergent layer-Trees are over 200 feet tall. They receive more sun
and less moisture than the other layers
• Canopy-Trees are 100-150 feet tall. Many tree dwelling species live
here. The trees act like a reverse umbrella-they block the sun and
hold in humidity and moisture
• Understory-Plants have broad leaves to trap what sun gets through
to the layer. Home to many insects.
• Forest Floor- Very little sunlight gets here (1-2%). Home to many
larger animals.
Layers
Temperate Rainforest
Temperate Rain Forest
• Located in parts of Europe, Asia, Northwest US, Canada, and the
Great Smokey Mountains in TN and NC!!
Temperate Rain Forest
• It is different than the Tropical Rainforest.
• The get similar amounts of rain but this biome ranges from 80
degrees F in the summer to 32 degrees F in the winter. The
average is about 54 degrees.
• Plants- Large Conifers (trees that have cones), mosses, wildflowers,
fungi
• Animals- Birds, slugs, deer, bears, coyotes
Temperate Rainforest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Locations: Europe, Asia, parts of the US,
eastern Australia, tip of South America
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Temperature- This biome has 4 seasons.
Temperatures range from about 10
degrees F to 85 degrees F.
– Winter days are short and cold
– Summer days are long and warm
• Precipitation=30-60 inches a year
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Animals=deer, bear, coyotes, mice,
skunks, birds, snakes, frogs, turtles
• Plants=maple trees, oak trees, sycamore
trees, wild flowers
• Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the
fall and grow them back in the spring.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Grassland
• Location-Central US, Central Asia, small areas
of South America and Africa
Temperate Grassland
• Temperatures=
– Summers are very hot and may reach 100
degrees F
– Winters may fall below 32 degrees F
(freezing)
• Precipitation= 10-30 inches of rain a year
(dry)
Temperate Grassland
• Animals
– Bison, prairie dogs, ground squirrel, kangaroo rat, coyotes,
skunks, hawks, owls, snakes, grasshoppers (American prairies)
– Gazelle, zebra, rhinoceros, lions (African veld)
Temperate Grassland
• Animals of Asian Grasslands (steppes)- antelope, gerbils, foxes,
lynx
• Animals of S. American Grasslands (pampas)-Geoffrey's Cat, Rhea,
Maned Wolf, Guanaco
Temperate Grassland
• Plants
– Areas with more rain have tall grasses, and
areas with less rain have short grasses.
– Very few trees because it is too dry. Trees are
small and shrubby.
– Grasslands have fertile soil and are heavily
farmed.
Temperate Grassland
• N. American prairie
• Pampas in S. America
Central Asian steppes
African Veld
Tropical Grassland
“Savanna”
Tropical Grassland-Savanna
• Locations-Africa, Australia, India, S. America.
• They can be found on the edges of tropical rainforests
on both sides of the equator.
Tropical Grassland-Savanna
• Temperatures- Range from 68 degrees F to 86 degrees
F.
• Precipitation- Savannas have a wet season and a dry
season.
– Wet season- May-December (10-30 inches of rain)
• Rivers flow
• Plants are lush
– Dry season-December-Feb (very little rain-if any)
• Plants shrivel up and die
• Rivers dry up
• Animals migrate to find water
Tropical Grassland-Savanna
• Animals- African elephants, Nile crocodile,
baboon, lion, African wild dog, mongoose,
termites
Tropical Grassland-Savanna
• Plants– Tall grasses (3-6 feet)
– Scattered trees that are drought resistant
Acacia tree
Elephant
grass
Baobab
Desert
Desert
• Locations- Deserts are located on N. America, S.
America, Asia, Africa, Australia.
– Cold deserts can be found on Antarctica and
Greenland!
Desert
• Climate:
• Temperature- Ranges from 100 degrees F during the
day to 32 degrees F at night.
– Why? There is nothing to hold in heat!
– Deserts are among the hottest places on Earth
• Precipitation-less than 10 inches of rain per year
Desert
• Deserts may be sandy, mountainous, rocky, or flat
depending on the location.
– They are classified by receiving less than 10 inches of
rain per year.
Desert
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Deserts contain mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, and spiders.
Animals: Most animals are nocturnal-they sleep during the day and come
out at night.
– Fennec fox (Africa)
– Dingo (Australia)
– Gila Monster (US and Mexico)
– Sidewinder snake (US)
– Javelina (US)
– Camel (Asia and Africa)
– Tortoise (US)
– Kangaroo Rat (US)
– Coyote (N. America)
Desert
Desert
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Plants-Short scrubby trees and cacti.
Plants need to be able to conserve and store water
Plants grow far apart
Some trees send their roots very far into the soil to get water
Barrel cactus
Mesquite Tree
Saguaro
cactus
Aloe
Tundra
Tundra
• Locations: Northern Alaska, Canada,
Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Asia
Tundra
• Climate:
• Temperatures:
– Winters: -60 degrees F to 18 degrees F
– Winter is cold and dark
– Summers: 32 degrees F to 50 degrees F
– In the summer, the sun shines nearly 24 hours a day
• Precipitation: Similar to a desert
– 6-10 inches per year (mostly snow!)
Tundra
• Animals:
• Animals grow thick fur and have small ears to hold in heat.
• Some migrate south during the winter
• Mammals-Polar bear, musk ox, caribou (reindeer), snowshoe rabbit
• Insects-mosquitoes, gnats
• Birds- snowy owl, harlequin duck
Tundra
• Plants:
• No trees can grow in the tundra because of the permafrost--the
ground is permanently frozen all year (12-60 inches into the ground)
That’s 1-5 feet!
• The plants that do grow are mosses, lichens, shrubs that flower in
the spring.
• There are only 1,700 types of plants and of those, 900 flower.
Arctic moss
Caribou Moss
Lichen
Bearberry
Taiga
Taiga
• Locations: Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe, Northern
Asia
• It is the largest biome of the world
• The taiga is south of the tundra
Taiga
• Climate:
• Temperature
– -65 degrees F to 30 degrees F in winter
• Long, cold and snowy winters
– 20 degrees F to 70 degrees F in the summer
• Short, warm and rainy summers
• Precipitation
– 12 to 33 inches per year (rain and snow)
Taiga
• Animals-grizzly bear, black bear, grey wolf,
river otter, bald eagle, lynx, loon
Taiga
• Plants:
– Mostly evergreen trees like firs, hemlocks, spruce, pines
– Deciduous trees include birch
– Trees are thin and close together to protect from the cold and
wind
– Bark is fire resistant
Black spruce
White spruce
Jack pine
Paper birch