Transcript 20 BiomesGen

Earth’s Terrestrial
Biomes
Tundra
•Average Temp (Summer: 12ºC Winter: −26ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall 30 to 50 cm
Adapt to: frozen soil beneath the surface (permafrost)
soil is too shallow for deep-rooted plants
Plants: grasses & small shrubs, mosses & lichens grow
beneath the plants
Animals: insects lay eggs in the mud, birds feed on the
Insects, musk oxen, wolves, & caribou
Permafrost = A layer of soil below the
ground that remains frozen
=
Alpine Tundra
Warmer than Tundra
plenty of sunlight & precipitation
found at the top of tall mountains
 trees cannot grow on mountain
Hoofed mammals (goats, ram)
small rodents
Arctic Tundra
Taiga Forest = Coniferous Forest
•Average Temp. (Summer: 14ºC Winter: −10ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall 35 to 75 cm
Adapt to: lack of light, cold temperatures,
ground cover of needles
Plants: coniferous trees (cones), low
brush
 Animals: Squirrels, insects, & birds like
finches, chickadees, & jays
 Herbivores: porcupines, elk, & moose
CONIFERS = CONES
Temperate Deciduous Forest = where we live
 Average Temp. (Summer: 28ºC Winter: 6ºC)
 Average Yearly Rainfall 75 to 125 cm
Adapt to: 4 seasons, drought, flooding, temperature changes
Plants: deciduous trees, fruit and flowering bushes, seeds & nuts
mammals, birds, & reptiles thrive on leaves & insects
DECIDUOUS = leaves fall
Grassland
Average Temp. (Summer: 30ºC Winter: 0ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall 25 to 75 cm
Adapt to: Drought, fires, no cover from sunlight,
Animals grazing prevents growth of trees & shrubs
Plants: grasses and wild flowers
Animals: small seed-eating animals: prairie dogs & mice,
large mammals
Savanna
•Average Temp. (Dry season: 34ºC Wet season: 16ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall 150 cm
Locations: Africa, India, & South America
Adapt to: drought & Flooding, warm temperatures
Plants in dry season: grasses dry out & turn yellow, deep roots to survive for
many months without water
Animals: African savanna large herbivores: elephants, giraffes, zebras, &
wildebeests
Desert
•Average Temp (Summer: 38ºC Winter: 7ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall less than 25 cm
Adaptations: plants grow far apart, have shallow & widespread roots
Plants: cactus have fleshy stems & leaves to store water, leaves have a
waxy coating to prevent water loss, spikes collect small drops of water
Animals: many animals are active at night when temperatures are cooler,
borough in the ground, & are dormant during the dry season (estivation).
tortoises store the water under their shells
Tropical Rain Forest
•Average Temp.
(Daytime: 34ºC Nighttime: 20ºC)
•Average Yearly Rainfall up to 400 cm
Adapt to: thin soil with no nutrients, lack of
light near forest floor, heavy rains, hot &
humid
Plants: large variety, trees with above
ground roots, succulent flowering plants
 greater variety of organisms than
any other biome (reptiles, amphibians,
mammals
4 Types of FRESH WATER
Streams & Rivers
Examples: white water or meandering
Adapt to: how quickly water moves, amount of light,
amount of oxygen, in fast-moving water have adaptations to
keep from being washed away: suction disks to hold rocks,
insects live under rocks.
Producers: algae and moss, (shrubs, grass, trees on the
edges
Animals: tadpoles, amphibians, snakes, insects, fish, clams
& snails
FRESH WATER: Ponds and lakes
Zones: littoral, open-water, deep-water
Adapt to: amount of light, water depth, oxygen content
Producers: algae, plankton, bacteria, cattails and rushes
Small Animals: snails and insects,clams and worms
bury in the mud
Larger Animals: Frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes
fish: bass, lake trout, catfish, carp,
Marine
Zones: Intertidal, Neritic, Benthic
Intertidal zone:
water is warm & receives lots of sunlight
Neritic zone: deep water of open ocean
Benthic zone: no sunlight, very cold
Adapt to: water temperature, depth, & the amount of light, air exposure & keep
from being washed away by the waves
Producers: plankton, Chemosynthesis: organisms get energy from chemicals that
escape from thermal vents
Animals: corals, sea turtles, fishes, dolphins, fish, whales, & sharks, worms, &
crabs which get food by eating material that sinks from above
Estuaries
Description: fresh water from streams & rivers spill into the ocean, rich in
nutrients
Adapt to:
fresh water & salt water are always mixing changing the salinity (salt content)
Producers: water grasses, plankton, algae
Animals: Mammals like manatee, dolphins & otters, birds, fish, worms
Wetland --Swamps
Description: ecosystem of trees and vines in low-lying areas
beside slow-moving rivers, flooded part of the year
Adapt to: fires, lack of sunlight, methane gas
Plants: trees: willows, bald cypresses, and oaks, & vines,
orchids, water lilies
Animals: fish, snakes, & birds, alligators
HAS TREES
Wetland--Marshes
Description: treeless wetland ecosystem found in shallow
areas along the shores of lakes, ponds, rivers, & streams
Adapt to: depth of water, amount of light, temperatures
Plants: grasses, reeds, bulrushes, & wild rice are common
Animals: muskrats, turtles, frogs, and birds live in marshes
HAS GRASS/ NO TREES