Transcript Biomes

BIOMES
Vocabulary Words-- Write these down and
leave room for definitions and examples
 Biome
 Marine
 Climate
 Freshwater
 Temperature
 Taiga or coniferous forest
 Estuaries
 Temperate deciduous
 Salt Marshes
forest
 Deciduous
 Arctic Tundra
 Coniferous
 Tropical Rainforest
 Permafrost
 Savannah
 Niche
 Temperate grassland
 Desert
What is a biome?
 Definition: the world's major
communities, classified according
to the predominant vegetation
and characterized by adaptations
of organisms to that particular
environment.
So what? What does
this mean and why do
we care about biomes?
Characteristics of Every
Biome
 Breakdown:
 Major world community
 Certain climate- temperature and precipitation in
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an area or region
Organisms have adapted to the climate
Many ecosystems
Have changed over the history of the Earth
Every square inch of the planet is located in a
biome
Types of Biomes
 Freshwater
 Marine
 Temperate
Deciduous Forest
 Coniferous &
Boreal Forest
(Taiga)
 Arctic Tundra
 Tropical
Rainforest
 Savanna
 Temperate
Grassland
 Desert
Freshwater
 3% of the world’s water
 99% of freshwater is located in
glaciers, pack ice, & aquifers
(underground water)
 The other 1%
 Lakes and ponds
 Rivers and streams
Marine
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Bodies of salt water
Covers 70% of the Earth’s surface
Oceans
Estuaries- where the mouth of the river
meets the sea tides
 Salt Marshes- low, flat, poorly drained ground
that becomes flooded by oceans and/or seas
 Coral Reefs
 Coastal areas
Temperate Deciduous Forest
 Where you live
 ~30˚C on average
 75-150 cm (30-60 inches) of rainfall a year
 Deciduous trees- the leaves fall off of the
trees during the fall and winter months
Animals Found Here
Coniferous and Boreal Forest
(Taiga)
 Northern part of North America and Eurasia
 Contains conifer- trees that have leaves shaped
like needles instead of flat leaves. These trees do
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not lose their leaves in the fall and winter.
- 20˚C to 20˚
30-90 cm (12-33 inches) of rain a year
Warm and rainy summers
Cold cold winters! Temperatures can reach a low
of 65° F BELOW zero! Brrrr….
Animals in the Coniferous
and Boreal Forests
Plants in the Coniferous and
Boreal Forest
Arctic Tundra
 North Pole, Arctic Circle, and Greenland
 Covered in snow for most of the year
 Permafrost- The layer of earth located below
the tundra is frozen all year long
 Less than 10 inches of precipitation a year
 ~40˚C to 18˚
 Strong winds!! Create “white outs”, which
occurs when the winds blow snow so much
that it is hard to see.
Animals in the Tundra
Plants in the Tundra
Tropical Rainforest
 ~20°C to 25˚
 200-1000 cm (100-400 inches) of rain a year
 Basically, a lot of heat and a lot of moisture!
 The seasons do not change and the
rainforests have rarely changed over the
history of the Earth
Animals in the Tropical
Rainforest
Plants in the Tropical
Rainforest
Temperate Grassland
 South America, South Africa, Eurasia,
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and mid-west United States
~20˚C to 30˚
50-90 cm of rainfall a year
Tall grasses but no trees
There are a lot of fires in this biome!
Animals of the Temperate
Grassland
Plants of the Temperate
Grasslands
Savanna
 Africa and South America
 50-130 cm (30-50 inches) of rain a year
 ~16˚ C to 34˚
 Rains for 6-8 months out of the year followed
by a drought
 Tall grasses and trees with high branches
Animals of the Savanna
Plants of the Savanna
Desert
 Western United States, South America,
Africa, Eurasia, and Australia
 ~4˚C to 38˚
 Less than 25 cm of rain a year
 Very few plants and animals live in this dry
biome
Animals of the Desert
Plants of the Desert