Transcript Biomes of the World

Biomes
Rainforest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Taiga
Savanna
Temperate Grassland
Chaparral
Desert
Tundra
Biomes of the World
Figure 1 page 143
• Biomes - large regions characterized by a
specific type of climate and certain types
of plant and animal communities.
• Climate is the average weather conditions
in an area over a long period of time.
• Temperature and Precipitation are the
most important factors of a climate.
• The higher the temperature and
precipitation are, the taller and denser the
vegetation is.
Figure 3 page 144
• Latitude is the distance north or south
from the equator
• Altitude is the height of an object above
sea level.
• Climate varies with latitude and altitude.
Figure 4 page 145
Bell Questions 12/16/11
1. What is a biome?
2. What is climate?
Forest Biomes
• Most widespread and the most diverse.
• Found where temperatures are mild to hot
and where rainfall is plenty
Tropical Rain Forests
• Tropical rain forests
are forests or jungles
near the equator
• Large amounts of
rain, (200-450 cm)
little variation in
temperature, greatest
diversity of
organisms.
Tropical Rainforests
Figure 5 page 147
• Most nutrients are within the plants, not
the soil.
• There are four main layers of the rain
forest:
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•
•
•
The Emergent Layer – bats, snakes, eagles
The Upper Canopy
The Lower Canopy
The Understory
Most animals live in the canopy layers
Figure 7 page 148
Threats to Rainforests
• Every minute of every day, 100 acres of
tropical rainforest are cleared for logging
operations, agriculture, and oil exploration.
• If the habitat that an organism depends on
is destroyed, the organism is at risk of
disappearing
• Change of lifestyle of native people
Temperate rain forests
• Temperate rain forests - characterized by cool,
humid weather and abundant rainfall, tree
branches are draped with mosses, and the
forest floor is covered with ferns. Found in North
America and Australia
Bell Questions 12/19/11
1. A forest with the greatest species diversity
would be located near the ___________.
2. The ____________ layer of a tropical rain
forest receives the most sunlight.
3. The climate of a biome is determined mostly
by average _______________ and
precipitation.
Temperate Forests
• Temperate
deciduous forests characterized by trees
that shed their leaves
in the fall, and located
between 30º and 50º
north latitude.
Temperate deciduous forests
•They receive 75 to 125 cm
of precipitation annually
Temperate deciduous forests
(cont.)
• Plants in the deciduous forests grow in
layers with tall trees, such as birch,
dominating the canopy while shrubs cover
the understory.
• Have harsh winters so birds migrate south
for the winter and mammals and insects
reduce their activity so they don’t need as
much food for energy.
Taiga
• The taiga is the
region of evergreen,
coniferous forest
below the arctic and
subarctic tundra
regions.
• Located near the
Arctic circle
Taiga
Has long winters and
a short growing
season.
Plants and Animals of the Taiga
• Plants dominated by conifers adapted to
cold weather.
• Birds attracted to lakes and swamps for
insects, migrate south in winter.
• Shrews and rodents burrow underground
Bell Questions 12/20/11
1. Many forest biomes are experiencing
______________destruction, when land
inhabited by an organism is destroyed or
altered.
2. Which biome has long winters and a short
growing season?
Savannas
• Savannas are plains full of grasses and
scattered trees and shrubs that are found
in tropical and subtropical habitats.
Savanna
• Have a wet and a dry
season
Plants and animals of the Savanna
• Some plants have large horizontal root
systems to help them survive the dry
season.
• Grazing herbivores, like the elephant,
have adopted migratory ways of life,
following the rains.
Temperate Grasslands
• Temperate grasslands - dominated by grasses,
have few trees, and are characterized by hot
summers and cold winters.
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
• Have the most fertile soil.
• The roots system of prairie grasses form dense
layers that survive drought and fire allowing the
plants to come back from year to year.
Animals of grasslands
• Grazing animals have large flat teeth for
chewing prairie grasses
• Prairie dogs and owls live in underground
burrows to avoid predators
Threats to Temperate Grasslands
• Biggest threat is Erosion
• Grains crops cannot hold the soil in place
as well as native grasses
• Erosion is also caused as the grasses are
constantly eaten and trampled.
Chaparral
• Chaparral vegetation that
includes broad leafed
evergreen shrubs and
is located in areas
with hot or warm, dry
summers and mild,
wet winters.
Chaparral
Chaparral Plants and Animals
• Plants have small, leathery leaves that
contain oils that promote burning, can
resprout from small bits of surviving plant
tissue.
• A common adaptation of chaparral
animals is camouflage, shape or coloring
that allows an animal to blend into its
environment.
Threats to Chaparral
• Worldwide, the greatest threat to chaparral
is human development.
• Developed for commercial and residential
use because it has a mild climate year
round.
Bell Questions 12/17/10
1. Most _______________ plants are lowlying evergreen shrubs and trees with
small, leathery leaves.
2. What biome is characterized by trees
that shed their leaves in the fall?
3. What is the biggest threat to the
Temperate Grassland biome?
Deserts
• Deserts are regions
that have little or no
vegetation, long
periods without rain,
and extreme
temperatures.
• Deserts are often
located near large
mountain ranges that
block moisture.
Desert
Less than 25 cm of
precipitation annually
Plants of the Desert
• Plants called succulents,
such as cactuses, have
thick, fleshy stems and
leaves that conserve
water.
• When conditions are too
dry, these plants die and
drop their seeds that stay
dormant until the next
rainfall.
Animals of the Desert
• Reptiles have thick, scaly skin that
prevents water loss.
• In addition, most desert animals are
nocturnal, meaning they are active mainly
at night or dusk when it is cooler.
Tundra
• The tundra is a treeless plain that is
located in the Arctic or Antarctic, very low
winter temperatures, short, cool summers,
• Permafrost is the
permanently frozen
layer of soil or
subsoil
Tundra
Tundra Plants
• Short grasses
• Mosses and lichens, which can grow
without soil, cover vast areas of rocks in
the tundra.
• perennial herbs and are short and grow
flat along the ground
Animals of the Tundra
• Millions of migratory birds fly to the tundra
to breed in the summer when food is
abundant.
• Caribou migrate throughout the tundra in
search of food and water.
Threats to the Tundra
• The tundra is one of the most fragile
biomes on the planet. The food chains are
relatively simple so they are easily
disrupted.
• Oil exploration