Transcript PP Biome overview

BIOMES
Biomes are classified according
to…
Temperature
And PRECIPITATION
• Rain dictates Plants. Plants dictate Animals
• Plants want to maximize photosynthesis
– Big leaves
• Plants want to retain water and control temp.
– Small leaves, needles
– Waxy coating
4 Plant Types
1. Succulents
• Fleshy plants with modified leaves (spines), photosynthesize in
stems, store water in flesh.
• Where: dry, sunny enviros
2. Broadleaf evergreens
• Large leaves to capture as much sunlight as possible; keep leaves
all year.
• Where: tropical rainforests
3. Broadleaf Deciduous
• Large leaves to capture sunlight; lose leaves in dry, cold winters.
• Where: temperate (seasonal) areas.
4. Coniferous Evergreens
• Small, needle-like leaves; maintain leaves all year; waxy to
prevent water loss.
• Where: cold winters; brief summers.
Vocab
• Biome – region that is characterized by climate, vegetation,
and animals that inhabit the area
• Climate – average precipitation and temperature of an area
• Altitude – height above sea level
• Latitude – distance from the equator
• Brackish – a mixture of fresh and salt water
• Permafrost – frozen layer beneath the topsoil
• Succulent – plants that store water in thick, fleshy tissue of
stems, usually have no leaves (ex. Cacti)
• Coniferous – cone-bearing plants that keep needles all year
• Deciduous – plants that shed their leaves to survive seasons
Desert
• Characteristics
– less than 10 inches rain/year
• Human Threats
– Long time to recover from disturbance due to slow plant growth, low
diversity, lack of water, & slow nutrient cycling.
– Overpopulation by new cities
– Recreationists destroy landscape; crush underground burrows
– Salinization of soil due to farming
– Depletion of groundwater
– Mining/Oil extraction
– Nuclear testing (Manhattan Project)
Desert Adaptations
PLANT
• Waxy coating
• Deep taproot or wide
shallow roots
• Fleshy stem, spiny
leaves
ANIMAL
• Small
• Nocturnal; hide
during the day
• Thick outer coverings
(reptiles/insects)
• Conserve water;
kangaroo rat
– Get moisture
from seeds
TUNDRA
– Characteristics
• 10 inches rain/year (falls as snow)
• Dark winters; 24-hr sunlight in summer
• Permafrost = permanently frozen soil
– Human Impacts
• Most fragile biome on Earth due to slow growth & lack
of biodiversity
• Oil exploration
TUNDRA
– Plant Adaptations
• No trees
• Knee height or lower to
survive winds
• Grow very quickly (3
months max)
– Animal Adaptations
• Migration (caribou, birds)
• Extremely thick fur,
huddle for winter
• Seasonal camouflage
Temperate Grasslands (prairie)
• Characteristics
–
–
–
–
Low to moderate precipitation
Precipitation limits plants to mostly perennial grasses.
Seasonal temperatures
Drought, fires, & grazing prevents most trees/bushes from growing.
• Human Impacts
– Conversion to croplands; deserts by accident
• Burning & plowing; contribute to CO2
• Dust storms in times of drought
– Overgrazing
Tropical Grassland (savanna)
• Characteristics
– Warm all year
– Dry & wet seasons
– Africa and Australia
• Human Threats
– Poaching
– Fires
GRASSLANDS
Plant Adaptations
– Perennial grasses grow
from base of plant
– Thick mats of deep roots
maintain soils
• Prairies = most fertile
soil in the world
Animal Adaptations
– Large populations of
grazing herbivores
Tropical Rainforest
• Characteristics
– Evergreen broadleaf trees
– ~ 100 inches rain/year
– Greatest biodiversity on planet
• Human Impact
– Deforestation (clear cutting, fires)
– Farming lasts 5-10 years (soils are poor)
Tropical Rain forest
• Plants
– Grow in layers
– Drip-tips
– Above ground roots
– Vines – to compete for
sunlight
– Minimal ground litter due to
quick nutrient cycling
– Soil quality is poor
Animals
– Greatest biodiversity on
planet
– Bright colors for warning
– Live in layers to reduce
competition
Taiga
• Characteristics
– Evergreen cone-bearing trees
– Cold winters, cool summers with very short growing
season
• Human Impact
– Logging & mining
Taiga
• Plant
– Tee-pee shape to prevent
snow damage
– Small, waxy leaves
– Photosynthesize all year
– Thick bark to prevent freezing
– EX: spruce, fir, pine, &
hemlock
– Minimal understory due to
acidic soil and slow
decomposition
• Animal
– Hibernation
– Migration
– Thick fur
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Characteristics
– Deciduous broadleaf trees
– Seasonal temperatures with moderate precipitation
• Human Impact
– Greatest human population on Earth
– 99% of original forests have been cleared in N. America
Deciduous Forest
• Animal
– Migration
– Thick fur
– Ex: black bears, deer,
squirrels, birds
• Plant
– Trees lose leaves in winter
and drought
• EX: maple & oak
– Canopy not as blocking as TRF
– Soil is rich due to annual
decomposition of fallen
leaves
Aquatic “Biomes” are determined by
the salinity of the water
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Saltwater/Marine
open sea
estuary
coast line
coral reef
coastal marsh
mangrove swamp
coastal wetlands
Freshwater
1. Lakes & Ponds
2. Flowing Streams
3. Inland wetlands
A. COASTAL ZONE
- warm, nutrient rich
- land to continental shelf
- covered at high tide, exposed at low tide
- 10% of ocean area but 90% of species
- connect with estuaries
- protects land
ESTUARIES
- where fresh & salt water meet (brackish)
- streams flow into ocean
- lots of nutrients available
- good breeding ground for organisms
MANGROVE SWAMPS
- warm tropical coasts with an overabundance of silt (sediment & nutrients)
- 55 species of salt-tolerant trees & shrubs
BEACHES
- can be rocky or sandy (barrier)
CORAL REEF
• Found in shallow coastal zones of warm
tropical & sub-tropical oceans
• Underwater populations of polyps (animals
similar to jellyfish) that secrete limestone
shells
• Most productive ALZ
OPEN SEA
• Divided into 3 zones, depending on the
amount of sunlight EUPHOTIC
BATHYAL
ABYSSAL
• Phytoplankton - major photosynthesizers
Inland Wetlands
• Lands covered with water all or part of the
year (excluding streams, lakes, swamps)
• Examples include:
1. marshes (herbaceous plants)
2. prairie potholes (seasonal)
3. swamps (tress & shrubs)
4. mudflats
5. bogs
• Arctic soils are wet and nutrient rich. So why
are there no trees in the Arctic, and why are the
plants there so close to the ground?
• Why don’t desert plants such as cacti have
leaves?
• Why do trees in most forests found in both the
warm tropics and in cold areas such as Canada
and Sweden keep their leaves year-round,
whereas most trees in temperate forests lose
their leaves in winter?