Transcript Biomes of Utah

Biomes of Utah
Desert, Forest, and Wetlands
What is a biome?

Biomes are climatically
and geographically
defined as similar
climatic conditions on the
Earth, such as
communities of plants,
animals, and soil
organisms.
The Desert
Annual rainfall?
Less than 5
inches!
If Utah were
left in its
natural stare it
would be a
desert.
Two Types of deserts found in Utah
Hot desert
 Cold desert

Desert Animals
 Desert Tortoise
 Snakes
 Lizards
 Golden Eagle
 Turkey Vulture
Desert Tortoise
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The length of this tortoise's
shell is about 10 inches. Fullgrown adults will reach 15
inches.
The hard shell is a protection
against predators and a
harsh environment..
The color and patterns allow
the tortoise to blend in with
the shrubs and soil.
Snakes
Snakes are important
predators in desert
ecosystems. Life on the
desert is harsh, and
predators help to
maintain the critical
balance.
Lizards
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Lizards are superbly adapted
desert dwellers.
Control insects.
Serve as food for other
desert predators.
Two adaptations.
They are very well
camouflaged.
They can lose their tail to
escape when captured and
grow a new one for future
escapes.
Golden Eagle
 A Golden Eagle eating a
hare.
 The eagle will typically
cover a large territory in
search of an occasional
lizard or desert wood rat.
 Beaks are adapted for
killing small animals.
Turkey Vulture
 Scavengers such as the
Turkey Vulture, fill a very
significant role in the
desert ecosystem.
Plants of the desert
Cactuses would most
likely be found in a
desert area of Utah.
 We also find sagebrush
and juniper.

Forest Biomes

Found wherever a high
number of trees and
other plants grow
together.
Deciduous Forest
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Mild temperatures and plenty
of rainfall.
Deciduous trees have large,
flat leaves in order to
photosynthesize as much as
possible before harsh
winters.
Seeds produced by
deciduous plans attract
animals like squirrels that
store or eat them.
Deciduous Trees

Loses its leaves in the
autumn.
Coniferous Forest biomes
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Occur at higher elevations
than deciduous forests.
The summer season is very
brief and conifers grow
quickly to take advantage of
sunshine.
Instead of broad, flat leaves,
conifers have adapted
needle like leaves.
Examples Of Coniferous Trees
Pine and Spruce
 Produces cones

Forest Animals
Raccoon
Garter Snake
Eagle
Turkey
Robin
Bears
Raccoon
 This masked bandit can
become very friendly
when a full garbage can
is available. Although
very cute, this mammal
can bite very hard!
Garter Snake
 These common reptiles
can be found in your own
backyard.
Turkey
A turkey in the wild can be
a feast for a larger
predator.
Robin

Robins can be seen in
many backyards.
Bears
Black bears live in Utah.
 They survive the cold,
mountain winters by
hibernating.

Wetland Biomes
Characterized by the
presence of standing
water or heavily water
soaked soil.
 Bodies of water such as
ponds, rivers, marshes
along with their
surrounding areas are
examples of wetlands.

Famous wetland located near us
The Great Salt Lake
 Bear River Refuge
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Types of Wetland environments
found in Utah
Lake
 River
 Stream
 Marsh
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Wetland Animals Found in Utah
Beaver
 Ducks
 fish
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Examples of Wetland Plants
Cattail
 Willow
 algae
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Environment

Everything, both living
and nonliving that
surrounds and affects an
animal.