Transcript Terrestrial biomes

Terrestrial biomes
biome
• Definition- a major type of ecosystem with
distinctive temperatures, precipitation, and
organisms
Major terrestrial biomes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Desert
Tundra
Deciduous forest
Evergreen forest (taiga)
Rainforest
Steppe
Prairie
Desert biome
•
•
•
•
Precipitation = 0 to 10 cm per year
Most rain comes in a few thundershowers
Lack of water makes desert cool at night
2 types of deserts
– Cool (like deserts east of Rocky mtns.)
– Hot (like deserts in Arizona and New Mexico
Temperatures can go from 100 degrees F. to 40
degrees F. in same day
Desert plants
•
•
•
•
Store water in tissues
Shallow, wide roots
Many have spines
The plant at right is
the prickly pear
cactus
Old man cactus & aloe vera
Desert animals
• Get water from food
• Some live
underground
• Some are nocturnal
• Some have large ears
to radiate heat
• Animal at left is a
fennec from Africa
Thorny devil (Australia) &
sidewinder (southwestern U.S.)
Sahara desert
Tundra biome
•
•
•
•
Cold, windy & dry
Fewest organisms of any other biome
Short growing season (60 days)
Permafrost – only top 8-10 cm of soil thaw
in summer, area below stays frozen
• Less than 25 cm of precipitation per year
Tundra plants
• Tundra plants are
small, shallow-rooted,
and grow close to
ground
• Willow trees grow
only 1 meter tall from
wind and limited
space
• Most are mosses,
lichens, wildflowers,
and grasses
Tundra animals
• Most have thick coats
and wide feet
• Migration – seasonal
travel to find food
• No reptiles or
amphibians
• Many migratory birds
(few predators there)
caribou
Lemming
evergreen forest (taiga) biome
• Warm summers, long, cold winters
• 40 to 200 cm precip. per yr.
• Usually found on high mtns. of N. Amer., Europe,
and Asia
• Soil is poor because of slow decomposition of
needles
• Snow insulates soil from freezing
Taiga plants
• Trees have wax-covered
needles to shed snow
and hold moisture
• Ferns and lichens grow in
dim light on forest floor
• Most taiga trees produce
cones that contain seeds
• Tree at left is a black
spruce, often used as a
Christmas tree
Larch and jack pine (conifers)
Taiga animals
• Most adapted to cold
& snow
• Small rodents live
under snow
• Many large
herbivores &
predators
moose
lynx
wolf
Deciduous forest biome
•
•
•
•
•
Receives 50 to 300 cm precip. per yr.
Temps. range from 30 deg.C to -30 deg.C
Trees drop leaves in winter to conserve water
6 month growing season
3 layers:
– Canopy (highest layer)
– Understory (younger, smaller trees)
– Floor (shrubs, ferns, mosses)
Deciduous forest plants
• Rich soil (humus)
from falling leaves
• Many are colorful in
fall and winter
• Tree on the right is a
Japanese maple
Red oak and sugar maple
Deciduous forest animals
• Diverse group of
predators &
herbivores
• Adapted to cold
• At right is a raccoon
Pileated woodpecker and
white-tailed deer
Red fox and porcupine
Rain forest biome
•
•
•
•
•
Average temp. is 25 deg. C year-round
Precip ranges from 200 to 450 cm per yr.
12 month growing season
Most diverse plants & animals of any biome
Contain 70% of all terrestrial species but cover
only 6% of earth’s surface
• Canopy catches 99% of light hitting the forest
• Soil is poor – warmth & moisture cause rapid
decay of dead matter
Rainforest plants
• Shallow-rooted from
poor soil
• Some are epiphytes
(live by hanging from
trees)
• Many exotic species
of wood – teak,
mahogany, balsa
• Left is a mahogany
guitar body
Koli’I and orchid
Rainforest animals
• Adapted to different
layers of forest
• Some are arboreal
(live entire life in
trees)
• Bird on right is bird-ofparadise
Red-eyed frog & spider monkey
Toucan & sloth
Kinkajou & rainforest possum