Transcript Biomes - Teacher Pages

Biomes
Biomes
• Community characterized by dominant
vegetation and prevailing climate
– Climate=avg. temp. and avg. precipitation
– General trend: as altitude and latitude
increases, temp. and precipitation decreases
Climatogram
Arctic Tundra
• No match in southern hemisphere
• Extreme northern latitudes (alpine tundrahigh elevations; above tree line on
mountains)
Arctic Tundra Characteristics
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Long, harsh winters/short summers
Little to no precipitation (driest place on earth)
Nutrient poor soil, little organic matter
Permafrost-permanently frozen ground
– Poor drainage, soil gets waterlogged
– Creates bogs in summer
– Roots cannot penetrate the ground (no tree species)
• Little diversity, little primary productivity
• Regenerates VERY slowly after disturbance
Tundra Plants
• Mosses
• lichen
Tundra Animals
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Lemmings
Weasels
Voles
Arctic fox-(video nat. geo)
Arctic hare
Snowy owl
Musk oxen
Migrators-caribou/birds
Tundra Animals
Tundra Adaptations
• Plants-wax coated leaves, underground as
bulbs to over-winter, dehydrate to prevent
frost damage
• Animals-thick coats and fur, feathers,
small bodies and extremities to prevent
heat loss
Threats to the Tundra
• Climate change
• Oil production
• Video-teacher’s domain
Taiga (TIH-ga) Coniferous Forest
• Just south of tundra
• Stretches across N. America and Eurasia
Taiga Characteristics
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Winters are severe and cold
Short growing season
Not much precipitation
Soil is acidic, nutrient poor (partially
decomposed pine needles)
• Patchy permafrost
• Ponds, lakes carved by glaciers
Taiga Plants
• Coniferous evergreens (pine trees)
• Spruces, balsam fir
• **extensive logging here**
Taiga Animals
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Caribou
Wolves
Bears
Moose
Lynx
insects
Taiga Animals
Taiga Adaptations
• Needles are adapted to prevent water/heat
loss (less surface area)
• Keeping needles all year takes full
advantage of available sunlight
Temperate Rain Forest
• NW coast of N. America (Seattle),
southern S. America
Temperate Rain Forest
Characteristics
• High precipitation, condensation from
coastal fog
• Coniferous forest (pine trees)
• Temp. modified by ocean (mild
winters/cool summers)
• Nutrient poor soil
• High organic content, but decomposition is
slowed by cool weather
Temperate Rain Forest
Characteristics
• Special, complex ecosystem; old-growth
forest, never been logged and only a small
fraction remains
• VERY stable
• Includes many endangered or threatened
species that only live here
Temperate Rain Forest Plants
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Large evergreens
Douglas fir
Hemlocks
Red cedar
Temperate Rain Forest Animals
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Eagles
Elk
Mule deer
Amphibians/reptiles
Wood rats
Spotted owl
Temperate Deciduous Forest
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This is where we live!
Hot summers/cold winters
Precipitation 30-50 inch/yr
Topsoil is rich in organic matter, lower
layers mostly clay
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Plants
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Oak
Hickory
Maple
Birch
• **lose leaves annually** (Deciduous)
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Animals
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White-tailed deer
Bears
Birds
Coyotes
Raccoons
skunk
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Animals
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Worldwide these forests have been
cleared for farming, logging, cities
• Where they have regenerated many
organisms have returned
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Adaptations
• Plants that lose leaves are dormant over
the cold winter to survive drought and cold
weather
Threats to the World’s Forests
• Clearing for agriculture, grazing
• Clearing for timber, urban development
• Conversion to less biodiverse tree
plantations
Temperate Grasslands
• Midwest U.S.
• Characteristics:
– Hot summers/cold winters
– Precipitation uncertain (10-30 in/yr)
– Rich organic soil (that’s why there are a lot of
farms
Temperate Grassland Plants
• Dominant vegetation-grasses
• Only a few trees close to rivers/streams
• Wildfires frequent
Temperate Grassland Animals
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Prairie dogs
Snakes
Rodents
Foxes
Black-footed ferrets
Hawks
Insects
Bison
Grouse (birds)
Temperate Grassland Animals
Threats to Grasslands
• Conversion to cropland
• overgrazing
Chaparral
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Coast of California
Characteristics: thin soil, unfertile
Long, hot dry summers/mild, wet winters
**Frequent fires to regenerate plants
Chaparral Plants
• Evergreen shrubs (short, drought
resistant)
• Adaptations: hard, leathery leaves to
prevent water loss
• Plants grow best after fire
Chaparral Animals
• Wood rats
• Mule deer
• lizards
Chaparral
• Fires burn expensive homes, but letting
vegetation build up causes severe fires
and clearing vegetation causes mud slides
in winter
Deserts
• Both cold (temperate) and hot (tropical)
• Characteristics:
– Low water vapor content results in extreme
hot and cold temps
– Very low precipitation less than 10 in/yr
– Sparse vegetation so soil is low in organic
matter; very high mineral content (amounts so
high it can be toxic)
– Perennials: live longer than one year and
annuals live one year, happens after rain
Desert Plants
• Xerophytes: cacti, saguaro, aloe vera
• Adaptations: reduced water loss because
little or no leaves (photosynthesis happens
in the stem), very deep roots or shallow
roots that are very wide ranging, equipped
with thorns, spines, or toxins to resist
grazing pressure
Desert Plants
Desert Animals
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Jack rabbit
Fennec fox
Lizards
Snakes
rodents
Desert Animals
Desert Animal Adaptations
• Large extremities for heat loss
• Small bodies
• Take cover during the day and forage at
night
• Obtain water from plants (dew)
• Concentrated urine, dry feces
Desert Disturbances
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Large desert cities
Off road vehicles
Storage of toxic chemicals
**very slow to recover**
Savanna (Tropical Grassland)
• Tropical grassland
• Characteristics:
– Low rainfall or seasonal rainfall with long periods of
drought
– Little temp. change year-round
– Low in essential nutrients due to leaching
– Rich in aluminum because aluminum is leach
resistant (can become toxic)
– Dominant vegetation is grasses with scattered trees
Savanna Plants
• Acacia tree
• Adaptations:
– Thorns to reduce grazing
– Extensive underground roots to survive
drought or fire
Savanna Plants
Savanna Animals
• Lions
• Cheetahs
• Giraffes (ungulates-hooved animals),
antelope
• Elephants
• Adaptations: migrate to find water
Savanna Animals
Tropical Rain Forest
• Central/South America, SE Asia
• Characteristics:
– Warm temp. year round
– Daily precipitation (80-180 in/yr), mostly
recycled water from transpiration
– Ancient, highly weathered, mineral poor soil
– Little organic matter in the soil because
decomposition happens quickly and reuptake
happens quickly
Tropical Rain Forest
• Characteristics continued
– Minerals and nutrients are tied up in living
organisms rather than the soil
– Highly productive (a lot of photosynthesis)
– Greatest biodiversity of all biomes
Tropical Rain Forest Plants
• Broadleaf evergreens (large leaves, all
year)
• Epiphytes (plants that grow on other
plants-mosses, lianas (woody vines)
• Adaptations:
– Leaves are broad to capture sunlight, radiate
heat
– Root mats catch and absorb all nutrients
released by decomposers
Tropical Rain Forest Plants
Tropical Rain Forest Animals
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Insects
Amphibians
Sloths
Monkeys
Macaws
Ocelots
Adaptations:
– Many different niches so decreased competition
• Some animals never walk the ground
• Adapted to certain parts of the canopy
Tropical Rain Forest Animals
Tropical Rain Forest Stratification
Threats to the Rainforest
• As human population grows, expansion
into rainforests-demand for land/resources
may be the end of the rainforest in this
century
• Some species not identified yet
– Could be medicines or cures for diseases