Transcript 8.Biomes - WordPress.com

Biomes of the World
Michaelis
Biomes
• A biome is a group of ecosystems that is
characterized by certain soil and climate
conditions and is assembled of particular
plants and animals.
Biomes
• For each biome, write:
•
•
•
•
•
the description,
climate,
soil type,
fun fact, and
List two animals that live in that biome
Biomes of the World
Tropical Rain Forest
• Several types
of tropical
forests occur in
the warm,
moist belt
along the
equator.
• Climate:
• High temperatures
year round
• Precipitation year
round
• Soil:
• Nutrient poor soil
• Fun Fact:
• Home to more
species than all
other biomes
combined
Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical Rain Forest - Animal Life
• Sloths, tapirs, capybaras, jaguars, anteaters,
monkeys, toucans, parrots, parakeets, butterflies,
ants, beetles, piranhas, caymans, boa constrictors and
Tropical Dry Forest
• Grow in places
where rainfall is
seasonal, rather
than year round.
• Climate:
• Generally warm yearround
• Alternating wet and
dry seasons
• Soil:
• Rich soils subject to
erosion
• Fun Fact:
• During the dry
season, nearly all the
trees drop their leaves
to conserve water
(DECIDUOUS).
Tropical Dry Forest
Tropical Dry Forest - Animal Life
• Tigers, monkeys, elephants, rhinoceros, hog
deer, snakes, monitor lizards, hornbills
Tropical Savanna
(Grassland)
• Drier,
tropical
areas and
some nontropical
areas.
Grasses
spotted
with
isolated
trees.
Tropical Savanna (Grassland)
• Climate:
• High temperatures
year-round
• Seasonal
precipitation
• Soil:
• Compact soil, easily
drained
• Fun Fact:
• Fairly frequent fires
from lightening,
extreme wet and
dry seasons.
Tropical Savanna (Grassland) - Animal Life
• Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, aardvarks,
elephants, giraffes, antelope, zebras, baboons,
ostriches.
Temperate
Grassland
• Found in the
interiors of
continents where
winters are cold.
Periodic fires and
heavy grazing by
large herbivores
are characteristic.
• Climate:
• Warm summers
• Moderate
seasonal
precipitation
• Soil:
• Fertile soil
• Fact:
• Most have been
converted to
agricultural
fields.
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Grassland - Animal Life
• Coyotes, badgers, wolves, grizzly bears, mule deer,
rabbits, prairie dogs, bison, hawks, owls, bobwhites,
snakes.
Deserts
• Driest of all
terrestrial
biomes. Low
and
unpredictable
rainfall.
• Climate:
• Temperature
varies
• Precipitation very
low
• Soil:
• Soils rich in
minerals, but not
in organic matter
• Fun Fact:
• There are hot
and cold deserts
Deserts
Deserts - Animal Life
• Mountain lions, gray foxes, bobcats, mule deer,
antelope, bighorn sheep, kangaroo rats, bats, owls,
hawks, roadrunners, tortoises, rattlesnakes, lizards.
Chaparral
• Shrubland with
cool, rainy
winters and
hot, dry
summers.
Adapted to
periodic fires.
Chaparral
• Climate:
• Hot, dry summers
• Cold, wet winters
• Soil:
• Nutrient poor
• Fun Fact:
• Smallest biome,
we live in
chaparral.
Chaparral - Animal Life
• Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, blacktailed
deer, rabbits, squirrels, hawks, quails, lizards, snakes.
Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
Contain a mixture of
coniferous and
deciduous trees.
Forests have cold
winters that halt
plant growth for
several months.
Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
• Climate:
• Warm summers, cold
winters
• Moderate year-round
precipitation
• Soil:
• Very fertile soil, rich in
humus.
• Fun Fact:
• Deciduous trees shed
their leaves in autumn.
Temperate (Deciduous) Forest - Animal Life
• Deer, black bears, bobcats, squirrels, raccoons,
skunks, turkeys.
Northwestern
Coniferous Forest
• Mild, moist air from the
Pacific Ocean. Variety of
conifers.
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
• Climate:
• Mild temperatures
• High precipitation in Fall,
Winter and Spring
• Soil:
• Rocky and acidic soils
• Fun Fact:
• Coniferous trees have needles
and seeds in cones.
Northwest Coniferous Forest - Animal Life
• Bears, elk, deer, beavers, owls, bobcats, weasels.
• Northern
coniferous
forest (taiga) is
the largest
terrestrial
biome on
Earth.
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
• Climate:
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
• Long cold winters, short,
mild summers
• Moderate precipitation
• Soil:
• Acidic and nutrient poor
soil
• Fun Fact:
• “Boreal” comes from the
Greek word for North.
Taiga (Boreal Forest) - Animal Life
• Lynx, timber wolves, weasels, moose, beavers,
migratory birds.
• Characterized by
permafrost: a layer of
permanently frozen
subsoil. Treeless biome
with extreme cold and
wind.
Tundra
• Climate:
• Short, soggy summers,
long, cold, dark
winters
• Low precipitation
• Strong winds
• Soil:
• Rocky, poor soil and
permafrost.
• Fun Fact:
• Winter lasts for 10
months!
Tundra
Tundra - Animal Life
• Musk ox, arctic foxes, caribou, lemmings, small
rodents, some migratory birds.
Temperate rain forest
• Long wet season, relatively dry summer
• Evergreen conifers, they keep their
needles/leaves
• Some animals migrate to warmer climates or
hibernate
• Owls,
• Europe, East Asia.