Transcript Earth`s Biomes - cloudfront.net

Earth’s Biomes
Dawn Girard
Environmental Science
Legacy High School
Biomes Unit Decisions
Biomes Videos:
You will be watching Pole to Pole to give you a
general overview of all the biomes on Earth. How
ever I like to show two other videos in this unit.
Which two Planet Earth Videos would you like to see?
Fresh Water
Deserts
Ice Worlds
Great Plains
Jungles
Shallow Seas
Seasonal Forests
Ocean Deep
2
Biomes

regions in the world that share similar plant
structures, plant spacing, animals, climate and
weather.
 classified as either terrestrial or aquatic.
 do not have distinct boundaries.
 often defined by abiotic factors such as climate,
relief, geology, soils and vegetation along with their
biotic factors of animals, plants, fungi, etc.
3
Biomes
There is a general disagreement among scientists about
how many biomes exist. According to the scientists
these range from 6 to 8 biomes.
We will be studying the following 7 Biomes, but not
necessarily in this order.
1. Deserts XXX
2. Forests XXX
3. Taiga/Boreal Forest XXX
4. Tundra XXX
5. Fresh Water
6. Marine
7. Grasslands XXX
4
Earth’s Biomes:
Tundra
A tundra is a vast, treeless plain in
the arctic region.
Tundra is the coldest of all the
biomes.
Characteristics of
Tundra
1.Extremely cold climate
2.Low biotic diversity
3.Simple vegetation structure
4.Limitation of drainage
5.Short season of growth and reproduction
6.Energy and nutrients in the form of dead
organic material
7.Large population oscillations
7
Location
There are two kinds of tundras, Arctic
and alpine. Arctic tundras lie near the
Arctic Ocean. They include Greenland,
northern parts of Alaska, Canada,
Europe and Russia.
The Alpine tundra is located at the top
of mountains across the world.
8
Climate
It’s freezing for almost all of the year.
The average temperature per year is 16
degrees F.
Summer temperatures get up to 45
degrees F. (last 6-10 weeks)
Lowest temperature it can get is 10
degrees F below 0- 20 degrees F.
9
Precipitation
Most of the precipitation that falls
is snow. In summer it falls as rain
with occasional snow.
Average precipitation per season is
4.5 in.
Average precipitation per year is 18
inches.
10
Plant Life
The plants growing in the tundra are
often small and grow close to the
ground. This helps resist cold temp.
and snow during the winter.
Due to permafrost, there are no deep
root system in the plant life of the
arctic tundra. (1,700 different kinds
of plants)
11
Plant Life
They carry out photosynthesis at
low temperatures.
Plants are more likely to
reproduce vegetatively by
division and budding than by
flower pollination sexually, due
to the short growing season.
12
Animal Life
The frigid cold and deep snow
makes life in the tundra very
difficult.
Animals are adapted to handle
long, cold winters and to breed and
raise young quickly in the summer.
Some have grown thick fur which
turns white in the winter.
13
Animal Life
Mammals and birds have additional
insulation from fat.
Others find a place to hibernate
during the winter months b/c food
is not abundant.
Reptiles & amphibians are few or
absent b/c of extremely cold temp.
14
Earth’s Biomes:
Taiga/Boreal
Forest
Characteristics

Boreal forest refers to
southern part of biome

Taiga refers to edge of
boreal forest where forest
gradually gives way to
tundra



World’s largest terrestrial
biome
Characterized by
coniferous forests



Stretches in a band
around the world between
45 ° and 65 ° North


Forests grow slowly
Tolerate weathered, nutrient
poor soil
High bird/mammal
diversity
Dominant trees: pines,
hemlocks, spruce, cedar, fir
Extreme cold and short
summers
16
Climate & Temperature
 Dominated
by cold arctic air brought by winds
from Arctic circle
 Because
of earth's tilt, the taiga is turned away
from the sun in the winter.
 Winter
lasts 5-6 months with temperatures
varying from −50 °C to 30 °C (-58°F to 86°F)
 Summers are
short and generally mild, rainy,
humid, and short (30 °F to 70 ° with average of
50°F)
17
Fauna of the Taiga & Boreal
Forest
Animals
 Snowshoe Rabbit
 Gray Wolf
 Black Bear
 Bald Eagle
 Bobcat
 Lynx
 Grizzly Bear
 Owl
 Red Fox
 Otter
Common Adaptations

Thick Woolly Coats

Large rear feet & toes that can
spread out to act like snowshoes

feet also have fur on the bottom,
which protects them from the cold
and gives them traction in the
snow

In the summer its fur is rusty,
grayish brown but is turns pure
white in the winter helping it avoid
predators
18
Flora of the Taiga/Boreal
Forest

Plants
Black Spruce
Common Adaptations
 Pine Cones

Siberian Spruce

Enjoys poorly drained soil

Balsam Fir


Douglas Fir

Red Cedar

Jack Pine
Able to survive in the
colder climates because of
its layered twigs, waxy
pine needles, and rough
bark

White Fir


White Poplar

White Spruce
Thick waxy coating that is
water proof and protects
the needles from drying
winds.
19
Keystone SpeciesIndicator Species
Siberian Tiger
 Top of food chain, hunts
deer and boar

Without, deer and boar
become slow, small, and
overpopulated, and damaging

Have potential to destroy
habitat, overgrazing areas and
trampling and dangerously
compacting soil

Typically poached, so presence is
indicator of health in the face of
human activity

As they are endangered, also an
indicator of overall special
diversity and prominence in biome
20
Earth’s Biomes:
Desert
Hot and Dry (Temp.)

The temperatures in the hot and
dry deserts are extreme because of
the lack of humidity

Humidity- air which contains high
amounts of water vapor

Without humidity there is a lack of
protection from the suns ray

Average temp. ranges from 20-25
degrees Celsius

Extreme high temp. ranges from
43.5- 49 degrees Celsius

Min. Temp. can drop to 18 degrees
below zero Celsius
22
Hot and Dry (Rainfall)

Rainfall is usually limited and only in
short bursts in between long periods
of time

Rainfall depends on regional location

Ex. Rainfall in Chile is less than 1.5
cm, while deserts in the US it
averages up to 28 cm

Evaporation rates often exceed
rainfall rates

Fun Fact: once in a while rainfall can
sometimes evaporate before reaching
the ground
23
Hot and Dry (Vegetation)
•
Plants are mainly ground-hugging
shrubs and short woody trees.
•
Leaves have water-conserving
characteristics. They tend to be
small, thick and covered with a
thick cuticle (outer layer).
•
These plants include: yuccas,
ocotillo, turpentine bush, prickly
pears, false mesquite, sotol,
ephedras, agaves and brittlebush
24
Hot and Dry (Organisms)

The animals include small
nocturnal (active at night)
carnivores.

The dominant animals are
burrowers and kangaroo rats.

There are also insects,
arachnids, reptiles and birds.

The animals stay inactive in
protected hideaways during the
hot day and come out to hunt
at dusk, dawn or at night, when
the desert is cooler.
25
Hot and Dry (Food Chains)
 Hawk
 Rattlesnake
 Jack
Rabbit
 Ground
Hugging Shrubs
26
Semi- Arid (Temp/ Rainfall)
•
Avg. Temp. 21- 27
degrees Celsius
•
The temp. rarely gets
above 38 degrees
Celsius and rarely gets
below 10 degrees
Celsius
• Average Rainfall 2-4
cm annually
Footer text here
•
This helps with the
condensation of dew
in the night, which
can exceed the
moisture some deserts
get from rainfall
27
Semi- Arid (Vegetation)
 Spiny
nature
plants in order
to reduce
transpiration:
Silvery Glossy
leaves
 Ex.
Creosote Bush, Bur Sage, white Thorn,
Cat Claw, Mesquite, Brittle bush, Lyceums,
and jujube
28
Semi-Arid( Animals)

Protection in
underground burrows
where they are insulated
from heat and aridity

Ex. Kangaroo rates,
rabbits, skunks,
grasshoppers, ants,
lizards, snakes,
burrowing owls,
California thrasher
29
Coastal desert (Temp/ Rainfall)
 Avg.
Temp: 13- 24
degrees Celsius
 Winter: 5 degrees
Celsius or below
 Max: 35 degrees
Celsius
 Min: -4 degrees Celsius
 Rainfall: 8- 13 cm
 Max: 37 cm
 Min: 5 cm
30
Coastal Desert (Vegetation)

They grow in fine
textured soil with
moderate salt content

Extensive root systems
sloe to the surface

Have thickly fleshy leaves
or stems to take in
available water

Ex: salt bush, buckwheat
bush, black bush, rice
grass, and black sage
31
Coastal Desert (Animals)
 Specialized
adaptations
for dealing with heat
and lack of rain
 Ex:
Coyote, badger,
toads, great horned owl,
golden eagle, bald
eagle, lizards, snakes
32
Cold Desert (Temp/ Rainfall)
Temperature
Rainfall
Cold winters with high  Avg. annual
snowfall and high
precipitation is 15overall rainfall
26 cm
• Short moist and
 Max: 46 cm
moderately warm
 Min: 9 cm
summers with fairly
long and cold winters
• Winter: -2 to 4
degrees Celsius
• Summer: 21- 26
degrees Celsius
•
33
Cold Desert (Vegetation)
 Widely
scattered
 10
percent of the ground
is covered with plants
 The
areas of sage bush
goes up to 85 percent
 Heights
vary between 15-
122 cm
 Most
are deciduous
34
Cold Deserts (Animals)
 Widely
distributed
 Ex:
jackrabbits,
kangaroo rats,
kangaroo mice, pocket
mice, grasshopper
mice, antelope, and
ground squirrels
35
Earth’s Biomes:
Forests
Forests
Forests occupy approximately onethird of Earth's land area, account
for over two-thirds of the leaf area
of land plants, and contain about
70% of carbon present in living
things
37
Forest Contributions
 timber
 fuel
wood
 drinking
and irrigation water
 Fodder
 non-timber
products (vines,
bamboo, leaves)
 food
(honey, mushrooms, fruit,
game)
38
Forest Services

removal of air
pollutants

moderation of
weather extremes
and impacts

emission of oxygen

cycling of nutrients

generation of soil

an array of watershed
functions (infiltration,
purification, flow
control, soil
stabilization)

provision of
employment

provision of human
and wildlife habitat

provision of
aesthetic enjoyment
and recreation

maintenance of
biodiversity

sequestering of
atmospheric carbon
39
Deciduous Forest

60-80% relative humidity helps
to moderate temperature
change from day to night
 Precipitation is distributed fairly
evenly throughout the year,
there are no rainy or dry
seasons.
 There are four seasons:
 Spring (Moderately Cool &
Warm)
 Summer (Hotter
Temperatures)
 Fall (Moderately warm to
cool)
 Winter (Cold)
40
Deciduous Forest
Animal
Vegetation

Deer

Beech Trees

Raccoons

Hickory Trees

Salamanders

Oak Trees

Snakes

Maple Trees

Arthropods

Ferns

Birds: Owl, Hawk…

Black Berry and
raspberry Bushes
41
Tropical Rain Forest
 These
trees grow in
places that are hot
and wet all year.
Canopy
 Trees
are very tall
and the leaves are
always green.
forest has
three layers.
Understory
 The
Forest floor
42
Tropical Rainforest




The average temperature in a tropical
rainforest region would range between 20
and 29 degrees Celsius ( 68 and 84 degrees
Fahrenheit.)
Tropical rainforest are located at and
equatorial latitude which keeps the average
temperature and day length the same
throughout the entire year.
In tropical regions where the temperatures
are constantly high, the rainfall count is
greater then 1,800 to 2,500 mm a year.
Rainfall occurs evenly over the course of the
year.
43
Tropical Rain Forest
Vegetation
Animal

Insects

Strangler figs

300 different
species of Parrot

Bamboo

Coconut Trees

Chimpanzees

Mosses

Bengal Tigers

Bougainvillea

Mangrove Forests
44
Coniferous Forest

Grows in places with
very cold winters
and cool summers.

The leaves look like
needles so they
don’t need very
much water.

Seeds grow in cones.

Get less rain than all
the other forests.
Seed cone
45
Coniferous Forest
 Long
cold winters (average
temperature -15C) with extreme
temps (-30C).
 Short summers with long days – short
growing season (3 months).
 Low precipitation (500mm) cold air
unable to hold much water vapour.
Winter snowfall melts only in spring.
46
Coniferous Forest
Animal
Vegetation

Fir Trees

Deer

Spruce Trees

Elk

Fungus

Moose

Lichens/Mosses

Grizzly Bear

Black Bear
47
Human Impacts on Forest Biomes

Logging

Deforestation

Mining

Over Hunting/Hunting out Species
48
Earth’s Biomes:
Grasslands
49
General
Information

Occupy a central place among terrestrial
ecosystems
 Not
too hot, wet, or dry
 Significant
 Bread
amounts of sun and wind
Baskets of the World; Lots of Agriculture
 Conservation
collaboration
efforts require everyone’s
50
General Information
Precipitation
Climate

Dependent on
latitude, yearly
range can be
between -20°C to
30°C

About 500 to 900
mm of rain per
year or 20-40
inches annually
51
Locations of Grasslands

Grasslands are located in the middle
latitudes, in areas with too much rain
for deserts and too little for forests
(yellow to the right).

Savannas are located near the equator
(pink to the right). They have short wet
seasons and long dry seasons.
52
Temperate Grasslands

In Europe, temperate
grasslands are called
steppes. In North
America, they are called
prairies.

There are three types of
grasses which dominate
temperate grasslands:
shortgrasses,
midgrasses, and tall
grasses.
53
Grass Types

Shortgrasses grow
where the climate is
the driest, and once
dominated the Great
Plains.

Tall grasses appear in
the wettest parts of
the grassland.

Midgrasses fill the
spaces between areas
of tall grasses and
shortgrasses.
54
Tropical Grasslands

Tropical grasslands, also
called savannas, cover
much of Africa, and parts
of India, Australia, and
South America.

They are covered by
clumps of grasses, as
short as a few centimeters
or as tall as ten feet, with
acacia, baobab, and palm
trees interspersed.
55
Seasons in the Savanna

During the dry season,
which is exceptionally
long and distinct in
tropical grasslands,
grasses and trees wither
and die, many times
being consumed in
raging fires.

When the wet season
returns, grasses grow at
incredible rates, up to
2.5 centimeters a day.
56
Animals in the Grassland

Animals in the
temperate grassland
primarily are smaller
grazing animals.

Larger animals in the
temperate grassland
are almost entirely
grazing animals.

Bison at one point
dominated the North
American grassland.
57
Animals in the Savanna

Animal life on the savanna
is extremely diverse, far
more so than the temperate
grassland

Life consists of everything
from small grazers, like
hyraxes, to large grazers,
like zebras, to predators,
like lions, to fast grazers in
woody areas, like dik-dik,
to slow grazers in watery
areas, like hippos.
58
Overuse of Grasslands

Grassland is the most
overused biome in the
world.

Over 70% of all
agriculture occurs in
grasslands.

The European Steppe
and the Great Plains
have almost completely
disappeared to
overdevelopment.
59
Earth’s Biomes:
Marine
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