Transcript What are biomes? - Catawba County Schools

What are biomes?
Biomes are regions of the world with similar
climate, animals, and plants.
Earth’s Major Land
Biomes
Tundra
Tropical Rainforest
Grasslands
Taiga
Desert
Deciduous Forest
Tundra
Tundra
Location:
The tundra biome covers about 1/5 of the earth.
The tundra biome is located in the arctic circle, which
is a circle that surrounds the north pole.
Weather:The tundra is the coldest biome. In the winter it can reach
temperatures of -50°F.
Plants:
Many lichens, mosses, and small shrubs flourish in the
arctic tundra.
Animals:
Animals in the tundra have adaptations to help them
survive in extreme cold temperatures. Some of the
animals are polar bear, arctic fox, caribou, and seals.
Rainforest
Tropical Rainforest
Location:Tropical rainforest are located close to the equator.
Weather:
Plants:
Rainforest are wet and warm all year. Temperatures don’t
change much between night and day. The average
temperature in tropical rainforest ranges from 70 to 85°F.
One type of plant often found in a rainforest is
an epiphyte. Plants often grow on trees to take
advantage of the sunlight under the canopy.
Animals:
Tropical rainforest are home to half the plant and animal
species on Earth. Most animals have adaptations to help
them live in trees, like monkeys.
Grasslands
Grasslands
Location:Grasslands are located all over from North America to Africa.
North America calls their grasslands prairies.
Weather:
The weather in the grasslands varies greatly. It is cold in
the winter and hot in the summer.
Plants:
The most important plant in the grasslands is
grass! There are very few trees and shrubs.
Animals:
Some animals that inhabit grasslands in North
America are bison, antelope, birds, gophers,
prairie dogs, coyotes, and insects. Animals
that live in grasslands are usually herbivores.
Taiga
Taiga
Taiga is the largest land biome on earth located inNorth
Location:America, Europe, and Asia.The biome is mostly located on the
southern border of the arctic tundra.
Weather:
Long, cold winters, and short, mild, wet summers are
typical of this region.
Compared to other biomes, the taiga has less
Plants:diversity in plant life. The most common type of
tree found in the taiga is the conifer, or conebearing tree.
Animals have thick coats of fur to survive the
Animals: cold. Common animals are deer, moose,
and elk.
Desert
Desert
Location:
Weather:
Plants:
About one fifth of earth is covered in desert. Antarctica
is earth’s largest desert! The Sahara Desert is the
largest hot desert.
Deserts are both hot and cold. There is very little rainfall
in deserts. Sometimes the rain evaporates before it even
hits the ground!
Plants that live in deserts are great at storing
water like the cacti! Desert plants have roots
that are shallow and wide so they can absorb
rainfall quickly.
Deserts have snakes, insects, and
Animals:lizards.Most of the animals are cold-blooded.
Most of the animals are small like the kit fox.
Deciduous
Forest
Deciduous Forest
Most deciduous forests are located in the eastern
Location:United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts
of Russia.
Weather:
Plants:
Deciduous forest have four seasons: summer, fall, winter,
and spring. The average temperature is 50°F. The
deciduous forest gets the second most amount of rain
next to the rainforest.
The deciduous forest has trees that lose their
leaves before winter, and then grow them back
in spring.
Animals in the deciduous forest must be
Animals: able to adapt to the changing seasons.
Some hibernate through the winter. A
common animal is the black bear.