Transcript Biome project note sheet File

Definition:
A group of ecosystems
that have the same
climate and similar
dominant communities
short cool summers
and short periods of
winter sunlight with no
trees and little plant
growth
•Permafrost –
layer of permanently
frozen subsoil
Temperature:
o
o
-30 C to 5 C
Precipitation:
< 25 cm
Vegetation: mosses, lichens,
sedges and short grass
Animals:arctic hare, lemming,
arctic fox, musk ox, snowy owl
also known as the
Northern coniferous or
Boreal forest
Long severe winters
and short mild summers
Temperature:
o
o
-25 C to 20 C
Precipitation:
25 - 100 cm
Vegetation: coniferous trees, ferns,
mosses, fungi
Animals:snowshoe hare, timber
wolf, black bear, woodpecker
Arid region with
sparse to almost
nonexistent plant life
Temperature:
o
o
10 C to 30 C
Precipitation:
< 25 cm
Vegetation: brush, cacti, small
plants
Animals:road runner, jack rabbit,
lizards, and scorpions
Large communities
covered with
grasses and similar
small plants
Experience a dry
season with insufficient
water for life
Largest biome, 100+
species per acre
Temperature:
o
o
-10 C to 25 C
Precipitation:
25 to 100 cm
Vegetation: various grasses,
mosses, lichen
Animals:bison, antelope, coyotes,
zebra, giraffe, prairie dog
Dominated by broadleaved hardwood
trees that lose their
foliage annually
Humus – material
formed from decaying
leaves and other
organic matter
Temperature:
o
o
-10 C to 25 C
Precipitation:
75 to 125 cm
Vegetation: sugar maples, beech,
pine, oak, flowering plants, ferns
Animals: deer, rabbits, squirrels,
beavers, raccoons, turkeys
Region of uniformly
warm, wet weather
dominated by lush
plant growth
Canopy – dense
covering formed by
the leafy tops of tall
rain trees
Temperature:
o
o
25 C to 30 C
Precipitation:
> 200 cm
Vegetation: broad leaf trees,
ferns, tangled vines, orchids
Animals: monkeys, colorful
birds, jaguars, anteaters, insects,
anacondas
Marine and
Freshwater
•Photic zone = well-lit
upper layer about 200m
deep
•Aphotic zone = deeper
water that never receives
sunlight
intertidal zone – extreme changes in
surroundings (sunlight, air, temp.)
coastal ocean – low-tide mark to
continental shelf (photic zone with kelp
and plankton)
open ocean – 90% of the ocean, 50011,000m deep (octopus and whales)
Abiotic factors
Slight temperature
range
Moderate light and
nutrients
Biotic factors
plankton
Fish, coral, kelp,
sharks, dolphins, and
whales
Estuary - wetlands formed
where rivers meet the sea
(mixture of fresh and salt water)
Detritus – tiny pieces of
organic material that provides
food for organisms
Plankton – tiny, free-floating
organisms found in fresh and salt
water
Phytoplankton – single celled
algae
Zooplankton – planktonic animals
Flowing-water – rivers, streams,
creeks and brooks
Standing water – lakes and ponds
Wetlands – water covers the soil or
is present at or near the surface of the
soil for part of the year
Abiotic factors
Very little sunlight below
surface
Moderate to cold water
temps
good nutrient availability
Biotic factors
Algae, mosses, lichens
Insects, fish, reptiles,
amphibians, birds and
mammals