1. Biomes Lecture Materials

2. Biomes What are biomes? – Groups of ecosystems with the same climax communities – There are divided into 2 catagories: Terrestrial biomes—those on land Aquatic biomes– those in water 2J. Anderson

3. Biomes What is a climax community? – A community where the organisms are stable and mature, undergoing little or no change over time. J. Anderson3

4. Biomes What are the different biomes? – Aquatic: – ≈75% of Earth is covered in water. – Not all water is created equal. – There are 3 major aquatic biomes: marine, estuaries, and freshwater. Then there are some minor biomes: wetland, swamps, marshes, bogs All images are found at www.nasa.gov J. Anderson4

5. Biomes Terrestrial biomes are those found on land They include: – Coniferous forests – Temperate Deciduous forests – Tundra – Deserts – Rainforests – Grasslands – Shrubland J. Anderson5

6. Marine Biomes I Salt water environment Made up of different zones Intertidal zone– along shorline, have wave action, lots of light so many producers Neretic zone– ocean water above continental shelf, coral reefs found here, surrounds continents and receives light in upper layers J. Anderson6 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biom es/marine.php

7. Marine Biomes II Oceanic zone– beyond continental shelf, deepest area, bottom doesn’t receive light, animals adapted to darkness Deepest area – abyss Upper area – photic zone Floaters – plankton Swimmers – fish called nekton Bottom dwellers -- benthos J. Anderson7 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biom es/marine.php

8. Estuary Biomes Where fresh and salt water meet. Wetlands near oceans have brackish water (mixture of fresh and salt waters) Often polluted by man’s activities J. Anderson8 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biom es/marine.php

9. Freshwater Biomes Freshwater Part of the water cycle Oligotrophic –lakes that are nutrient poor Eutrophic – lakes that are nutrient rich Animals and plants live in different layers of deep lakes Phototrophic organisms live in the upper layers for light J. Anderson9 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biom es/freshwater.php

10. Coniferous Forest Biome Temperatures between -40 ° C to 20 ° C Cold, snowy, long winters Trees that produce cones and needles, some needles stay on trees all year long Found in Canada, Asia, and the US J. Anderson10

11. Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Hot summers and cold winters (-30°C to 30°C) Oaks, maples, beeches, shrubs, perennials, mosses Found in East US, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan Notable for color changes of leaves during fall. J. Anderson11

12. Desert Biome Temperature averages: day(38 ° C) and night(- 3.9 ° C) Very little rainfall Cacti, small bushes, short grasses Found between 15° and 35° latitude J. Anderson12

13. Grassland Biome Temperatures between -20 ° C to 30 ° C Grasses such as oats, wheat, barley, and prairie clover Found in Great Plains of N. America, pampas of S. America, veldt of S. Africa, Steppes of Central Eurasia, and surrounds deserts in Austrailia J. Anderson13

14. Rainforest Biome Warm, frost-free temperatures Lots of rainfall per year Vines, orchids, ferns, palm trees Found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn J. Anderson14

15. Shrubland Biome J. Anderson15 Summer- hot, dry Winter – cool, moist Contains aromatic herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme), shrubs, chamise, acacia, grasses Found on west coastal regions between 30 ° and 40°N/S latitude Plants adapted to fire because of frequent lightning

16. Tundra Biome Very cold temperatures (-40°C to 18°C) Permafrost and short growing season leaves almost no trees. Found South of the ice caps of the Arctic and on high mountaintops of North America, Siberia, and Europe J. Anderson16

17. THE END All pictures in this presentation, unless otherwise noted,can be found at www.nasa.gov and are available for educational use. www.nasa.gov J. Anderson17