1. The biosphere is divided into region called biomes.
A Biomes is a group of ecosystems that exhibit common environmental characteristics .

2. Earth’s Biomes Tropical Rain Forest Desert Temperate Grasslands
Savannas
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Conifer Forest-Taiga
Tundra
Marine
Freshwater

3. Earth’s Biomes

4. Tropical Rain Forest High temp Heavy rainfall
Tall trees that branch at their tops forming canopies
Very little light reaches the floor
Epiphytes and vines

5. Most diversity of species of any biome
Equatorial
4% of Earth’s land surface
Account for 20% of Earth’s net carbon fixation
Most diversity of species of any biome
Animals:
Birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians

6. Desert Hot & dry Less than 10” of rainfall per year
Extreme temperature fluctuations
Plants:
Cactus, sagebrush
CAM plants
Modification for water storage

7. Animals:
Rodents, kangaroo rat, snakes, lizards, arachnids, insects, and few birds

8. Temperate Grasslands Low annual rainfall
Grazing mammals (bison, antelope), burrowing mammals (prairie dogs & other rodents)

9. Temperate Grasslands
Warm to hot summers, cold winters, moderate, seasonal prec, fertile soils, fires
Dominant plants: lush, perennial grasses and herbs, resistant to drought, fire and
Dominant wildlife: predators (coyotes, badgers, wolves, grizzly bear); herbivores (deer, antelope, rabbits, prairie dogs, bison); birds (hawks, owls, bobwhite), insects (ants and grasshoppers)
Geographic distribution: central Asia, N.A., Australia, central Europe, upland plateaus of S.A.

10. Savannas Grasslands with scattered trees
Warm temps, seasonal rainfall, compact soil, frequent fires due to lightning
Tropical, less rainfall than rain forest

11. Savannas
Dominant plants: tall, perennial grasses, drought- and fire-resistant shrubs and trees
Dominant wildlife: predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals), herbivores (elephants, giraffes, antelopes, zebras), birds (eagles, ostriches, weaver birds, storks), insects (termites)
Geographic distribution: large parts of eastern Africa, southern Brazil, northern Australia

12. Temperate Deciduous Forest
Cold to moderate winters, warm summers, year-round precip, fertile soil
cm annual precip
Dominant plants: broadleaf deciduous trees, some conifers, flowering shrubs, herbs, mosses and ferns
Broad-leaved hardwood trees that shed their leaves each year
Soil has top layer that is rich in humus, deeper layer of clay. If minerals are not taken up by plants roots, the minerals get into clay and are trapped

13. Temperate Deciduous Forest
Dominant wildlife: deer, black bears, bobcats, nut and acorn feeders, omnivores (raccoons and skunks), songbirds, turkeys
Geographic distribution: eastern U.S., southeastern Canada, most of Europe, parts of Japan, China, and Australia

14. Conifer Forest-Taiga
Long, cold winters; short, mild summers; moderate precip; high humidity; acidic, nutrient-poor soil
A little warmer and wetter than tundra, but long, severe winters and short,mild summers
NO PERMAFROST layer, but decay of evergreen needles makes soil acidic and mineral-poor
Dominant Plants: needleleaf coniferous trees, broadleaf deciduous trees; small, berry-bearing shrubs

15. Conifer Forest-Taiga
Dominant Wildlife: predators like lynx and timberwolves; weasel family; herbivorous mammals (large and small); beavers; migratory songbirds
Geographic distribution: N.A., Asia, Northern Europe

16. Tundra
Strong winds;low precip;short and soggy summers; long, cold, dark winters; poorly developed soils
Permafrost present – permanently frozen ground under the topsoil
Dominant Plants: mosses, lichens, sedges, short grasses (ground-hugging)

17. Tundra
Dominant wildlife: birds and mammals that can withstand harshness; migratory waterfowl, shore birds, musk ox, Arctic fox, caribou; small rodents
Geographic distribution: northern N.A., Asia and Europe
Closest to poles

18. Aquatic Biomes ~Marine~
Oceans contain the largest amount of living material (biomass) of all of the biomes – but most of them are microscopic orgs!!!
Since oceans are huge, studied based on light penetration:
--photic zone (shallow, lots of light available)
--aphotic zone (deep, never receive sunlight)

19. Estuaries and Tidal effects
Estuary – found on coast, partially surrounded by water; here, salt water and fresh water mix.
*see variations in SALINITY – salt concentration, so what grows/lives here varies enormously.

20. Intertidal Zone
Tides – gravitational pull of sun and moon causes the rise and fall of ocean.
INTERTIDAL ZONE – portion of shoreline between high and low tide zones
*high levels of sunlight, nutrients, and oxygen, but low PRODUCTIVITY due to waves and movement

21. Aquatic Biomes ~Fresh water~
EX. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams
Light penetration still affects productivity
photic zone has high productivity,
aphotic zone has low productivity
But, bottoms of lakes and ponds have decay taking place (dead orgs drift to bottom, bacteria break them down and form detritus), so importance in CYCLES is enormous…

22. Earth’s Biomes