1. Biome characteristics

2. Quick Recap… As latitude gets higher Less direct sunlight
More seasonal variation
Extreme changes in day / night at poles
Lower temperatures

4. Geographic features

5. Biomes and Climate
Land locations characterized by distinct climate and vegetation.
Understanding the general characteristics of each biome leads to a general understanding of
the range of biodiversity on earth
how this biodiversity is distributed
how all biomes are connected through global climate patterns, energy flow, and chemical cycling.

6. Deserts
Areas where evaporation > precipitation

7. Tropical Deserts
Be SURE TO INCLUDE SOIL INFO FROM CH 10

8. Tropical Deserts
Cover much of northern Africa (the Sahara), and parts of the Middle East (Saudi Arabia)
Surface areas have little vegetation and are dominated by rocks and sand that are often blown about by windstorms
Extremely high daytime temperatures
Be SURE TO INCLUDE SOIL INFO FROM CH 10

9. Temperate Deserts

10. Temperate Deserts
Found in the southwestern US (Mojave and Sonoran Deserts)
Receive more precipitation than tropical deserts
Characterized by patchy drought-resistant shrubs, cacti, and other succulents
Have high daytime and low nighttime temps

11. Cold Deserts

12. Cold Deserts
Area of the United States known as the Great Basin (Idaho, Utah), Gobi Desert in Northern China and Southern Mongolia
Vegetation is very sparse
Winters are extremely cold

13. Desert soils
Not suitable for abundant growth due to slow decomposition rate due to lack of moisture.
Limiting factors: lack of rainfall, wind, lack of soil nutrients
LOW PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY

14. Driest Desert of all

15. Atacama Desert Temperature inversion:
The cool air coming from the coast gets trapped below a layer of hot air. Since the desert is also at high altitudes the air can only hold small amounts of moisture.

17. Rain shadow impacts the Atacama Desert Blocking moisture from the Amazon

18. Polar Grasslands Arctic Tundra

19. Polar Grasslands: Arctic Tundra
Found in the northern regions of North America (Canada), Asia, and Europe
Frigid, treeless plains that are covered with snow and ice much of the year
Vegetation is limited to low-growing grasses, moss, and lichen
Animals, such as Arctic foxes and wolves, have adaptations such as thick coats of fur to survive the harsh climate and wide paws or hoofs to not fall into snow
Limiting factors: Permafrost, wind, lack of accessible water, temperature

20. Soil of the tundra
Extreme cold forms permafrost- underground soil in which captured water stays frozen for more than two consecutive years

21. Tropical Grasslands Savannas

22. Tropical Grasslands Savannas
Location: Found largely in Eastern Africa and also parts of South America and Australia
Characteristics:
Warm temperatures and alternating warm and dry seasons (will experience several months of little/no rainfall)
Large grazing herbivores such as gazelles, zebras, wildebeests
Plants have deep roots to utilize groundwater supplies

23. Limiting factors: Water availability

24. Temperate Grasslands (Tall grass and short grass prairies)

25. Temperate Grasslands
Locations: found in midwestern and Western US and Canada; also found in parts of South America and Russia
Rainfall determines whether it is a tall-grass or short-grass prairie
Winters are cold, summers are hot and dry
High winds and rapid evaporation promote fires in the summer and fall that eliminate other competing species
LIMITING FACTORS: winds, dry season.
Tall grass receives about three times as much rain as short grass

26. As grasses die and decompose annually, large amounts of organic matter accumulates in the soil
This area is highly fertile and productive for crops

28. Chaparral

29. Chaparral Temperate Shrubland
Found along coastal areas of southern California, parts of the Mediterranean, and central Chile
Low growing evergreen shrubs and some small trees
Plants adapted to occasional fires, which encourage seed production in many plant species
Fires can increase nutrient availability in soil depending on intensity and duration
Less intense/less time- better for soil

30. Chaparral Soils tend to lack structure

31. Tropical Rainforest

32. Tropical Rain Forest
Location: along the equator- from 0-30 degrees N and S in Brazil, Central America, Indonesia, Central Africa
Characteristics:
Warm temperatures, high humidity and heavy rainfall year round
Dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants
Distinct zones such as canopy, emergent, sapling, and ground, provide habitat space for abundance of life

33. High Primary Productivity (Photosynthesis) and Biodiversity
Poor soil quality due to low concentrations of stored nutrients

34. Temperate Rainforest

35. Near oceanic climates along coasts
Long growing seasons but do have seasonal variation as well with short dry summer
Lots of precipitation in addition to coastal fog that adds moisture
Adaptation of canopy trees, moss and lichen is ability to absorb moisture from air.

36. Fertile soil due to decomposition
Nurse logs: fallen trees that break down and add nitrogen to soil
Chilliwack River Provincial Park, BC

38. Temperate Deciduous Forest

39. Temperate Deciduous Forest
Location: Found between 30 and 60 degrees north and south latitudes Eastern US, most of Europe
Moderate temperatures that fluctuate with seasons
Dominated by a few species of broadleaf deciduous trees such as maple, beech, oak, and hickory
CLIMATOGRAM ACTIVITY

40. Trees go dormant in winter by dropping their leaves in the fall to prevent water loss
Slow rate of decomposition of leaves provides abundant leaf litter and nutrients stored in the soil

42. Evergreen Coniferous Forest (Taiga or Boreal forest)

43. Evergreen Coniferous Forest (Taiga or Boreal forest)
Location: Just south of the Arctic tundra In northern regions of Northern America (Canada), Asia and Europe
Characteristics:
Winters are long, dry, and extremely cold
Dominated by a few species of conifers such as pine, hemlock, cedar, and spruce.
Trees have small, waxy, needle-shaped leaves to survive the cold winters
Plant diversity is low

44. Needles of the conifer trees add acidity to the soil when decompose
Slow decomposition of needles; nutrient poor, acidic soils

45. Alpine *mountain* Biomes

46. Alpine *mountain* Biomes
Mountains are places where dramatic changes in altitude, climate, soil, and vegetation take place over a very short distance.
Above the snow line, temperatures are so clod that the mountain is almost permanently covered in snow and ice.
Because of steep slopes, they are prone to erosion
They are important ecologically because they contain majority of the Earth’s forests, are home to lots of biodiversity, and regulate Earths climate when ice/snow reflects solar radiation back into space (this is called having high albedo)

47. Reminder of Themes
Climates are different because if different air and water currents flowing over an unevenly heated planet
A biome map of earth can be drawn based on knowledge of the uneven heating of Earth
The organisms in each biome are uniquely adapted to them based on climate