1. Biome Adaptations & Niches

2. Sunlight at Different Latitudes
The Greenhouse
Effect
Sunlight
Some heat
escapes
into space
Sunlight at Different Latitudes
Affects Climate
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
90°N North Pole
Atmosphere
Sunlight
66.5°N
Arctic circle
Some heat
escapes
into space
Sunlight
Tropic of Cancer
Earth’s surface
23.5°N
Equator
Most direct sunlight 0°
Heating of the
Earth’s Surface
Tropic of Capricorn
23.5°S
Sunlight
Arctic circle
66.5°S
Sunlight
90°S South Pole

3. Biotic & Abiotic Factors in the Ecosystem
Bio = Life Biotic factors: Living things
A = Not Abiotic factors: Nonliving things
Abiotic Factors
Biotic Factors
ECOSYSTEM

4. Habitat & Niche Its job (role).
Habitat = The area where an organism lives. Its address.
Niche = The habitat and what the organism does in its habitat.
Its job (role).

5. An organism’s niche includes:
The type of food it eats
How it gets the food
What eats the organism
When and how it reproduces
Physical conditions it needs to survive
Bullfrog example p.91

6. Can two different species share the same niche?
No, because they are competing for the same resources, so one species will outcompete the other. But, different species can occupy similar niches.
Three species of warblers and their niches

7. Niche Differentiation

8. Can all kinds of organisms live in every biome?
NO!
Species are adapted to survive in certain biomes.
Adaptation: an inherited condition that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce.

9. Adaptation: Think and Discuss
Adaptation: Come up with a definition in your own words.
Discuss examples of adaptations with a partner.
What do you think the difference is between a structural adaptation and a behavioral adaptation is?
Discuss with a partner and think of examples.

10. Types of Adaptations
Structural Adaptation: physical features of an organism that help it survive and reproduce
Behavioral Adaptation: What an organism does (a behavior) to help it survive and reproduce
Ex: eyes, camouflage, fur, claws
Ex: traveling in herds for protection or hunting; producing a large number or small number of offspring

11. Adaptations:

12. Adaptations

13. Adaptations

14. Grassland: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Limiting Factors:
Inconsistent Rainfall
Temperature (hot, dry climate)
Frequent Fires

15. Grassland Plant Adaptations
Roots: competing for space, nutrients and water
(roots are extremely important)
Adapted to Fire: Roots are able to re-sprout after a fire event. Some plants require fire event to start seed germination.
Seeds spread by wind: Grasses have pollen that is spread by the wind, (flowers are not very showy/colorful because they don’t need to attract pollinators like bees)
Example:
Stinging nettle plant: Hollow, stinging hairs that inject histamine into grazing predators (produces a inflammatory response)
Plants:
Roots: hold most of the biomass of the plant
Fire adaptations: though the parts of plants that are aboveground, such as stems and leaves, are destroyed by fire, their root systems are able to resprout following the fire event. In addition, some plants produce seeds that require a fire event to begin the germination process.

16. Grassland Animal Adaptations
Open landscape and the widely spaced trees- perfect for large herds of grazing mammals such as the zebra and bison.
Prairie dogs, live in underground burrows that allow them to spend time in a cool environment rather than in the hot and windy conditions above ground.
Most animals are active only during the rainy season.
Plants:
Roots: hold most of the biomass of the plant
Fire adaptations: though the parts of plants that are aboveground, such as stems and leaves, are destroyed by fire, their root systems are able to resprout following the fire event. In addition, some plants produce seeds that require a fire event to begin the germination process.

17. Rainforest: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Limiting Factors:
Plants: Available sunlight, prevention of water build-up
Animals: predators, competition with other species
Both: human activity (deforestation)

18. Rainforest Plant Adaptations
Height: Plants must grow tall to reach the sunlight (or grow on other trees=vines)
Leaves: Drip tips enable rain drops to run off quickly. Plants need to shed water to avoid growth of fungus and bacteria.
Fruit: Some plants depend on animals to spread the seeds of their fruit to distant parts of the forest
Adaptation Example: Epiphytes (non-parasitic) are plants that live on the surface of other plants, especially the trunk and branches. They grow on trees to take advantage of the sunlight in the canopy.

19. Rainforest Animal Adaptations
Camouflage to either hide from predators or hide from prey
Example: Stick insects, butterflies with wings that look like leaves, boa constrictor
Some animals became very specialized.
Parrots and toucans eat nuts so they developed big strong beaks to crack open the tough shells.

20. Temperate Deciduous Forest: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Limiting Factors:
Growing Seasons
(huge difference in temperature in winter and summer)

21. Temperate Deciduous Forest: Plant Adaptations
Many trees are deciduous (they drop their leaves
in the autumn, and grow new ones in spring)
Why would it be advantageous to do this?
Warm weather: Thin, broad, light-weight leaves that can capture a lot of sunlight to make a lot of food for the tree.
Cool Weather: when the weather gets cooler, the broad leaves cause too much water loss and can be weighed down by too much snow (or freeze), so the tree drops its leaves.
Other Plant Adaptation Examples:
Wildflowers grow on forest floor early in the spring before trees leaf-out and shade the forest floor

22. Animals living within this biome must adjust to cold winters and hot summers
Adaptations:
Winter and summer coats (shed)
Camouflage
Winter: Hibernate or migrate
Squirrels store food for the winter.
Keeping active all winter.

23. Desert Biome: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Limiting Factors:
Little Rainfall
Temperature variation in 1 day
(very hot during the day; very cold at night)

24. Desert: Plant Adaptations
Two main adaptations:
Ability to collect and store water
Features that reduce water loss
 Extensive root system
The white hairy surface of the Old Man Cactus helps the plant reflect the hot desert sun (helps prevent evaporation of water)

25. Desert: Animal Adaptations
Desert animals: adaptations to survive with little water and extreme temperatures
Adaptation Examples:
Desert rodents have special adaptations so their kidneys conserve water.
Nocturnal animals (active
when it’s cooler at night)

26. Tundra Biome: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Limiting Factors:
Very cold temperatures
permafrost layer prevents water from seeping into soil;
little nutrients

27. Tundra Adaptations
The frigid cold and deep snow makes life in the tundra very difficult. 
Some animals have grown thick fur which turns white in the winter.
Others find a place to hibernate during the winter months.
Tundra plants are small (usually less than 12 inches tall) and low-growing due to lack of nutrients
Roots can’t penetrate permafrost layer
Plants are dark in color—some are even red,
this helps them absorb solar heat.

28. Taiga Biome (Boreal Forest): Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
It is a land dominated by conifers, especially spruces and firs.
It is dotted with lakes, bogs, and marshes.
It is populated by an even more limited variety of plants and animals than is the temperate deciduous forest.
In North America, the moose is such a typical member that it has led to the name: "spruce-moose" biome.
Before the long, snowy winter sets in, many of the mammals hibernate, and many of the birds migrate south.
Although the long days of summer permit plants to grow luxuriantly, net productivity is low.
Limiting Factors:
Cool temperature, short growing season

29. Taiga Plant Adaptations: Primarily evergreen trees Animal Adaptations:
Cone shape of tree
Needles lose less water and shed snow easily
Animal Adaptations:
Many mammals hibernate, and many of the birds migrate south.
Seasonal change in color of feathers or fur protects the animal from its predators

30. Chapparal Biome: Adaptations for Plants and Animals?
Summers are very dry and all the plants — trees, shrubs, and grasses — are more or less dormant then.
The trees in the chaparral are mostly oaks, both deciduous and evergreen
Limiting Factors:
Long, dry Summers (most of rain falls during the winter)
Hot Temperatures
Occasional fires (in summer)

31. Chapparal/ Temperate Woodland
Nocturnal Rattle Snake:
Chapparal/ Temperate Woodland
Plant Adaptations:
Adapted to droughts in summer: waxy coatings, thicker cell layers, and recessed stomata
Animal Adaptations:
Burrowing animals (escape heat)
Nocturnal animals (escape heat of day)