Biomes

Biome Booklet Take 8 index cards, use blank side for picture, use lined side for information These Biomes will be on your test!

Why are there different biomes? They are different because of their soil, temperature, location, average rainfall and flora and fauna

Tundra

Extremely cold climate Low biotic diversity Simple vegetation structure Limitation of drainage Short season of growth and reproduction Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material Large population oscillations

Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3- 12° C (37-54° F)

Vegetation in the Tundra low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses

Permafrost Today, approximately 20% of the Earth's land mass is covered by permafrost is soil at or below the freezing point of water (0 °C or 32 °F) for two or more years.CF

Arctic Tundra Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga

Alpine Tundra Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow.

Desert

Cover 1/5 th of the World’s Surface

Where rainfall is less than 50cm a year! That is about 19 inches! Most of the time, it does not rain in the desert- but sometimes there are violent storms that lead to flash floods!

Hot deserts and Cold Deserts

Many small animals, but not many large animals are found in the desert The dominant animals in the desert are reptiles!

Taiga/ Coniferous Forest

The coniferous forests are located in the northern hemisphere and stretch across the North American, Europe, and Asia continents. These coniferous forests are also known as the "taiga" or "boreal" forest.

Cone bearing/evergreen forest Taiga, the world's largest biome, has a harsh continental climate with a very large temperature range between summer and winter

Aside from the tundra and permanent ice caps, it is the coldest biome on Earth.

The taiga experiences relatively low precipitation throughout the year (20–75 cm annually), primarily as rain during the summer months, but also as fog and snow

Plants and Animals The trees are mainly evergreen’ firs, pines, larch, spruce The animals are bears, caribou, and many small rodents

High latitudes mean that for much of the year the sun does not rise far above the horizon. Winters last at least 5-6 months, with average temperatures below freezing. Temperatures vary from −50 °C to 30 °C (-58°F to 86°F)

Grassland Savannas Temperate Grasslands

Average Rainfall: 50.8 to 127 cm Average Temperature: depends on area- anywhere from cold climates (think Great Plains in the US), to very hot (think African Savanna)

Savanna An area of grassland where the trees do not meet at the top forming a canopy.

Temperate Grassland

Tropical Rain Forest

Occur near the Equator Greatest Number of Species

Only two seasons- Wet and Dry, 12 hours of daylight everyday Temperature is on average 20-25° C Average Rainfall exceeds 200cm a year

Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic. Decomposition is rapid and soils are subject to heavy leaching. Canopy in tropical forests is multilayered and continuous, allowing little light penetration

Flora of Rainforest

Fauna of Rainforest

Temperate Forest/ Deciduous

Temperature varies from -30° C to 30° C. Precipitation ( cm) is distributed evenly throughout the year. Soil is fertile, enriched with decaying litter.

Canopy is moderately dense and allows light to penetrate, resulting in well-developed and richly diversified understory vegetation and stratification of animals.

Flora is characterized by 3-4 tree species per square kilometer. Trees are distinguished by broad leaves that are lost annually and include such species as oak, hickory, beech, hemlock, maple, basswood, cottonwood, elm, willow, and spring-flowering herbs.

Fauna is represented by squirrels, rabbits, skunks, birds, deer, mountain lion, bobcat, timber wolf, fox, and black bear.

Chapparal

is a shrub land found primarily in the U.S. state of California, Australia and in the northern portion of Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean Climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire

The chaparral gets about inches of rain per year

Plants in the chaparral can survive long periods of drought, heat and fire. They are similar to desert plants which can also withstand long periods without water. Some plants in the chaparral require fires in order to survive ( Like the Chamisos). For most other plants in the area, fire is a positive in their life cycle

Marine Biome Marine regions cover about three-fourths of the Earth's surface and include oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries

Marine algae supply much of the world's oxygen supply and take in a huge amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The evaporation of the seawater provides rainwater for the land.

Coral reefs are widely distributed in warm shallow waters

Estuaries are areas where freshwater streams or rivers merge with the ocean

There are freshwater and saltwater marine biomes.