What is a biome?  A biome is a large geographical region characterized by distinctive types of plants and animals and a specific climate  Sometimes people use the words “ecosystem” and “biome” interchangeably, meaning they can mean the same thing - However, technically an ecosystem can be much smaller than a biome (it can be as small as a puddle!)

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Temperate Deciduous Forests Yearly Rainfall: inches Average Temperatures: 43 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit Animals: rabbits, deer, squirrels, bears Plants: deciduous trees (leaves fall off in the autumn), grass, ferns, woody shrubs

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Coniferous Forests Yearly Rainfall: inches Average Temperature: 14 – 57 degrees Fahrenheit Animals: moose, deer, chipmunks, foxes, birds Plants: evergreen trees (they never lose their leaves and often have needles, like pine trees)

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Tropical Rain Forests Yearly Rainfall: up to 158 inches Average Temperatures: 68 – 93 degrees Fahrenheit Plants: hundreds and hundreds of different types (most diversity in the world) Animals: monkeys, parrots, butterflies, snakes and MANY more!

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Temperate Grasslands Yearly Rainfall: 10 – 30 inches Average Temperatures: 32 – 86 degrees Fahrenheit Plants: grass, some flowers Animals: prairie dogs, mice, bison

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Savanna Yearly Rainfall: 59 inches Average Temperatures: 61 – 93 degrees Fahrenheit Plants: grass, bushes Animals: lions, zebras, hyenas, elephants

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Deserts Yearly Rainfall: less than 10 inches Average Temperatures: 45 – 100 degrees Fahrenheit Plants: cacti, some flowers, some bushes Animals: jack rabbits, rats, lizards, snakes

Let’s Review the Major Biomes  Tundra Yearly Rainfall: inches Average Temperatures: -14 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit Plants: ground covered in permafrost and only the surface thaws in the summer so only grass and some shrubs grow Animals: caribou, wolves, lemmings, hares

What Makes Up a Biome?  A biome can be divided into smaller parts Biome Ecosystem Community Population Organism

Let’s Start at the Bottom…  What is an organism? An organism is any one thing that is living (can be a plant, animal, insect, bacteria, etc)  Example: an elephant

Populations…  What is a population? A population is all of the same kind of organism living in a certain place  Example: In the savanna, a herd of 20 elephants would make up one population

Communities…  What is a community? All the different populations living together and reacting in the habitat make up a unique community  Example: In the savanna, populations of elephants, populations of lions, and populations of zebras live and interact to form a community

Ecosystem and Biomes  Therefore, all the communities in a certain place make up an ecosystem  All the ecosystems in a bigger geographic location makes up a biome

All Animals Have…  All animals have a habitat and a niche A habitat is where an organism lives (examples: anthills, a tree for a bird, the ocean for whales) A niche is the job each organism fills within the community (examples: zebras and lions eat different things to keep those populations under control)

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? organism

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? habitat

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? population

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? community

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? A crawfish eats many things in a pond, and it can also be eaten by other animals. niche

PRACTICE  Is the following an organism, a population, a community, an ecosystem, an example of a habitat or an example of a niche? A Bayou ecosystem