Homes for organisms since back in the day.
SWBAT discern between differing types of terrestrial biomes and aquatic environments, describe their general characteristics, and identify major environmental threats.
Sometimes called “ecosystems”, biomes are terrestrial regions inhabited by certain types of life, especially vegetation. Aquatic environments are similar, in that they are home to certain types of life, but are restricted to the aquatic realm.
All biomes possess a native population of organisms which occupy a particular niche. The climatic conditions in the biome are dictated, primarily, by temperature and precipitation. We call these “limiting factors”. Precipitation is the principal limiting factor in terrestrial biomes. Native plant species are well-adapted to average precipitation rates and patterns.
Tundra (arctic and alpine) Taiga (Boreal forests) Deserts (polar, temperate, tropical) Grasslands (polar, temperate, tropical) Shrublands (chaparral) Savanna Forests (tropical rain/evergreen, tropical deciduous, temperate rain, temperate deciduous) Some of these overlap and possess more than one name.
Aquatic environments occur as specific regions in water, both salt and fresh, and are distinguished primarily by availability of light. Marine (saltwater) environments are: Estuarine* Coastal Euphotic Bathyal Abyssal *Estuarine forms the region where salt and freshwater mix.
Freshwater is divided into flowing and standing. Flowing includes streams and rivers and contains headwater streams, middle zone streams, and rivers. Standing freshwater contains: Littoral Limnetic Profundal Benthic
In pairs, research particular biomes/environments with regard to typical characteristics and organisms. Make sure to include the following: Terrestrial Biomes: Annual temperature range, annual precipitation range and pattern, typical wildlife, dominant vegetation, threats. Aquatic Environments: Location, typical wildlife, dominant vegetation, energy source(s), salinity, O 2 concentration, threats.