Biomes (Chapter 8, p262 )

A biome is one of Earth’s large ecosystems, with its own kind of climate, soil, plants, and animals.

Types of Biomes There are 2 types of biomes: terrestrial biomes and aquatic biomes. There are certain factors that determine which plants or animals can live in a biome. For example, some plants need lots of water so they can only grow in biomes with heavy rainfalls or near rivers.

What are the factors that determine where a plant or animal can live? Terrestrial Biomes Latitude Altitude Temperature Precipitation Soil Type Solar Energy Winds Closeness to bodies of water. Aquatic Biomes Salinity Turbidity (how clear the water is) Temperature Water currents Presence of O 2 and CO 2 Solar energy Nutrients Water depth

Seven major biomes Boreal forests Temperate forest Tropical forest Deserts Arctic Tundra Grasslands Alpine Biome

World Biomes

Boreal Forest (p.266) A cool forest biome of conifers in the upper Northern Hemisphere. It also has many lakes and marshes. These dense forests are home to diverse wildlife and an important source of wood to make furniture and to make paper.

Animals of the Boreal Forest (do not copy) Rodents, snowshoe hares, lynx, sables, ermine, caribou, bears, wolves, birds in summer.

Temperate Forests (p.267) A forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn.(deciduous trees)

In Canada, the temperate forest covers the area around the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Valley. These forest have been largely destroyed by humans. Montreal and Toronto have taken over land that used to be once covered with temperate forests. High precipitation all year.

Temperate Forest

Animals of the Temperate Forest (do not copy) Wolves, deer, bears, and a wide variety of small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects

Tropical Forests (p.264) A hot, humid biome near the equator, with much rainfall and a wide variety of life. equator

Tropical forests occupy less then 10% of the Earth’s land mass but they are the home to % of plants and animals.

Animals of the Tropical Rain Forest (do not copy) More species of insects, reptiles, and amphibians than any place else; monkeys, all sorts of colorful birds.

Desert (p.270) A sandy or rocky biome, with little precipitation and little plant life. Deserts cover 1/3 of the Earth.

Super-dry air Little rain – less than 25cm a year They have very high temperatures in the day and very low temperature at night. Lots of wind Rare plant life

Animals of the Desert (do not copy) Rodents, snakes, lizards, tortoises, insects, and some birds. The Sahara Desert in Africa is home to camels, gazelles, antelopes, small foxes, snakes, lizards

Arctic Tundra (the coldest biome) p. 269 A cold biome of the far north; the ground is frozen even in summer. The ground does not thaw, it is called PERMAFROST. Tundra means “treeless land”.

Extremely short growing seasons (6 to 10 weeks) Long, cold, dark winters (6 to 10 months) Low Precipitation Simple vegetation structure (small bushes, moss and lichen)

Animals of the Tundra (do not copy) Musk oxen, migrating caribou, arctic foxes, weasels, snowshoe hares, owls, hawks, polar bears.

Grassland/Savannah (p. 268) A biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life. 3 main types: 1) Temperate grasslands, hot summers, cold winters 2) Savannas, hot all year 3) Derived grasslands, prairie converted into farmland

Temperatures vary summer to winter Moderate rain fall Seasonal drought and occasional fires Prairie dogs, foxes, small mammals, snakes, insects, various birds

Alpine Biomes (p.271) Found almost everywhere on Earth. They are found on high mountains like the Rocky Mountains, the Andes and the Himalayas. The higher the altitude, the colder it is. The higher you go up a mountain, the less vegetation there is.

Aquatic Biomes (p ) Water covers nearly 75% of the Earth’s surface. Not limited by latitude or altitude, can exist almost anywhere Fresh water biomes more likely in areas of high precipitation

2 Types of Aquatic Biomes Freshwater(2.5%) Rivers and Streams Lakes and Ponds Wetlands Marine (97.5%) Ocean and Seas Estuaries Coral Reefs (remember Finding Nemo)

FRESHWATER -Rivers Water moves slower in a river and debris settles on the bottom. Because of this, rivers tend to have more nutrients and less dissolved oxygen.

FRESHWATER- Ponds Small, shallow bodies of water Sunlight penetrates all the way to the bottom Very high amount of nutrients.

FRESHWATER - Lakes Larger and deeper than ponds. Sunlight does NOT penetrate to the bottom, no plants after a certain depth!

FreshWater- Wetlands Bogs, swamps and marshes are examples. They are large areas of shallow water. Extremely fertile, home to many fish, insects, birds,… Wetlands are like sponges and they play a critical role in filtering water.

FRESHWATER- WATERSHEDS Watersheds are important parts of freshwater ecosystems. A watershed is the area of land through which all the water drains into a single river or lake. Remember that water usually flows downward. If a pollutant enters a watershed, the areas downstream can become polluted as well.

Marine- Oceans The ocean is nutrient poor and unable to support many photosynthesizing organisms. The deep ocean has very little light, so photosynthesis is impossible.

Marine-Coral Reefs Very rich biodiversity Most found in tropical seas 20% or Earth’s reefs have been destroyed by pollution, over fishing, global warming Great Barrier Reef in Australia is over 2000 km long, can be seen from space!

Marine- Estuaries Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water where fresh and salt water mix. They are high in nutrients. The Gulf of the St. Lawrence is the world’s largest estuary.