Land Biomes

Vocabulary Ecosystem: all the populations of living and nonliving things in an environment and the interaction among them Biome: a large scale ecosystem Biomes Worksheet Read and highlight information Glue into journal Add to Table of Contents Land Biomes Brain Pop

Rainforest Biome Rainforest video Make up about 7% of Earth’s surface, yet contain more than 50% of all plant and animal species on the planet Warm and wet year-round, never below about 75 degrees fahrenheit 78 inches to 354 inches of rain annually Three major layers: Canopy: Top layer, where the thick leaves and tall trees form an “umbrella” over the forest Understory: Shorter trees, bushes, and ferns, and the animals that live there. Forest floor: Very little sunlight reaches the forest floor. Bugs, insects, and snakes make this place their home. Rainforest video

Rainforest Biome examples Canopy Layer Understory Layer Forest Floor Layer

Deciduous (Temperate) Forest Average temperatures and average amount of rainfall Exists on every continent, except Antarctica and Africa Trees shed their leaves each year Multiple seasons occur due to the amount of sunlight Several layers of plants can be found here Tall trees (which create a canopy) let light reach the bottom where bushes and smaller trees grow (unlike in the rainforest) These plants provide a variety of habitats for animal life

Deciduous (Temperate) Forest Average temperatures and average amount of rainfall Exists on every continent, except Antarctica and Africa Trees shed their leaves each year Multiple seasons occur due to the amount of sunlight Several layers of plants can be found here Tall trees (which create a canopy) let light reach the bottom where bushes and smaller trees grow (unlike in the rainforest) These plants provide a variety of habitats for animal life

Taiga Biome (boreal forest) - One of the 3 forest biomes, and has the largest total land area. - Coniferous, evergreen trees have thin needles that have adapted to collect rain - Total rain is only between 12 to 30 inches a year - 6 month winters that can average -60 degrees fahrenheit -Short, hot summers; because it’s so far north, the sun hits it directly - Animals have adapted with thick fur to survive the winters. - Other animals will hibernate or migrate to stay safe. - Has many bogs- swampy pools of water and dead plants that have collected over time. Taiga Biome

Taiga Biome examples Summertime in the Taiga Top-down view of bogs Taiga biome in winter

Tundra Biome Tundra Biome Three types of Tundra: Arctic tundra, Antarctic tundra, and Alpine tundra. Arctic tundra has many flat plains with no trees Formed from retreating glaciers Covered in ice and snow for seven to eight months of the year Winters can reach -90 degrees, Summer temperatures rarely hit 50 degrees Permafrost layer beneath the surface layer always remains frozen In summer, the surface layer can melt, creating ponds and wet ground that will allow certain plants to grow. Arctic and Antarctic tundras are cold deserts with less than 10 inches of rain annually. Alpine tundras exist on mountaintops all over the world. High winds and heavy snowfall Tundra Biome

Tundra Biome examples Arctic fox - coat turns white in the winters for camouflage Antarctic tundra with moss growing (Summer) Alpine biome

Grasslands/Savanna Biome video Grasslands, Savanna, Prairie also known as Savanna(Africa) or Prairies(North America) mainly have grasses growing and few trees little rain long slender leaves allow little water loss in plants Breadbasket of the world because of the wheat and grain that grows

Grasslands/Savanna Biome video Grasslands, Savanna, Prairie also known as Savanna(Africa) or Prairies(North America) mainly have grasses growing and few trees little rain long slender leaves allow little water loss in plants

Desert Biome video Deserts soil and air are dry little rain sun shines most of the time temperature hot in day (summer) and can be freezing at night (winter) few plants: cactus and bushes snakes, lizards, few mammals like rabbits

Desert Biome video Deserts soil and air are dry little rain sun shines most of the time temperature hot in day (summer) and can be freezing at night (winter) few plants: cactus and bushes snakes, lizards, few mammals like rabbits