Biomes Lecture Materials

Biomes What are biomes? – Groups of ecosystems with the same climax communities – There are divided into 2 catagories: Terrestrial biomes—those on land Aquatic biomes– those in water 2J. Anderson

Biomes What is a climax community? – A community where the organisms are stable and mature, undergoing little or no change over time. J. Anderson3

Biomes What are the different biomes? – Aquatic: – ≈75% of Earth is covered in water. – Not all water is created equal. – There are 3 major aquatic biomes: marine, estuaries, and freshwater. Then there are some minor biomes: wetland, swamps, marshes, bogs All images are found at J. Anderson4

Biomes Terrestrial biomes are those found on land They include: – Coniferous forests – Temperate Deciduous forests – Tundra – Deserts – Rainforests – Grasslands – Shrubland J. Anderson5

Marine Biomes I Salt water environment Made up of different zones Intertidal zone– along shorline, have wave action, lots of light so many producers Neretic zone– ocean water above continental shelf, coral reefs found here, surrounds continents and receives light in upper layers J. Anderson6 es/marine.php

Marine Biomes II Oceanic zone– beyond continental shelf, deepest area, bottom doesn’t receive light, animals adapted to darkness Deepest area – abyss Upper area – photic zone Floaters – plankton Swimmers – fish called nekton Bottom dwellers -- benthos J. Anderson7 es/marine.php

Estuary Biomes Where fresh and salt water meet. Wetlands near oceans have brackish water (mixture of fresh and salt waters) Often polluted by man’s activities J. Anderson8 es/marine.php

Freshwater Biomes Freshwater Part of the water cycle Oligotrophic –lakes that are nutrient poor Eutrophic – lakes that are nutrient rich Animals and plants live in different layers of deep lakes Phototrophic organisms live in the upper layers for light J. Anderson9 es/freshwater.php

Coniferous Forest Biome Temperatures between -40 ° C to 20 ° C Cold, snowy, long winters Trees that produce cones and needles, some needles stay on trees all year long Found in Canada, Asia, and the US J. Anderson10

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Hot summers and cold winters (-30°C to 30°C) Oaks, maples, beeches, shrubs, perennials, mosses Found in East US, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan Notable for color changes of leaves during fall. J. Anderson11

Desert Biome Temperature averages: day(38 ° C) and night(- 3.9 ° C) Very little rainfall Cacti, small bushes, short grasses Found between 15° and 35° latitude J. Anderson12

Grassland Biome Temperatures between -20 ° C to 30 ° C Grasses such as oats, wheat, barley, and prairie clover Found in Great Plains of N. America, pampas of S. America, veldt of S. Africa, Steppes of Central Eurasia, and surrounds deserts in Austrailia J. Anderson13

Rainforest Biome Warm, frost-free temperatures Lots of rainfall per year Vines, orchids, ferns, palm trees Found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn J. Anderson14

Shrubland Biome J. Anderson15 Summer- hot, dry Winter – cool, moist Contains aromatic herbs (rosemary, sage, and thyme), shrubs, chamise, acacia, grasses Found on west coastal regions between 30 ° and 40°N/S latitude Plants adapted to fire because of frequent lightning

Tundra Biome Very cold temperatures (-40°C to 18°C) Permafrost and short growing season leaves almost no trees. Found South of the ice caps of the Arctic and on high mountaintops of North America, Siberia, and Europe J. Anderson16

THE END All pictures in this presentation, unless otherwise noted,can be found at and are available for educational use. J. Anderson17