quite hot and dry mild winters (10° C) Hot dry summers (40 ° C) Fires and droughts are very common

Because of the long period of dryness and heat in the summer, only plants with hard waxy leaves that can remain replete with moisture can survive, such as scrub oaks, manzanita shrubs, cork and olive trees. This thick waxy cuticle prevents water loss (desiccation) from evaporation through the leaves, and protects them from consumption as well. They are hard, and less palatable than soft leaves.

Saltmarsh Bird's Beak Torrey Pine Fuzzy nature of leaf surface helps plant collect water. Very long roots and slow growing nature of pine helps it survive on cliff edges

Aardwolf long sticky tongue blunt teeth musky scent emission from anal gland (like skunk) eats deer, insects, mice and other small rodents covers kill with leaves to hide never scavenges Puma (cougar; mountain lion) Bezoar Goat wooly coat scimitar shaped sharp horns cloven hooves

have a pronounced dry season which causes the trees to lose their leaves The trees are shorter and farther apart as their roots spread out in search of water. Sunlight reaches the forest floor, which encourages an undergrowth of bushes to thrive. found on the fringes of the tropical rainforest as the climate gets drier, tropical deciduous forests turn into savanna, and, eventually, grasslands.

The deciduous nature of the trees is an adaptation to the dry climate, allowing the tree to survive during a “dormant” period when no growth occurs Similar animals live here and in the tropical rainforest, with similar adaptations, except they must also adapt to the changing flora.

Found skirting Tropical Deciduous Forests, in areas that receive even less rainfall, trees are fewer, shorter, more widely spaced, and scrub (shrubs and stunted trees) replaces the forest. During the dry season, fires are not uncommon. The scrub plants have adaptations to survive a drier climate thick bark small, fat, evergreen leaves that store water protective thorns This community represents a gradual change from the tropical rain forest to the savanna as well.

What are the characteristics of chaparral biomes? Describe two adaptations plants might have in the chaparral to help cope with the dry climate. How do Tropical Deciduous Forests differ from TDF? Where can Tropical Deciduous Forests be found? How do Tropical Scrubs differ from Tropical Deciduous Forests?

Alpine biomes are found in the mountainous regions all around the world, and cover nearly 16% of the Earth. They are usually at an altitude of 10,000 feet or more. Because of the extreme climate of the Alpine biome, plants and animals have developed adaptations to those conditions. Climate is determined by altitude, not latitude and as you ascend through the alpine, you move through many biome patterns that are similar to ones you’ve already visited.

The Alpine biome lies just below the snow line of a mountain. In the North American Rocky Mountains you begin in a desert biome. As you climb you go through a deciduous forest biome, temperate grassland biome, steppe biome, and taiga biome before you reach the cold Alpine biome. Most alpine biomes have their own plant and animal species, indigenous only to those areas. It is therefore, important to define Alpine biomes separately.

Plants have almost desert-like adaptations Only about 200 species of Alpine plants Low floral biodiversity The higher you go in the atmosphere, the lower the concentration of CO 2 Grow low, and slow Poor soil nutrient composition Plants adapted to sandy rocky soil Dry conditions in Alpine Biome A bristlecone trunk may grow less than 0.01 of an inch in girth per year.

Chinchilla Hoofed species are very surefooted Many animals migrate to lower and warmer elevations during the winter months. Some animals shed their brown fur to replace it with white so that they blend in with the snow. Some hibernate and some even have big feet so that they can walk on snow. Pika tiny rodents grow long fur, and put on extra stores of fat during the short alpine summer Rocky Mountain Goat White-lipped deer Alpaca Snow Leopard

Which of these two climographs could be from an Alpine region in the Andes? A B

Globally, which areas conspicuously have no alpine regions? What is special about Alpine biomes, that is not true of any other biomes on Earth? Because there is low plant biodiversity in Alpine regions, what else must also be true? Name two adaptations that animals might have to Alpine regions, and describe how animals with these might be given an advantage. In what other biome might these adaptations also be common?

Use this map to quiz yourself on regions of the world biomes map. You will be asked to identify biomes on a world map on your test!