1. Homes for organisms since back in the day.

2.  SWBAT discern between differing types of terrestrial biomes and aquatic environments, describe their general characteristics, and identify major environmental threats.

3.  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.

4.  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.

5.  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.

6.  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.

7.  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

8.  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.