A biome is a large group of ecosystems that share similar climates, rain fall, soil types, and organisms

Biomes

A biome is a large group of ecosystems that share similar climates, rain fall, soil types, and organisms.

tundra

taiga

tundra

arctic: cold and dry




temperature deciduous and temperate grassland

temperate means

there are seasons

seasons – hot and cold



desert


savannah and rainforest




tropics: hot and rainy




seasons – hot and cold



arctic: cold and dry




sunlight amount (latitude) + earth’s tilt = seasons/climate

climate = temperature and precipitation

climate + vegetation = world biomes

There are seven major land biomes and

two major water biomes in the biosphere.


salt water

1
marine biome


2
freshwater biome


1
tundra biome - alpine and arctic


2
coniferous forest biome – Taiga/Boreal


3
temperate grassland biome


4
temperate deciduous forest biome


5
desert biome


6
savanna grassland biome


7
tropical rainforest biome


8? Chaparral Biome: Mediterranean –

shrubby coastal area; hot dry summer,

mild wet winter; California, Chile, Italy


Biomes - 2


http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

	Tundra		Deciduous Forest		Savanna
	Taiga		Chaparral		Rainforest
	Grasslands		Desert		Alpine
			Desert-scrub

Biomes - 3

tundra biome:

High latitudes – Siberia, Yukon

Below 67° latitude;

right below the arctic circle


flat sloped land plateaus

There are two types of tundra.

Glaciers - flat
Arctic tundra is near the poles.


mountain – steep sloped
Alpine tundra is above the tree line of tall mountains.

12-20 inches of rainfall each year.

54°F in the summer and - 14°F in the winter perpetually cold and windy.

Biomes - 4

The tundra biome:

soil is poor and allows only for shallow rooted plants to grow such as mosses, grasses, and small shrubs – no trees.
Permafrost is the soil below the surface. It stays frozen year round.


The ground is frozen 2-3 inches below the surface year round, so it cannot support deep rooted plants.

Soggy/marshy – when it rains, there is nowhere for the water to go.

Animals include polar bears, caribou, fox, owls.

Biomes – 5


evergreen trees –

higher latitudes

There are three types of forest biomes:


trees that lose their leaves because of the seasons – middle latitudes
Coniferous – also called Taiga or Boreal

Temperate deciduous

tropical latitudes - hot and wet
Tropical rain




just below the tundra

45° – 60° latitude

Taiga biome:

mountains –

northern temperate areas

The coniferous forest biome:

also called the Taiga or Boreal.

14-30 inches of rainfall each year.

average temperatures are 57°F in the summer

and 14°F in the winter; long cold winters and

short growing season
short cool summers

Biomes – 6

The Taiga:

areas consist mainly of thick forests of cone bearing evergreen trees.

animals include squirrels, bears, wolves, mountain

lions, and moose.

temperate deciduous forest biome:

middle latitudes

30° – 50° seasonal

Angiosperms – flowers, fruits,

leaves fall off each year - litter

Biomes – 7

Temperate deciduous forest biome:

30-49 inches of rainfall each year.

average temperatures are 83°F in the summer and 43°F in the winter.

forests lose their leaves every Fall

season which contributes to good soil.

variety of animal life.


thick soil for trees

Eastern Ohio

tropical rain forest biome:




tropics:

0° – 25° latitude

Biomes – 8

The tropical rain forest biome:

contains more species than any other biome on the planet.

up to 160 inches of rainfall each year.

4-5 times the rain amount in Ohio
no seasons here.

average temperatures are 93°F in the day and

68°F at night.

top soil is very thin and poor for growing and farming because the rain washes the nutrients away – leaching; once trees are cut down, they do not grow back.

most species live up in the tree tops or canopy


270 feet tall

Is the rainforest the lungs

of the world?

Oxygen? Plankton?







130 feet tall





65 feet tall

Biomes – 9

desert biome:

subtropical high pressure - 30° Horse latitude

25° - 35° latitude

all the world’s desert are found at this latitude

The desert biome:

less than 10 inches of rainfall each year.

100°F in the summer and 45°F in the night.


cold at night nocturnal or diurnal
soil is very poor.

plants include cacti and wild-flowers.

most animals are nocturnal and include snakes,

lizards, small rodents, bats, and foxes.

Biomes – 10

Grassland biomes:

found between forests and deserts

generally flat - plains

two types - temperate and savannah
temperate grassland biome:


Bread basket of the world:

The majority of the world’s food/grain is grown here!

western Ohio – 38 inches of rain each year

The temperate grassland biome:

20-35 inches of rainfall each year average. temperatures 86°F in the summer and


middle latitudes – 30° to 50°
32°F in the winter.

soil is rich and good for many plants animals

farmland - corn belt:

North America has the best soil for growing crops in the world! Why? Climate and seasons – cycles of life and death that build the soil, plus lots of water and sunlight

include prairie dogs, mice, and large grazing animals such as bison.

Biomes – 11

savanna grassland biome:

tropics to subtropics

0° to 30°

The savanna grassland biome:

60 inches of rainfall each year.

average temperatures are 93°F in the summer

no seasons
and 61°F in the winter.

tropical grassland with scattered clumps of

small trees – shallow dirt
trees.

savannas of Africa are inhabited by some of the most diverse groups of large herbivores in the world such as zebras, giraffes, and elephants.

Lots of rain (leaching/erosion) washes away the nutrients in the dirt and causes it to be bad for growing.

Biomes – 12

The largest biome in the world is the marine biome. It based on salt water and contains all oceans and seas. Marine biomes can be divided into three zones depending on the biotic factors.

top - surface
planktic - floaters or drifters


middle
nektic - swimmers


bottom
benthic - bottom dwellers

Water absorbs light, so sunlight can penetrate only about 200 m below the ocean’s surface. Because photosynthesis requires light, most marine producers are found near the surface.

Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web. They are one of the most important life forms on planet earth!!!
Biomes – 13

Marine organisms that float or drift with the currents are called plankton. They are the most abundant form of life in the marine biome. Plankton range from microscopic algae to animals and organisms as large as jellyfish. Microscopic producers called phytoplankton produce the majority of oxygen in the atmosphere. Microscopic consumers are called zooplankton.

Most zooplankton are immature or larval forms of much larger animals.

Animals that actively swim, rather than drift with the currents are called nekton. Nekton include all swimming forms of fish, whales, and squid. All nektons are predators.

Biomes – 14

Plants and animals living in or on the sea floor are called benthic. These include kelp (tall algae plants) crabs, snails, sea urchins, star fish, and flounders. Benthic organisms may either be:

motile - move around on the bottom like snails, worms, and crabs

sessile - stationary their whole life like corals and clams

Or

infauna - live in the sediments like clams and worms

epifauna - lives on the sediments at the bottom like crabs and corals

Or

deposit feeders - moves to decaying organic stuff on the bottom

suspension feeders - food comes to it, eats food that falls to the bottom, often generates currents so the food moves to it

Or

detritus feeders





Biomes - 15

Marine biomes can be also be divided into various

zones depending on the abiotic factors.


manatees, seals, sea lions

intertidal zone - where the ocean meets the land;

may be above water part of the day when the tide


Brackish water – salt water mixing with fresh water
is out; includes rocky shores, mud flats, and sandy

beaches

650 ft




barrier reefs
neritic - water gradually deeper up to 200 m deep on the continental shelf; lots of sunlight with diverse and colorful life


pelagic zone – open water

oceanic zone - past the continental shelf to the

middle of the ocean – no current, no life,

like a desert

deep water of the open ocean; includes gyres and the Sargasso Sea

benthic - sea floor;

bottom
from the upper edge of the intertidal zone to the bottom of the deepest ocean waters

phototrophic zone –

light, photosynthesis

abyssal zone - dark

Freshwater zones: (biotic and abiotic areas)

Littoral Zone – shallow bank area




Limnetic Zone – open water