Things to know from chapter 15
Bio-
Prefix meaning “life”
Biotic – living
Abiotic- nonliving
Biosphere – area of Earth where things live
Hydrosphere – all the water on Earth
Atmosphere – the air that blankets Earth
Geosphere – the physical features of Earth (oceans, continents, etc.)
Climate is the long-term weather patterns of an area
There are three main climate zones on Earth:
1) Polar – located at the top and bottom of the globe (North and South Poles). Usually very
cold.
2) Temperate – located in between the polar and tropical regions. Temperate zones have
warm summers and cold winters
3) Tropical – located around the equator. Hot and moist/humid
Biomes – areas where things live. There are 6 main biomes:
1) Tropical Rainforests – warm and wet. Monkeys, ferns, vines, parrots, etc. HIGH
BIODIVERSITY
2) Grasslands:
a. Savannahs (Africa) – tall dry grasses where antelope, elephants, giraffes, lions life
b. Prairies (Midwest America) - tall prairie grass for buffalo, bison, prairie dogs, etc.
3) Temperate – about even amounts of summer and winter. Cold in winter, warm –to-hot in
summer. Deer, bear, squirrels, etc.
4) Desert – Dry. Lots of nocturnal animals. Cacti, scorpions, sidewinders, etc.
5) Tiaga – Long cold winters, short warm summers. Mammals with heavy fur. Moose, etc.
6) Tundra – in the arctic areas. Long cold winters. Polar bears, penguins, etc. LOW
BIODIVERSITY
Eath’s “Big 4” for biodiversity:
On Land:
1) Regions around the equator have the highest biodiversity
2)Estuaries – an estuary is where a river runs into an ocean.
In the Oceans: 1)
2)
Kelp Forests (Kelp is seaweed) – found in cold waters
Coral Reefs – found in warm waters