BIOMES of the World
Understanding the biomes of Earth is a HUGE part of what makes
ECOLOGY. Obviously, knowledge of biology (living things)
plays an important role, but you must also have basic understanding
of geography (continents/landforms) and climatology (weather).
What a complicated
map. Ours will be much
simpler.
(don’t color your map
yet)
So, What’s a Biome???
A BIOME is a large geographical area on Earth that features
a unique set of plants & animals that are suited t o live there.
It’s what makes a “desert” a “desert.”
We could be picky and have over a dozen different Biomes to
learn about, but let’s keep it simple. We’re going to study these six:
Tundra
Coniferous Forest (Taiga)
Deciduous Forest
(Temperate Forest)
Grassland (Savanna)
Desert
Tropical Rain Forest
One Important Thing to
Remember:
Look at our beautiful planet.
It rules.
We HAVE to remember, though,
that the majority of Earth is
covered in water.
The amount of life in the rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans of the
world make the amount of life on land look like an empty room.
It’s more complicated than just saying “there’s a bunch of fish
eating each other and a dolphin and seaweed and stuff, too.”
From freshwater to saltwater to near-frozen oceans, the water of
Earth is its own unique universe.
Even MORE IMPORTANT to
Remember
As we go through these biomes, discussing what they’re like and what
kind of organisms we find there, keep this in mind:
The kinds of animals you find in a place on Earth usually depend on
the kinds of plants that are there. The kinds of plants depend on the
soil and climate of the place…the moisture, temperature, and soil.
THAT’S THE THEME OF THIS WHOLE
POWERPOINT. Animals depend on plants
which depend on the climate & environment.
Now, keep that last “theme” in
mind & let’s get started
You’ve got a paper with a map on the front:
For each biome, you’ll gradually color in the Earth showing where
those biomes can be found. You’ll fill in the info on the back as you
work. Work efficiently, but take your time absorbing as much info
as you can…this isn’t a race to just get done.
The
Tundra
Biome
(don’t write this stuff…this is
just an overview of the biome)
Near the most northern
parts of Earth.
Um, cold.
Treeless, mostly frozen
Low biodiversity (variety
of living things)
Northern Scandinavia & Siberia
North American Tundra &
coast of Greenland & Iceland.
Create a color box key on or near
the title of the biome. Color all
area 1’s
Pick a color (doesn’t need to be yellow) and
try to match what you see here.
1
Now Flip your Map Over
…and get ready to fill in the information in the chart.
The title of each powerpoint slide will clue you in on which box to
write in, and anything you need to copy will be in red text. First of
all, write TUNDRA in the first “name” box.
Climate & Soil of the Tundra
Just look at where you finished coloring on your map. Those
places are COLD. They receive such little direct sunlight that they
are above freezing for only a few months of the year.
Dang!
Climate – Very little precipitation; (it doesn’t really snow that much.
It just looks like it because the snow sticks around and doesn’t melt).
Much ice/snow, very cold all year. It does get above freezing in
Summertime, though.
Soil – Permafrost – frozen most of year ( for plants) Slushy
when thawed.
Plants of the Tundra
So, what kind of plants grow in a place where it’s frequently below
zero, dark for half the year, with frozen soil? Brave plants. Very brave.
The key here is that there are NO TREES in the true tundra. It’s too cold,
too windy, with too-hard soil and not enough moisture to support forests.
With just a few inches of thawed soil
to grow in (during summers), you’re
going to find small ground plants &
grasses. These can sprout up quickly
when it warms up in the Summers &
reproduce in the little time available to
them.
Tundra Animals
…and what kind of animals would live in such a place? Crazy, freaking
crazy ones.
But what kind of animals can even survive here? First, you’ve GOT
to be able to make your own body heat, or you’re going to be frozen
stiff. So count on finding warm-blooded birds & mammals. A coldblooded animal, like a crocodile, would die within minutes of being
dumped in 30-below-zero weather.
In the summers, though, the slushy, thawed soil provides great places
for insects to lay eggs. The birds in the Tundra have a ton of food
opportunities when the insects in summer start swarming around.
Examples of Plant Life
In these powerpoints, when I write: (P) and (A), that just stands for
plants & animals.
The small ground plants are mosses
(P): Moss, lichen, grass
Save room for animals, too.
Lichen is a crusty, flaky
organism that grows on
rocks & trees. We have it
here in Texas, too. Both the
gray & yellowish stuff here
Are lichens. Pronounce it:
Like-uhn.
Examples of Animal Life
(A): Reindeer, Polar Bear, Goose
Well, what’s left of
the goose, anyway.
That’s it for the Tundra
Hopefully, you kept our THEME in mind as you filled out the
chart for Tundra.
We have polar bears & reindeer because of the kinds of plants
available. We have the juicy little mosses & grasses the reindeer
munch on due to the horrible soil and harsh climate of the Tundra.
Animals depend on plants which depend on soil & climate.
Now you’ve got the hang of this, so let’s go on to our next BIOME.
Pick a new color.
Coniferous Forest Biome
Guess what? This biome has lots of trees! You didn’t already know
that, though.
Biggest trees on Earth
Another cold biome (near Tundra)
Did I mention the trees are big?
Coniferous is pronounced:
Kuh-niff-err-us
Thick pine, fir &
redwood forests of
USA & Canada
1
2
Add to your key
Taiga forests of Europe
& Russia
Climate & Soil of the
Coniferous Forest
This is a pretty cold biome in the northern parts of Earth
The climate features medium rain/snow with long, cold winters
and short summers.
The soil is poor soil for
plant life. The ground is
smothered in needles that
fall from the trees. These
needles are SLOW to decay
and don’t return their
nutrients quickly to the soil.
Pine needles carpeting the ground
Plants of the Coniferous Forest
Even though this is a cold, often snow-covered biome, there’s enough
moisture available and the ground is thawed almost all year so that huge
trees grow here.
These are heavy conifer forests (trees w/ needles & cones). These
trees, almost as soon as they sprout, act like they’re in a race to be the
tallest around. They grow so tall, so fast, that it’s pretty dark on the
forest floor. There are few small plants due to the lack of light and
smothering effect of the bigger trees around them.
These conifers have needles & cones instead of broad leaves and
flowers. They are often hundreds (if not thousands) of years old and
are usually evergreen, growing all through the winter.
Animals in the Coniferous
Forest
Life here for animals is almost as hard as it is in the Tundra. Being a
chilly biome, you’re still going to find mostly warm-blooded animals
here, though a few reptiles/amphibians will be seen.
The Winters are harsh. It snows a lot,
and daylight hours are short. Many
migrate or hibernate to get through
the Winter without having to actively
fight the environment.
Hibernating ground squirrel
Examples of Plant Life
When you see the word “conifer,” think of the shaggy, needled trees
that we typically think of around Christmas time.
(P): Pine tree, Fir Tree,
Redwood Tree
California’s giant
Sequoia trees
General Sherman
Most of the ancient sequoia trees in the California forest are named.
The most impressive is a tree named General Sherman. It is Earth’s
largest living organism—you could fit dozens of blue whales inside
of it.
Examples of Animal Life
Most of the animals here have feathers or thick fur to keep warm.
(A): Moose, wolf, grizzly
So, that’s the Coniferous Forest. You can see
that the warm-blooded animals and needlebearing trees have to deal with the extreme
challenges of life in a snowy, dark forest world.
Deciduous Forest Biome
Yep. More trees. But this forest biome is more typical of what we’d
call “the woods” around here.
More “even” climate.
More variety of plant life.
More variety of animal life.
Pronounce “deciduous”:
Deh-si-joo-uhs
Eastern
Asia
North Africa &
Most of Europe
Eastern Woodlands
6
Coast of Australia,
New Zealand, Tasmania
Add to your “key”
Climate & Soil of the
Deciduous Forest
You can see from the map that we’ve worked our way farther away
from the poles, so that we’re talking about places with 4 real seasons.
Climate – These forests tend to enjoy good rainfall throughout the year.
Soil – The leaves that fall to
the ground tend to decay
quickly, dumping nutrients
into the ground. Thus,
there is good soil for
different plants.
Plants in the Deciduous Forest
What does “deciduous” mean, anyway? Basically, think of these as
trees that:
Have broad leaves that typically drop off in Autumn
Have flowers which produce fruits with seeds
Shut down for the Winter—they’d rather not try to grow in low sunlight
Aren’t as huge as conifers—they allow light & room for smaller plants
So, during a walk in the woods,
you’ll see a variety of shrubs and
trees that lose leaves in Autumn.
In many open areas, expect some
grasses.
Beautiful in Fall
Animals in the Deciduous
Forest
Thanks to the warmer weather & plentiful moisture, we’re going to
have a real presence of cold-blooded animals for the first time.
In fact, variety will abound here. There are many warm ‘ello!
AND cold
blooded animals in the deciduous forest, from raccoons to owls to
snakes to tree frogs.
Think about the chirping and hissing
and hooting and everything else that
goes on in the woods. Lotsa life.
Examples of Plant Life
Remember, if it’s a tree that has needles & cones, it’s a conifer. A
deciduous tree, however, has broad leaves and flowers that make seeds.
(P): Oak tree, Apple tree, Fern
Ferns in a clearing in the forest.
Examples of Animal Life
Again, just think of typical critters you’d find in “the woods.”
(A): deer, squirrel, hog-nose snake
Conceited.
That’s it for the first 3 Biomes
Hopefully, it’s becoming clear that with warmer weather and
more plentiful moisture, the variety of living things is increasing.
The next powerpoint will focus on the last 3 biomes as we work
our way on the map toward the warmest parts of Earth. You can
already guess what that will mean for the variety of life in those
places.