Biomes of Planet Earth
• An ecosystem is all the living and
nonliving factors that affect an organism.
(abiotic and biotic)
• A biome is a major region that is
characterized by its climate,soil type(s),
and the dominant plants, animals, and
other organisms that live there. A biome
is made up of many individual
ecosystems.
Ecotone
• Boundary between two
biomes
Alike but Different
The species that live In each biome are
different, but may look and act similar to
species in other biomes. Because of similar
niches in each biome.
Kaibab Squirrel (north rim) Abert’s Squirrel (south rim)
Climate
• Climate defines the
boundaries of terrestrial
biomes
Types of Biomes
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Tundra
Desert
Grassland
Taiga
Temperate forest
Tropical rainforest
Polar ice
Freshwater
Marine
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Is the temperature of each Biome: Hot,
moderate, or cold?
Mountains Tundra Desert Chaparral Temperate Grassland Tropical savanna Taiga Temperate forest Tropical rainforest Polar ice -
Is the temperature of each Biome: Hot,
moderate, or cold?
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Mountains - Moderate
Tundra - Cold
Desert - Hot
Chaparral - Moderate
Temperate Grassland - Moderate
Tropical savanna - Hot
Taiga - Cold
Temperate forest - Moderate
Tropical rainforest - Hot
Polar ice - Cold
Latitude and Altitude Affect the Climate
• Gets colder the higher up you go (altitude)
• Gets colder the farther north/south of the
equator you go (latitude)
• Most of food on Earth is grown between 3060 degrees north and south of the equator
• -- Do we live in this latitude??--
Climatograms
• A climatogram is a graph that
shows average monthly values
for two factors: temperature
and precipitation.
• Temperature is expressed in
degrees Celsius and is plotted
as a smooth curve.
• Precipitation values are given in
centimeters and are plotted as
a histogram.
Population
• All members of a species living in the same
place at the same time.
• Populations are described in terms of size,
density (# of individuals/unit area or vol), or
dispersion (relative distribution of its individuals
within a given amount of space).
Growth Rate
• Change in population size =
births deaths
Also calculated as: change in population
time
What Limits Population Growth?
• Carrying Capacity
• Resource Limits—consuming a natural
resource at the same rate as which the
ecosystem produces the resource
• Competition within a population—social
dominance, territory, mates, food, homes for
their families
Population Growth
Carrying
Capacity
Steady State
Exponential
Phase
Lag
Phase
Two Types--Population Regulation
• Density Dependent—cause of death is rapidly
increased due to limited resources, predation
and disease resulting in densely populated
groups.
• Density Independent—a certain proportion of
the population dies regardless of its density
(weather, natural disasters)
Niche (pattern of use of its habitat)
• Includes:
• a species’ physical home
• the environment factors necessary for the
species to survive
• All of the species’ interactions with other
organisms.
Types of Interactions
• Competition—organisms attempt to use the same
limited resource.
• Predation—organism that feeds on another
• Parasitism—organism that lives in or on another
• Mutualism—two species provides a benefit to the other
• Commensalism—one species benefits but other is not
harmed or helped by it
Relationships
• Symbiosis—two organisms live in
close association
If carried on long enough the two
species can co-evolve—flowers
matching the feeding habits of
insects and birds.
Desert Ecosystems
Location:
Depending
on type of
desert, you
will find
them in
various
locations.
Desert
Abiotic
factors
 <10 in/yr of
rain
 Little to no
topsoil due to
high winds.
 Minerals not
deep in soil.
 Too dry for
decay
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/
taiga.html
While there are many types of
deserts, they all share one
characteristic: They are the
driest places on Earth!
Barrel Cactus
Desert Plant
Adaptations:
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Spines
Succulents
Thick, waxy cuticle
Shallow, broad roots
Joshua Tree
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_plant_page.htm
Ocotollio
Bob Cat
Desert Animal Adaptations:
Armadillo Lizard
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Get water from food
Thick outer coat
Burrow during day
Large ears
Smaller animals =
less surface area
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_animal_page.htm
Javelina
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Threats to the Desert
Residential development
Off road recreational
activities destroy habitat
for plants and animals.
Some plants are removed by
collectors, endangering the
population.
Sonoran Desert
Dry Desert
Tundra
Location:
Found
north of
the Arctic
Circle
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tundra/tundra.html
Tundra Abiotic Factors
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<25 in/year
Temp rarely higher than 100C
Permafrost layer
Short growing season
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taiga.html
Reindeer lichen
Tundra Plant Adaptations
Growing close to the ground
Having shallow roots to absorb the limited
water resources.
Trees grow less than 1 m high!
cottongrass
Perennials
Woody shrubs
Heaths
Examples of Tundra Plants
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tundra/tundra.html
snowy owl
Arctic fox
Small ears
Insulation, thick
coat
Tundra Animal
Adaptations
Many visitors, migration
Few predators
Grizzly Bear
Little Competition
Threats to the Tundra
One of the most fragile
biomes on the planet
Tufted Saxifrage
Oil drilling is proposed
in Alaska and other
areas!
Polar Bear
The tundra is slow to recover
from damage.