Biomes
Chapter 6
Biomes
 Biome – a large region that is determined by 2 things
1. similar climate – average weather in an area.
2. similar plants and animals – (soil type)
 Climate – average weather of an area
 Precipitation
 Type (snow, rain, etc.)
 Amount
 See Figure 3, Page 154
Temperature and Precipitation
 Biomes also vary with altitude and latitude
 Altitude – height of an object above sea level
as altitude increases, temperature decreases.
 Latitude – distance north or south of the equator –
the closer to the equator the hotter it is.
 See Figure 4, Page 155
Latitude and Altitude
Plants and Animals
 The soil type determines the types of plants that
will grow.
 The types of plants determines the types of animals
 Plants have adaptations that allow them to live in
certain biomes.
 3 Major types of plant adaptations
 Size
 Color
 Shape
 See Figure 1, Page 153 – Biome map
The World’s Major Terrestrial
Biomes
3 Major Types of Biomes
 Forests
 Grasslands
 Deserts
Tropical Rain Forests
Forests
 All forests contain an abundance of small and
large trees
 4 types of Forests
 1. Tropical Rain Forest
 2. Temperate Rain Forest
 3. Temperate Deciduous Forest
 4. Taiga
Tropical Rain Forest
 The Most biodiverse (has large variety of living things)
 Very high temperatures
 Very humid
 A lot of rain 200-450 cm/year
 Located near the equator (latitude)
 Most near sea level (altitude)
Tropical Rainforest continued…
 Soil contains very few nutrients
because things are decomposed
quickly and the nutrients are
immediately absorbed by plants
 Main type of plants is trees
 See Figure 7, Page 158
Layers of the Rain Forest
Layers of Tropical Rainforest
 Understory (Bottom layer)– receives very little light
 Canopy (Middle layer) – divided between upper &
lower canopy
 This is the main level of rainforest, absorbs 95% of
sunlight.
 Emergent Layer (Top layer) – tallest trees
 Tropical Rainforest is one of the most
threatened biomes
 Main threat is habitat destruction – caused by the
cutting down of trees
 We cut down trees for paper/wood – but mostly for
grazing livestock and growing cash crops.
Temperate Rain Forest
 Has seasonal variations
 Moderate (medium) temperatures
 High humidity
 Large amounts of rain
 Found in North America (Pacific
Northwest, Australia, and New Zealand
Temperate Deciduous Forests
Temperate Deciduous Forest
 Deciduous trees are trees that lose
their leaves seasonally
 Moderate temperatures
 4 seasons
 Temperatures vary greatly from season to
season; sometimes day to day
 We live in this Biome
 Made up mostly of trees that lose their leaves
seasonally
 The soil contains a lot of nutrients because
decomposition is slow
 Plants in this biome grow in layers
 This biome contains a large variety of plants and
animals.
Taiga
Taiga (Northern Coniferous Forest)
 Very cold temperatures
 Moderate amount of snow & rain
 Long winters, short summers
 Majority of trees are conifers which reproduce
using cones and keep their needle-like leaves
year around.
 Contains many lakes and swamps
 Most of the northern portion of the United States
Grasslands
 Contain mostly grasses and weeds, very few
trees and the land is usually relatively flat.
 4 Different types
 Savanna
 Temperate Grasslands
 Chaparral
 Tundra
Savannas
Savanna
 Type of grassland that contains grasses, shrubs and
small trees
 Very warm temperatures
 Most of the rain falls during the rainy or wet season
 Some animals found here include elephants, antelope,
lions, giraffes and cheetah
 Found in parts of Africa, Western India, Northern
Australia and parts of South America
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Grasslands
North America – prairie
Asia – steppe
South America – pampas
 4 distinct seasons
 Moderate temperatures
 Moderate rainfall
 Usually found in the interior of continents
 Periodic droughts
 Plant life consists of grasses, wildflowers and
a few small bushes
 Very fertile soil
 Many have been converted to farmland
 America’s most endangered biome
 Used for Grazing livestock animals (cattle,
sheep, horses)
Grassland Plants
Chaparral
Chaparral
 Temperate – 4 seasons
 Moderate temperatures
 Dominated by shrubs (small bushes)
 Usually found by coasts
 Dry climate
 Plants must be adapted to survive droughts by
conserving water
 Transitional biome – often found in between
grassland and desert biomes
Tundra
Tundra
 Coldest climate of any biome
 Dry – little precipitation
 Precipitation in the form of snow and ice
 Contains permafrost (a layer of soil that is frozen year
round – it never thaws)
 2 types of Tundra
 Artic – high latitudes far from equator – North & South Poles
 Alpine – high altitudes (mountaintops)
 Plants only grow during summer, they are
small and low to the ground
 Animals – penguins, moose, polar bear,
caribou
 Tundra very fragile and endangered (global
warming)
Deserts
Deserts
 Have very little precipitation
 Less than 5 inches or 10 cm per year
 Widely scattered vegetation
 In most deserts, there is a large temperature range
throughout the day, hot days & cold nights
 Many desert plants will drop their leaves if it gets
too dry – and regrow new ones when it rains
3 Types of Deserts
Tropical
Temperate
Polar
1. Tropical Desert
 Hot year round
 Rain one or two months per year
 Example: Sahara (Africa)
2. Temperate
desert
 Medium temperatures
 More precipitation and plants (cacti,
snakes – reptiles, insects & arachnids)
 Example: Mojave (US)
3. Polar Desert
 Winters cold, summers warm
 Little precipitation
 Example: Gobi (China)