Parts of the
Biosphere: Biomes
What factors cause different plants and animals to be found in
different places on earth? How are these environments categorized?
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Regional climate differences
– Differential heating by the sun
– Wind patterns and ocean currents
– Unique precipitation and temp. patterns
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Biomes of the Earth
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Tropical rainforest
Savanna
Desert
Chaparral/dry shrub & woodlands
Temperate grassland
Temperate deciduous forest
Coniferous forest
Tundra
Freshwater provinces
Ocean provinces
• Estuaries and intertidal zones
• Hydrothermal vents
• Coral reefs
A biome is a large subdivision of the biosphere with unique
vegetation due to unique moisture and temperatures. There
are approximately ten subdivisions, with the ocean the largest.
Differential Solar Heating
Hadley Cells of Rising and Falling Air
Hadley Cells and the Major Winds
Hadley cell anim
Coriolis Effect
Objects Moving in a Circle and Along a Straight Line are Seemingly
Deflected when Moving Across Areas Moving More Slowly
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Biomes as a Function of
Temperature vs. Precipitation
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Tropical Rainforest
• Greater than 80" of rain per year
• Huge biodiversity
• Rapid organic decay, nutrients largely in the
vegetation instead of the soil (soil relatively
poor)
• Dense foliage, parasitic plants
• Animals: butterflies, toucans, anacondas,
orangutans, tigers, chimpanzee, gorilla,
piranha
• Found in Brazil, Central Africa, Central
America, Philippines
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Savanna (Tropical Grassland)
• 40-60 inches of rain per year
• Sod grasses hold moisture year-round
• Severe dry season and short wet season
• Frequent fires
• Scattered and few trees
• Animals: Herds of gazelles, zebras, giraffes,
and kangaroos (in Australia)
• Found in Central Africa, Eastern South
America, Australia
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Desert
• Found at 30o N or S latitude or in rain shadows
• < 10 inches (25 cm) of rain per year
• Both hot and cold deserts exist (tundra a cold desert)
• Plants are often spiny with minimal leaves and thick cuticles
• Animals are nocturnal, living burrows, conserve water (e.g. lizards,
kangaroo rats, coyotes)
• Found in the Mojave of California, the Sonoran of W. Central America,
the Chihuahuan in Texas, the Great Basin of Utah, the Sahara of Egypt,
the Gobi of Australia
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Chaparral
• Long, hot and dry summers
• Mild, rainy winters
• Frequent fires and drought
• Spiny shrub adapted for fire like
manzanita, coyote brush, ceanothus, live
oak
• Animals include lizards, mule deer,
cinnamon towhees
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Temperate Grasslands: Prairie, Steppes,
Pampas
• Distinct hot/cold seasons
• Fewer fires than in the savanna
• No trees except around water courses
• Sod grasses hold soil and water - fertile and
under cultivation in the US
• Animals include prairie dogs, rattlesnakes,
meadowlarks, mice
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Temperature Deciduous Forest
• Warm/mild summers
• Moderate rainfall in the winters (light
snow)
• Trees are broadleaf, deciduous and include
oak, birch, maple, and cottonwoods
• Rich soil
• Animals include bobcats, foxes, chipmunks,
raccoons, and wolves
• Found in Eastern US, Europe
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Northern Coniferous Forest
• Coniferous-evergreen trees including firs, pines,
larches and spruces
• Cold hard and long winters with much snow
• Animals include moose, caribou, hares, jays, beaver,
bears
• Northernmost edge of con. forest sometimes classified
as a different biome (taiga) with stunted trees
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Tundra
• Short grasses, herbs, dwarf shrubs, lichens
• Relatively flat with some low hills
• Permanently frozen soil (permafrost)
extending some 300 feet deep in northern areas
• Short growing seasons, huge explosion of
insect populations
• Animals include caribous, reindeer, foxes,
lemmings
• Very sensitive ecologically; soil disturbance
produces ponds and lakes that take several
hundreds of years to return to tundra
Map of the Major Biomes of the World
Marine and Aquatic Waters
• Fresh water provinces
• Plants include lilies, algae, milfoil, Elodea
• Animals include frogs, salamanders, turtles
• May freeze over in the winter
• Saltwater (marine) provinces - the ocean
• Covers 3/4 of the earth's surface
• Huge gradient in sunlight and temperature
• Huge gradient in pressure
• Large amount of photosynthesis at the surface
• Animals include whales, dolphins, otters, fish,
arthropod crustaceans
Altitude and Biome-like Communities
Every 1000 feet gain in altitude equivalent to + 10o N or S latitude
Biomes Map Used on Exams