Study Guide Chapter 11: Biomes
Grassland Biomes (Temperate Grasslands)
 Temperature: exposed to extreme temperatures between seasons, harsh winds, open area
 Precipitation: varying moisture levels
 Predominant Plant life: vegetation (grasses) renewed each year
 Predominant Animal life: insects, spiders, large herbivore mammals
 Soil: rich, fertile soil; large open area
 Ex. open areas west of the Mississippi River
Tropical Savanna Biomes (Tropical Grasslands)
 Temperature: grasslands close to the equator; hot all year
 Precipitation: drought season & a very rainy season; frequent wildfires set by lightning
 Predominant Plant life: tall grasses and occasional tough trees
 Predominant Animal life: very diverse: ex. ebras, lions, ostriches, rhino, kangaroo, termites
 Soil: compact nutrient-poor soil; large open area
 Ex. large part of Africa, Australia, Brazil
Chaparral Biomes
 Temperature: hot-dry summers and mild, rainy winters
 Precipitation: drought with short “rainy” season; frequent wildfires
 Predominant Plant life: grasses, woody shrubs, desert plants, fire adapted trees
 Predominant Animal life: majority of the animals are nocturnal, have to be able to survive
on very little water.
 Soil: nutrient-poor soil
 Ex. along west coast of the US
Desert Biomes
 four main types of desert
 Arid deserts: hot and dry [Ex. Mojave Desert (US), Sahara Desert (Africa)]
 Semi-arid deserts
 Coastal deserts
 Cold deserts [Ex. Antarctica!!]
 Temperature: temperatures vary greatly between day and night
 Precipitation: very low rainfall totals; high evaporation rates; driest biome
 Predominant Plant life: drought-resistant vegetation (cacti, short spare bushes/ grasses
 Predominant Animal life: small animals, rodents, and reptiles
 Soil: coarse-textured soils (sandy, gravelly, or stony)
Temperate Deciduous Forest Biomes
 Temperature: Warm summers and cold winters
 Four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
 Precipitation: year round
 Predominant Plant life: shade producing broadleaf trees (oak, maple, beech), flowering
trees (angiosperms), shrubs and mosses
 Deciduous trees lose leaves in the fall season
 Predominant Animal life: large variety; Animals that live in the temperate deciduous forest
must be able to adapt to the changing seasons. Some animals in this biome migrate or
hibernate in the winter.
 Soil: fertile but shaded soil
 Ex. much of the eastern US
Tropical Rain Forest Biomes
 The rainforest can be divided up into four layers. Different animals and plants live in each
different layer.
 Emergent Layer: tall trees that stick up above the canopy
 Canopy: top umbrella layer of trees. Most plants & animals live here like: monkeys, birds,
insects and reptiles. Noisiest layer
 Understory: mostly the trunks of canopy trees, some shorter trees and shrubs. Home to
snakes, leopards, owls, bats, insects, frogs
 Forest floor: very little sunlight. Home to insects, spiders, pigs, deer. Quietest layer
 Temperature: hot all year
 Precipitation: wet all year
 Predominant Plant / Animal life: large variety; most biodiversity of all the land biomes;
most productive and diverse biomes on earth
 Soil: soil in a rainforest is shallow and has little nutrients
 Ex. Amazon Rain Forest (South America) - This is the world's largest tropical rainforest.
Taiga / Boreal Forest Biomes (ty-ga)
 Temperature: long, cold winters and short, mild summers
 Precipitation: moderate (mostly snow); high humidity
 Predominant Plant life: dense coniferous trees (pine, spruce, fir), lichens and mosses
 Most coniferous trees are evergreen, needles are good for retaining water and shedding snow
 Coniferous trees are cone-bearing
 Predominant Animal life: many migratory birds in the spring/summer, less variety of
mammals than deciduous forests – Animals have cold adaptations like: thick fur/feathers,
large feet or claws, fat layers, hibernation, winter coloring
 Soil: only a thin layer of soil; highly acidic and low in nitrogen
 Ex. largest land biome. large part of Canada, Asia and Europe; found between the tundra and
deciduous forests; tundra and taiga represent the two coldest land biomes on the planet
Alpine Tundra Biomes
 The Alpine Tundra is a unique biome in that it's found all over the globe, but only on tops of the
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tallest mountains. Extreme climate, harsh winds, steep slopes, thin dry soils, and low air
pressure makes much of the alpine tundra uninhabitable.
Temperature: low temperatures; harsh cold winds; rapidly changing weather
Precipitation: low precipitation
Predominant Plant life: low-lying mosses, dwarf shrubs, NO TREES
Predominant Animal life: varies but all have adaptations for cold climate, thick
fur/feathers, color changes, etc
Soil: thin, dry, and poorly developed soils
Ex. Rocky Mountains, Norway
Arctic (Polar) Tundra Biomes
 This biome forms a belt around the arctic ocean, a transition zone from taiga to the polar ice caps
 Temperature: long, cold, dark winters & short cool summers
 Precipitation: very low precipitation, dry winds
 Predominant Plant life: low biodiversity; must have shallow roots; NO TREES
 Predominant Animal life: migrant animals such as caribou & birds; only 48 resident land
mammals
 Soil: thin active layer with permafrost below; soil experiences a lot of freezing and thawing
 Ex. found almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere