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
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