Terrestrial biome
Rainforest
Tundra
Taiga
Desert
Temperate
Grasslands
Aquatic Biomes
Rivers/Streams
Ponds/lakes
Wetlands
Shorelines
Temperate Oceans
Tropical Oceans
Common Plants/
Animals
Buttresses,
Epiphytes, bearded
pig, capybara
Lichen, snowy owl,
dark red leaves,
tundra swan
Conifers, needles,
lynx, moose,
snowshoe rabbit
Cactus, yucca,
dragon tree, dingo,
snakes
Fires, dog wood,
fringe tree,
sapsuckers, ‘coons
Aster plant, posion
ivy, lion, ostrich,
bison
Common Plants/
Animals
Water lily, water
primrose, barbell,
anaconda,
crawdads
Fresh water algea,
sea lettuce, trout,
bullfrog
Swamp milkweed,
big blue stem,
Alligators, catfish
Pepper wart, duck
potato, lobster,
sting rays
Atlantic Salmon,
Whales, Swordfish,
Sharks
Clown Fish, Green
Turtle
Interesting features
Weather/Climate
Rainforests serve as
habitats for more
than half
the earth’s species
Tundra has as
much rain as
deserts
they have long
winter nights and
long summer days
Largest desert is
the Sahara
Rain forests get
heavy rain and are
hot and humid.
Many kind of trees
A lot of precip.
Seasonal
Grasslands are on
every continent
except Antarctica
10-30 in of precip.
Seasonal
Interesting Facts
Weather/Climate
Nile longest river in
the world
Leads into another
body of water
The Caspian sea is
the largest lake in
the world
Wetlands are
disappearing all
around the world
Sea cliffs made
from constant
waves hitting the
shore
The pacific ocean is
the largest ocean in
the world
Coral reefs thrive
varies
Permafrost, very
cold
Snowfall cold
winter, warm
summers
Hot and dry
Made by other
bodies of water
varies
varies
Warm humid
Rainforests
1. What are the two types of rainforests? In the United States,
where are our rainforests located? (Be specific). What
percentage of our original rainforests does this represent?
The two types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. The U.S,
has our rainforests located in the Pacific Northwest. The percentage
of original rainforests is 25%. Now they only cover about 3%.
Tundra
2. Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost?
What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by Tundra?
Tundra biome is located in the North Pole. Permafrost is a thick
surface permanently frozen layer of ground. 8% of the Earth's
surface is covered by tundra.
Taiga
3. Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in
the Taiga- why?
The Taiga is the largest biome it's location is between 50 degrees
latitude North and the Arctic Circle. The soil is covered usually by
permafrost.
Desert
4. How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain
where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW Effect.
Most deserts are located along 30 degrees latitude north and 30
degrees latitude south. Average Rainfall is less than 50 cm per
year. The rainshadow effect is a dry area on the lee side of a
mountainous area, that blocks dierct contact from water or wind,
and is inderneath a shadow of dryness.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
5. What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have
special leaves that are adapted to the biome- explain.
These trees have adapted to all four seasons and can adjust to the
environment.
Grasslands
6. Grasslands are found on every continent except for onewhich? How much rainfall do grasslands get- why is this
important? What are the 3 types of grasslands that are found
in North America? What are grasslands called in other places in
the world?
Grasslands are found everywhere except Antarctica. Grasslands
receive about 20-30 inches of rainfall in order keeps to the grass
and vegetation growing. The three types of grassland in North
America are: Short Grass Prairie, tall Grass Prairie, Mixed Grass
Prairie. Grasslands can be called different names in different parts
of the world like "steppes" in Asia, "savannas"/ "velds" in Africa, and
"range lands"in Australia.
Rivers & Streams
7. How much water on Earth does running water represent?
What is a watershed? What are the two main processes that
happen to surface water? What is the longest river in
the world? What is the longest river in the United States? What
is a hydroelectric dam?
Running water represents about 3%. A watershed area or of land
that separates/ carries water flowing from rivers, basins, to
eventually end up in the sea. Two main processes that happen to
surface water are surface runoff and infiltration. The longest river
in the world is the Nile River and the longest river in the U.S is the
Missouri River. A hydroelectric dam generates electricity by
conversion of the energy of running water.
Ponds & Lakes
8. What is the difference between a pond and lake? Name the
four stages of succession of a pond. Explain how an Oxbow Lake
is formed. What is the largest lake in the world? What is the
largest lake in the United States? What is the deepest lake in
the world? What is Lake Effect Snow? Explain. What is the
cause of summerkill in some lakes?
Lakes have an aphotic zone, so sunlight can't reach the bottom and
Ponds are shallow and are able to support the growth of plants able
to expand across the entire surface called a photic zone. Four
stages of succession are:
1) As a pond develops seeds are flown in by birds and land animals
come to inhabit the pond. These are the pond pioneers.
2) As more creatures arrive the debris on the bottom increases.
Pondweed, and other submergent vegetation, appears and soon
grow all along the bottom. Emergent plants have roots under water
while part of their bodies resides above the water line.
3) Emergent then appears on the edges of the pond. Over time,
sometimes hundreds of years, as ponds plants grow, die and
decompose, layers of debris build up. These layers of decaying
matter raise the pond floor over the years.
4) After some time, the pond floor is close enough to the bottom that
emergent can grow all the way across the floor. When this happens,
the ponds becomes a marsh. Many interesting creatures can reside
in the shallow muddy waters of marshes
An oxbow lake is formed when the oxbow lake is created over time
as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. The
largest lake in the world is Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the U.S.
is Lake Superior, and the deepest lake in the world is Lake
Baikal. The lake snow effect is when snow falls on the lee side of a
lake, from cold dry air going over warmer water picking up moiste
air and then cooling down as it goes uphill. The cause of
summerkill is when algae blooms occur and then die off in the
summer lowering oxygen levels.
Wetlands
9. What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define
them. Explain why wetlands are so important. What is
happening to our wetlands?
Types of freshwater wetlands are marsh (inland, 1-6 feet of water),
swamp which are slow moving streams; bog (peat-accumulating
wetland), prairie pothole (shallow/bowl like depressions of water),
riparian marsh (Marshes occur along rivers). Wetlands are
important because they prevent flooding and purify water. They are
being taken away and destroyed due to human activities.
Shorelines
10: What kind of lifeforms will you find in the intertidal zone?
What is a barrier island? What is an estuary? What is life like in
an estuary? What is a salt marsh? What is the Mangrove
Forest? How the trees are specially adapted to living in that
environment? Why are they important?
Lifeforms in the intertidal zones are sea stars, seashells and sea
clams. Barrier Islands are islands separated by main bodies of
water that vary in size. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of
water where seawater is mixed with fresh water. life forms can
include a diverse mix of sea and land creatures. Salt marshes are
wetlands containing saltwater. Mangrove Forest thrive near mouths
of large rivers where the deltas provide a lot of sediment. Trees are
adapted to living in this environment because they have special
roots to maintain themselves and they don't change very much.
They are also important because they protect the coastline and
prevent erosion.
Temperate Ocean Zones
11. Name and describe the different zones of the ocean and
how they are divided. Describe
the different photic zones of the ocean. What are kelp forests?
Where are they found?
The types of zones are the Sunlit zone (top layer of the ocean), the
Twilight zone (only small amounts of light can penetrate), and the
midnight zone (no light 90% of time). these three zones are
separated by their level of density. Kelp forests are large areas
underwater that can grow kelp up to 125 feet. They are found at
Coastal Waters.
Tropical Ocean
Zones
12. What is coral made of? Explain. Where are most coral reefs
located? Where is the largest coral reef?
Coral is made of calcium carbonate and they are located in tropical
oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier
Reef.