Biomes
A biome is a large group of ecosystems that share
similar climates, rain fall, soil types, and organisms.
tundra
taiga
arctic: cold and dry
seasons – hot and cold
temperature deciduous and temperate grassland
temperate means
there are seasons
desert
savannah and rainforest
tropics: hot and rainy
seasons – hot and cold
arctic: cold and dry
sunlight amount (latitude) + earth’s tilt = seasons/climate
climate = temperature and precipitation
climate + vegetation = world biomes
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There are seven major land biomes and
two major water biomes in the biosphere.
marine biome salt water
freshwater biome
tundra biome - alpine and arctic
coniferous forest biome – Taiga/Boreal
temperate grassland biome
temperate deciduous forest biome
desert biome
savanna grassland biome
tropical rainforest biome
8? Chaparral Biome: Mediterranean –
shrubby coastal area; hot dry summer,
mild wet winter; California, Chile, Italy
Biomes - 2
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Tundra
Taiga
Grasslands
Deciduous
Forest
Chaparral
Desert
Desert-scrub
Savanna
Rainforest
Alpine
Biomes - 3
tundra biome:
High latitudes – Siberia, Yukon
Below 67° latitude;
right below the arctic circle
flat sloped land plateaus
There are two types of tundra.
Arctic tundra is near the poles. Glaciers - flat
Alpine tundra is above the tree line of tall
mountains. mountain – steep sloped
12-20 inches of rainfall each year.
54°F in the summer and - 14°F in the winter
perpetually cold and windy.
Biomes - 4
The tundra biome:
soil is poor and allows only
for shallow rooted plants to
grow such as mosses, grasses,
and small shrubs – no trees.
Permafrost is the soil below
the surface. It stays frozen
year round.
The ground is frozen 2-3 inches below
the surface year round, so it cannot
support deep rooted plants.
Soggy/marshy – when it rains, there is
nowhere for the water to go.
Animals include polar bears,
caribou, fox, owls.
Biomes – 5
There are three types of forest biomes:
evergreen trees –
Coniferous – also called Taiga or Boreal higher latitudes
that lose their leaves because of the
Temperate deciduous trees
seasons – middle latitudes
Tropical rain tropical latitudes - hot and wet
Taiga biome:
just below the tundra
45° – 60° latitude
mountains –
northern temperate areas
The coniferous forest biome:
also called the Taiga or Boreal.
14-30 inches of rainfall each year.
average temperatures are 57°F in the summer
and 14°F in the winter; long cold winters and
short growing season
short cool summers
Biomes – 6
The Taiga:
areas consist mainly of thick
forests of cone bearing evergreen
trees.
animals include squirrels, bears, wolves, mountain
lions, and moose.
temperate deciduous forest biome:
middle latitudes
30° – 50° seasonal
Angiosperms – flowers, fruits,
leaves fall off each year - litter
Biomes – 7
Temperate deciduous forest biome:
30-49 inches of rainfall each year.
average temperatures are 83°F in the
summer and 43°F in the winter.
forests lose their leaves every Fall
season which contributes to good soil.
variety of animal life.
Eastern Ohio
thick soil for trees
tropical rain forest biome:
tropics:
0° – 25° latitude
Biomes – 8
The tropical rain forest biome:
contains more species than any other
biome on the planet.
up to 160 inches of rainfall each year.
4-5 times the rain amount in Ohio
no seasons here.
average temperatures are 93°F in the day and
68°F at night.
top soil is very thin and poor for growing and
farming because the rain washes the nutrients
away – leaching; once trees are cut down, they do
not grow back.
most species live up in the tree tops or canopy
Is the rainforest the lungs
of the world?
Oxygen? Plankton?
270 feet tall
130 feet tall
65 feet tall
Biomes – 9
desert biome:
subtropical high pressure - 30° Horse latitude
25° - 35° latitude
all the world’s desert are found at this latitude
The desert biome:
less than 10 inches of rainfall each year.
100°F in the summer and 45°F in the night.
cold at night
nocturnal or diurnal
soil is very poor.
plants include cacti and wild-flowers.
most animals are nocturnal and include snakes,
lizards, small rodents, bats, and foxes.
Biomes – 10
Grassland biomes:
found between forests and deserts
generally flat - plains
two types - temperate and savannah
temperate grassland biome:
Bread basket of the world:
The majority of the world’s
food/grain is grown here!
western Ohio – 38 inches of
rain each year
The temperate grassland biome:
20-35 inches of rainfall each year average.
temperatures 86°F in the summer and
middle latitudes – 30° to 50°
32°F in the winter.
soil is rich and good for many plants animals
include prairie dogs, mice, and large grazing
animals such as bison.
farmland - corn belt:
North America has the best soil for growing
crops in the world! Why? Climate and seasons –
cycles of life and death that build the soil, plus
lots of water and sunlight
Biomes – 11
savanna grassland biome:
tropics to subtropics
0° to 30°
The savanna grassland biome:
60 inches of rainfall each year.
average temperatures are 93°F in the summer
and 61°F in the winter. no seasons
tropical grassland with scattered clumps of
small trees – shallow dirt
trees.
savannas of Africa are inhabited by some of
the most diverse groups of large herbivores in
the world such as zebras,
giraffes, and elephants.
Lots of rain (leaching/erosion) washes
away the nutrients in the dirt and causes it
to be bad for growing.
Biomes – 12
The largest biome in the world is the marine
biome. It based on salt water and contains all
oceans and seas. Marine biomes can be divided
into three zones depending on the biotic factors.
top - surface
planktic - floaters or drifters
middle
nektic - swimmers
bottom
benthic - bottom dwellers
Water absorbs
light, so sunlight
can penetrate only
about 200 m
below the ocean’s
surface. Because
photosynthesis
requires light,
most marine
producers are
found near the
surface.
Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web. They are one of the most
important life forms on planet earth!!!
Biomes – 13
Marine organisms that float or drift with the
currents are called plankton. They are the most
abundant form of life in the marine biome. Plankton
range from microscopic algae to animals and organisms
as large as jellyfish. Microscopic producers called
phytoplankton produce the majority of
oxygen in the atmosphere. Microscopic
consumers are called zooplankton.
Most zooplankton
are immature or
larval forms of much
larger animals.
Animals that actively swim, rather than drift with
the currents are called nekton. Nekton include all
swimming forms of fish, whales, and squid. All nektons
are predators.
Biomes – 14
Plants and animals living in or on the sea floor
are called benthic. These include kelp (tall algae
plants) crabs, snails, sea urchins, star fish, and
flounders. Benthic organisms may either be:
sessile - stationary
their whole life like
corals and clams
epifauna - lives on the
sediments at the
bottom like crabs and
corals
suspension feeders food comes to it, eats
food that falls to the
bottom, often generates
currents so the food
moves to it
Or
motile - move around
on the bottom like
snails, worms, and
crabs
Or
infauna - live in the
sediments like clams
and worms
Or
deposit feeders moves to decaying
organic stuff on the
bottom detritus feeders
Biomes - 15
Marine biomes can be also be divided into various
zones depending on the abiotic factors.
manatees, seals, sea lions
intertidal zone - where the ocean meets the land;
may be above water part of the day when the tide
is out; includes rocky shores, mud flats, and sandy
beaches Brackish water – salt water mixing with fresh water
650 ft
neritic - water gradually deeper up to 200 m deep
on the continental shelf; lots of sunlight with diverse
and colorful life barrier reefs
pelagic zone – open water
oceanic zone - past the continental shelf to the
deep water of the open ocean; includes gyres and the
Sargasso Sea middle of the ocean – no current, no life,
like a desert
benthic - sea floor;
from the upper edge of
the intertidal zone to the
bottom of the deepest
ocean waters
bottom
phototrophic zone –
light, photosynthesis
abyssal zone - dark
Freshwater zones: (biotic and abiotic areas)
Littoral Zone – shallow bank area
Limnetic Zone – open water