Name: Tundra
Name: Taiga/
Coniferous Forest
Location: Arctic-North Pole,
Location: Canada, Alaska,
Arctic Ocean; Alpine-high
Northern Asia, Northern
elevations (mountain ranges) Europe
Climate: long, cold, snowy
winters, ground is frozen (Climate: very cold and dry, 65°F), short, warm, rainy
70°F, 6-10 in. snow every
summers, ground is wet and
year, Permafrost- soil is
swampy (70°F)
always frozen
Plants/Animals:
Conifer/evergreen trees
(cones, needles) Fir, Pine,
Plants/Animals: very few
Spruce, Redwood, Sequoia;
trees, moss, lichen/
Lynx, wolverines, bobcats,
mosquitos, rabbits, wolves,
black bears, wolves,
foxes, bears, deer, caribou
squirrels, chipmunks, deer,
elk, moose (migrate or
Biodiversity: very limited,
hibernate)
few plant and animals
Biodiversity: few plants,
species, fragile biome,
trees have waxy needles,
survival is difficult
don’t lose leaves, slanted
branches so snow slides off,
thick bark for fires
Human Impact: global
Human Impact: stop
warming melts tundra and
wildfires to protect property
releases more CO2,
but keeps from seeds
pesticides for insects pass to opening and prevents new
animals in food chain,
growth; logging
pollution
Name: Deciduous Forest
Name: Tropical Rain Forest
Location: Eastern US, Europe, Location: near equator;
East Asia
Central & South America,
Africa, Asia, coast of
Climate: cool and moist, 4
Australia, Pacific Islands;
distinct seasons, 50°F, 30-60 smallest biome
in. rain per year
Climate: warm and wet year
round; 68°F to 93°F, high
humidity, over 400 in. of rain
Plants/Animals: oak, maple, each year
elm, walnut, pecan; shrubs
Plants/Animals: 5 layers of
include mountain laurel,
rainforest with unique
huckleberry/ bald eagles,
vegetation; tall thin trees
black bears, coyotes, deer,
with huge roots, large leaves,
squirrels, , raccoons,
2,500 types of vines, shrubs,
porcupines
decomposing microorganisms
Biodiversity: millions of
Biodiversity: Autumn leaves insects, amphibians, reptiles,
change colors, then fall,
monkeys, & birds; Brazil –
adding add nutrients to soil, tapirs, jaguars, sloths; Africa
long growing season allows
– gorillas, leopards, lemurs;
for variety of species
Asia – panthers, tigers,
pythons; Australia – koalas,
Human Impact: cut down to wallabies, echidnas
build farms and towns,
Human Impact: deforestation poachers kill animals illegally cutting down trees for farmland,
lose xygen producers & possible
cures for diseases
Name: Grassland/ Savanna
Location: Temperate (Prairies) in
North America; Tropical (Savannas) in
Africa, Central Asia, between a
tropical rain forest and a desert
Climate: N. America – cold winters
(below 0°F), hot summers (90°F), 2530 in. of precipitation, mostly snow;
Africa - warm & windy year round
(70°F), wet in winter (25 in. of rain),
dry in summer (4 in. of rain)
Plants/Animals: N. America - tall
grasses, milkweed, wild flowers,
stinging nettle; Africa - tall grasses,
acacia and baobab trees/N. America bison, elk, deer, rabbits, prairie dogs;
Africa - elephants, zebras, giraffes,
gazelles, buffalo, warthogs,
wildebeests, hyenas, cheetahs,
leopards, lions, baboons, many birds
Biodiversity: variety of plant and
animal species, plants have deep
roots to sustain through droughts,
different species eat different parts
of the plants; grazing animals
(herbivores) have long legs to
migrate and eat on different grasses,
carnivores hunt them, wide open
plains are good for birds of prey
(scavengers), prairie fires allow
regrowth; poaching animals illegally
Human Impact: fertile soil used for
farming, grasses used for grazing
cattle and goats who don’t migrate
so grasses are eaten up; overgrazing
and farming turns it into a desert
(desertification)
Name: Desert (not dessert)
Location: Western N. America,
Africa (Sahara), SW Asia (Middle
East), Central Australia (Outback)
Climate: dry or arid, extremely
hot in daytime (above 100°F), cold
at night (below 50°F), some
always cold due to high elevation;
very little rainfall (less than 10 in.
of rain per year), rain comes in
short bursts causing flash floods
Plants/Animals: very few plants,
small trees, cactus, prickly pear/
insects, spiders, lizards, scorpions,
roadrunners, snakes, jack rabbit,
scavenger birds, owls, camels
Biodiversity: extreme temps.
make survival difficult, requires
adaptations - plants can store
water for long periods of time,
animals can burrow underground
to avoid heat or only come out at
night (nocturnal)
Human Impact: People living
close to deserts use precious
water and pull up natural
vegetation, creating
desertification (more deserts);
drilling for oil, factories polluting
atmosphere damage ozone layer
making it even hotter where
nothing can survive
Name: Marine/ Salt Water
Location: 5 oceans, seas, and gulfs
all over the world (largest biome
covering 70 % of Earth)
Climate: Shallow water is warm,
deep water is cold, ocean currents
circulate water to even out
temperatures and create weather
patterns on land; more than ½ of
the world’s rain falls in the
oceans, essential part of the water
cycle (evaporation)
Plants/Animals: most in shallow
water because they need sunlight;
algae (supplies much of world’s
O2 and takes in CO2), kelp,
phytoplankton (seaweed), other
aquatic plants/ coral, abundant
fish, dolphins, seals, sea lions,
whales, sharks, manatees, turtles,
jellyfish, octopus, sting rays,
mollusks (snails, clams),
crustaceans (shrimp, crabs,
lobsters)
Biodiversity: 1 cup of salt per gallon
of water; most species live in shallow
water; travel long distances for
food; deep water species adapt to
cold water and little or no sunlight
(Mariana Trench is deeper than
Mt. Everest is tall!)
Human Impact: pollution from
waste dumping or oil tankers,
overfishing, living near shores,
hunting large animals
Biomes of the World
Name: Fresh Water
Location: ponds, lakes, streams,
rivers, wetlands (marshes,
swamps) all over the world;
special ecosystem is estuaries –
where fresh water and salt water
mix (mouth of rivers)
Climate: shallow water is warm
with lots of sunlight, some lakes
are very deep with cold water;
winds mix layers and circulate O2,
ponds and lakes can freeze in
winter; many rivers begin with
mountain snowmelt making them
very cold and clear at the source,
warmer and muddier at mouth
Plants/Animals: algae, moss,
phytoplankton, water lilies,
cattails; cypress, birch, willow
trees in wetlands; zooplankton,
insect eggs, amphibians, fish, birds
(ducks, swans, flamingos),
crustaceans,, turtles, snakes
Biodiversity: very diverse with over
15,000 species of fish; underwater
breathing with gills; humans are
completely dependent on this biome
to survive
Human Impact: pollution from
runoff or sewage, overfishing,
introducing non-native species