Terrestrial Biome
NPP (p64)
DESERT
(general)

350
Tropical
Location
Climate
(describe/latitude include
city)
(temperature/precipitation)
30°N/S Latitude,
Leeward Side Mtn
<25 cm rain/yr
Evaporation Exceeds
Precipitation
High temp year round
S. Saharan

Temperate
Mojave, CA
Hot in summer, cool in
winter

Cold
Gobi, China
Warm in summer, Cold in
winter
GRASSLANDS
(general)

Tropical
(Savanna)
Interior of continents
Seasonal drought
Central/South Africa
High temps, long dry
season with lots of rainfall
the rest of the year
3200
Soil Description
Bedrock below weak
humus (nutrient soil)
layer.
Alkaline soil, rich
humus
examples)
Few Plants – cactus, agave,
annual flowers
Tap roots or very shallow
roots
Succulent Plants – fleshy
tissue stores water and does
photosynthesis, stomata
open at night.
Drought resistant – gray
hairy leaves
Drought deciduous – store
biomass in seeds
Grows out from bottom
(allow for grazing)
Kangaroo Rat, Darkling
Beetle, Collard Lizard,
Roadrunner
Dormant in dry season
Temperate
2400
 Polar
(Arctic Tundra)
Prairie – N America
Pampas – S America
Veldt – S Africa
Steppe – Central
Europe and Asia
Bitterly cold winters,
hot/dry summers, little
rainfall spread throughout
year
Thick fertile soil (used
for agriculture)
High Latitude
South of ice cap
Bitterly cold, frigid winds,
ice and snow. Summer
lasts 6-8 weeks.
Permafrost
Poor in organic matter
due to slow decomp.
High Altitude
Tops of Mountains
above tree line
below snowline.
Similar to above with more
sun
No permafrost
750

Animals (adaptations and primary
examples)
Grasses with occasional tree
0

Plants (adaptations and primary
Alpine Tundra
750
Insects/Reptiles have thick
coverings and dry feces.
Mammals burrow and are
active at night. Dormant in
severe drought/heat.
Obtain water from dew.
Large herbivores
Grazers – grass eaters.
Wildebeests , gazelles,
antelopes (migrate in dry season)
Browsers – tree eaters.
elephants, giraffes
Prairie dog, Coyote, Antelope,
Grasshopper
Treeless. Leathery waxy
coating to < heat loss.
Storage underground in
tubers, roots, stems
Lichens dehydrate in dry
season
Migratory birds feed on
insects in short summers.
Thick fur, feathers, compact
bodies, live underground to
maximize warmth.
Terrestrial Biome
CHAPARRAL
(temperate shrubland)
750
Location
Climate
Soil Description
Plants (adaptations and primary
Animals (adaptations and
(describe/latitude include
city)
(temperature/precipitation)
(p215)
examples)
primary examples)
Pacific Coast of N.
America (S. Cali)
S. Texas, Spain,
Italy, SW Africa,
SW Australia
Mild Winters (moderate
rain). Long hot/dry
summers.
Low growing evergreen.
Some pines and scrub oak.
Leathery leaves, large
underground root system,
Fire adapted (food reserves
in roots, seeds need fire for
growth).
Coyote (keystone species)
Cougar
Mule Deer
Moderate to high rainfall.
Many trees with small
vegetation on ground.
Broadleaf Evergreens. Low
diversity on ground. Waxy
coating.
Stratified forests
Pollinators coevolved with
plants
Broadleaf deciduous trees.
Lose leaves in cold. Oaks,
birch, maple.
More ground diversity than
tropical.
Conifers: pine, spruce, fir
FOREST
(general)

Tropical
Rainforest
8,800

Temperate
Deciduous
5700

Evergreen
Coniferous
(Boreal/Taiga)
Near equator.
ITCZ (shifts N/S of
equator)
2% of Earth’s
surface.
Warm year round. Rains
every day.
Acidic. Nutrient
poor humus. (most
nutrients are tied up
in living things)
E. Coast of US,
Central Europe, E.
China
Long warm summers with
cool winters. Abundant
precipitation.
Leaf litter above
humus
Between 50 & 60N
latitude; Canada,
Alaska
Very cold winters, brief
summers, limited
precipitation
Acidic, thick humus,
low nutrients
because cold winter
& low precip. = slow
decomposition
In temperate zones
near coast; ocean
currents provide
moisture & moderate
temperature;
Pacific Northwest
Cool winters, warm
summers; high precipitation
3400

Temperate
Rainforest
(Coastal Coniferous)

Mountain
(Alpine)
Conifers: Douglas fir,
hemlock, cedar; ferns on
forest floor, moss
50-80% Earth’s species.
Tapir, bats, birds,
monkeys, orangutan,
macaw
Bears, wolves, wildcats,
deer, rabbits.
Wolf, warblers, bears,
owl, moose
Woodpeckers, squirrels,
deer
Since elevation mimics latitude, Alpine biomes such as alpine forest and alpine tundra have similar adaptations and climate as their counterparts, Boreal forests and tundra respectively. The only difference is that the alpine tundra does not have permafrost.
Aquatic Life Zone
NPP (p64)


Estuary
2500

Coastal Wetland
1700
Intertidal
 Rocky Shore
Salinity
Plants/Algae (adaptations
Animals (adaptations and
(location from shore,
depth, examples)
(salt/fresh, changes,
nutrients)
and primary examples)
primary examples)
Where rivers
empty into ocean
Brackish water;
mixture of fresh
& salt water
Birds, herring, smelt,
water fowl
Adjacent to
continent
Similar to sea
water; high
nutrients
Cattails, salt grass,
willow; plants can
tolerate salt by
eliminating it
Salt tolerant trees like
mangrove in tropics
(roots submerged)
Between high &
low tide with a
rocky substrate
Salinity same as
ocean; nutrients
vary
Attach to rocks, flexible,
gas bladders; kelp, rock
weed, coralline algae
Attach to rocks, hard
shell; mussels,
barnacles, crabs,
urchins, anenomes
Filter feeders, burrow,
smooth shells; clams,
sand crabs, sand
dollars
Calcified structures,
narrow bodies; coral,
anemones, fish, snail
Like Laguna Beach or
Dana Point
Larval stage of
shellfish, crustaceans;
spawning fish
Important Facts
Most productive biome
on Earth. Estuaries are
salt marshes and
swamps
Filter contaminants out
of water; absorb CO2

Sandy Shore
Between high &
low tide with a
sandy substrate
Salinity same as
ocean; nutrients
vary
Phytoplankton; freefloating

Coral Reef
Warm shallow
waters beyond
shoreline.
Low nutrients,
food limited;
salinity same as
ocean
Algae that grows in
coral; symbiotic
relationship
Beyond sunlight;
deep
Sunlit portion of
ocean
Little saltier
Chemosynthesis;
microbes
Photosynthesis,
phytoplankton
Inverts, soft-bodied,
bioluminescence
Zooplankton, fish
Occupies 80% of all
ocean water
90% of all ocean
animals live here
Deep enough to
not support
vegetation
Most are fresh
but there are
some salt lakes
Rooted plants in
shallows, phytoplankton
in deeper water
Fish, freshwater
mollusk, insects
Flowing fresh
water from
springs or runoff
Same as streams
Fresh water with
some dissolved
solids
Nutrients from terrestrial
biomes; few plants and
algae; leaf litter provide
food
Insect larvae,
crustaceans, fish
Deep lakes have a
profundal zone where
sunlight does not
penetrate
Fast flowing (rapids) to
slow low-oxygen
steams
OPEN SEA

Aphotic

Photic
500
STREAMS
500
RIVERS
Like Huntington or
Newport
Most diverse biome on
Earth
150
LAKES
FRESHWATER
Location
3.5% salt
Biome/Aquatic Ecosystem
Ecosystem services
DESERT
TROPICAL RF
Food, shelter, and nutrients
CONIFEROUS FOREST
Economic Services
Human Impacts
Recreation, solar/wind energy,
mining
Recreation, mining, urbanization
Timber, medicine, food supply
Conversion to cropland, logging
Timber, recreation
Logging, recreation, mining
DECIDUOUS FOREST
Rich soil, migratory bird habitat
Timber, recreation
Logging, urbanization, road
building
GRASSLANDS
Food for grazing mammals
Cropland and grazing
Conversion to cropland and grazing
ESTUARIES
Filters water, removes salt, absorbs
CO2, habitat for larvae and
immature fish, high productivity
Fisheries, protection from tropical
storms in E. Coast
Urbanization, filled in for building,
habitat destruction, run-off form
agriculture
MANGROVE FORESTS
Spawning area for fish, protective
Fisheries
habitat for larvae and immature fish,
high productivity
Habitat destruction
CORAL REEF
Provide protection and food or
algae, fish, and invertebrates
Recreation, aquaria
Coral bleaching due to run-off,
over-fishing, pollution
WATER SHED (Lakes, Rivers,
Streams, Groundwater)
Habitat for freshwater organisms
Recreation, fisheries, water resource
Pollution, run-off from urban areas,
habitat destruction for flood control
FRESHWATER WETLANDS
Productive habitat for animals
Fisheries, water resource, recreation
Pollution, run-off, salt water
infiltration due to over use of water
for drinking