Biome Summary Chart Biome Location Climate/Light/Temperature Soil/Nutrients Plants Animals Tropical Rainforest -­‐near the equator around the world -­‐ Central and South America; Western Africa, eastern Madagascar, Zaire basin; and in Indo-­‐Malaysia along the west coast of India, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia -­‐Hot and wet all year round -­‐ 64-­‐93°F; average humidity 77 and 88% -­‐80 to 400 in. precipitation/year -­‐Abundant sunlight and the warm temperature and the daily rain makes the plants grow very quickly. -­‐no winter so the plants grow all year. -­‐plants are adapted to low light levels and there long leaves try to capture as much sunlight as they can -­‐tropical rain forest floor only receives 2 % of sunlight. -­‐greatest diversity of any biome: vines, orchids, ferns and a wide variety of trees -­‐ Divided into four zones. 1. Emergent layer is top layer. Giant trees grow here that are much taller than the trees below. 2. Canopy contains trees standing 60 to 150 feet (18 to 45 meters) tall. Branches form a canopy, like a big beach umbrella that shades the forest floor. Over 2,500 species of thick, woody vines. 3 Understory is a dark, cool area below the canopy, but above the ground. Shaded from much of the sunlight by the canopy. 4. Forest floor is bottom layer. Area where fallen, decomposing plants and trees lay on the ground. Many insects live here. -­‐Americas: cacao, allspice rubber, vanilla, bamboo -­‐Africa: cola/kola, ebony, bamboo -­‐ Indo-­‐Malaysia: giner, bananas, rattan, bamboo -­‐Australasia: sugar cane, nutmeg, bamboo -­‐More species of insects, reptiles and amphibians than -­‐Mid-­‐altitudes -­‐Eastern United States, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, and parts of Russia -­‐Chile and middle east coast of Paraguay -­‐some in New Zealand, and southeastern Australia -­‐wet environment -­‐average 50°F: -­‐mild summers (70°F) and cold winters (well below freezing -­‐32°F) -­‐30-­‐60 in. precipitation/year, but in the winter it falls as snow. -­‐second-­‐rainiest biome behind rainforests -­‐ four seasons -­‐seasons happen because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis. Rays from the sun hit different parts of the world more directly than others, causing varying temperatures, or seasons. -­‐Most all of the world's deciduous forest is located by an ocean. The ocean and the wind are two big factors of why the temperature and climate change so much in this biome. -­‐Hardwoods such as birch oaks, beeches, hickories, maples -­‐Temperate forests have five zones: 1. Tree stratum zone: tallest zone and trees range from 60 to 100 feet tall. Maple, elm, and oak trees are trees found in this zone. 2. Small tree and sapling zone: younger, shorter trees characterize this zone. 3. Shrub zone: mountain laurel, huckleberries, and many others. 4. Herb zone: short herbal plants, like ferns 5. Ground zone: plants grow directly near the ground, lichens and mosses. -­‐Flowers occur in the spring and early summer, providing food for pollinating insects, fruit ripens near the end of summer, seeds and nuts become available in the fall and are an especially important food source since they remain throughout the winter -­‐Wolves, deer, bars and a wide variety of small mammals, birds amphibians, reptiles and insects Bald Eagle, Black Bear, Coyote, Duckbill Platypus, Eastern Chipmunk, European Red Squirrel, Weasel, White-­‐tailed Deer -­‐ Animals have to adapt to changing seasons, cope with cold winters and hot summers. -­‐Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape the cold. Animals who do not hibernate or migrate must have special adaptations to deal with higher exposure to predators in the winter. -­‐ found in small sections of most continents: west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia and the coastal areas of the Mediterranean. -­‐Very hot and dry, -­‐Winter mild: avg. temp is 50°F -­‐Summer hot and dry, avg. temp is 100°F -­‐ 10-­‐17 inches of rain all year, and most of it comes in the winter -­‐Fire and drought common -­‐Nutrient poor -­‐ Years of rains have washed most of the nutrients/minerals out of the soil -­‐soils contain less organic matter than temperate forests -­‐Nutrients in the soil not accessible by plants -­‐Constant warmth and moisture promote rapid decay of organic matter. When a tree dies living organisms quickly absorb the nutrients before they have a chance to be washed away -­‐If cut and burned, heavy rains can quickly wash the released nutrients away, leaving the soil even more impoverished -­‐Rich topsoil over clay -­‐Leaves must absorb both sunlight and water -­‐Trees shed their leaves to adapt to the cold -­‐In summer broad green leaves capture sunlight and help the trees make food through photosynthesis. -­‐In cooler fall, the chlorophyll (green pigment in leaves) breaks down, causing red, yellow and orange leaf colors -­‐In cold deciduous trees and plants go into dormancy -­‐Warmer spring days signal to the trees that they can grow new leaves again, and restart the cycle -­‐ Many different types of terrain: flat plains, rocky hills and mountain slopes. -­‐ chemise, poison oak, scrub oak, Yucca and other shrubs, trees and cacti -­‐ Most plants have large, hard leaves, which hold moisture. The plants are also very well adapted to fires, they have root systems designed to get as much water as possible. -­‐Mainly grassland and desert types adapted to hot, dry weather. California examples: coyotes, jack rabbits, mule deer, alligator lizards, horned toads, praying mantis, honey bees and ladybugs. Europe: goats, sheep, cattle, mouflon, horses, lynx, wild boar, rabbits, vultures and eagles -­‐Home to half of the Earth's plant and animal species -­‐Complex interdependence of plants and animals. -­‐highly specialized organisms are particularly vulnerable to disturbance, because they cannot adapt fast enough to survive the change FOREST Temperate Forest aka Deciduous Forest Chaparral anyplace else: monkeys, other small and large mammals, including in some places elephants, all sorts of colorful birds -­‐ specially adapted to live in this unique environment; adaptation to living in trees -­‐Bearded Pig, Brazilian Tapir, Capybara, Chimpanzee, Common Tree Shrew, Gorilla, Indian Cobra, Orangutan, Slow Loris, Vine Snake Taiga aka boreal or coniferous -­‐Mid to high latitudes -­‐Largest terrestrial biome -­‐Canada, US, Europe, and Asia to the southern border of the arctic tundra -­‐Common the closer one travels towards the Earth’s poles -­‐Found high atop mountains where temperatures tend to be lower and winter tends to last longer. -­‐Very cold long snowy winters with short, warm, wet and humid summers -­‐Winter: -­‐65-­‐30°F; Summer: 20-­‐70°F -­‐10 to 30 in. of precipitation/year -­‐ Fire is not uncommon in the taiga during the summer, they actually help by removing old sick trees, making room for new growth Temperate Grasslands -­‐Mid-­‐altitudes, interiors of continents -­‐Great Plains or steppes of the Midwest -­‐Prairie of eastern Washington State, Ukraine and Russia (Eurasia temperate grasslands are known as steppes in Eurasia) -­‐Argentina & Uruguay (biome known as pampas) -­‐South Africa -­‐Cool in winter: low of 0°F -­‐Hot in summer: high of 90°F -­‐20 to 35 in. of precipitation/year (moderate) -­‐Par -­‐Half the surface of Africa, large areas of Australia, South America and India -­‐ 6 to 8 month summer season -­‐ 4 to 6 month dry summer season -­‐10 to 30 inches of precipitation/year (30-­‐40 inches). However, certain savannas can receive as little as 15.24 cm (6 inches) or as much as 25.4 cm (10 inches) of rain a year. Savannas are always found in warm or hot climates where the annual rainfall is from about 50.8 to 127 cm (20-­‐50 inches) per year. It is crucial that the rainfall is concentrated in six or eight months of the year, followed by a long period of drought when fires can occur. If the rain were well distributed throughout the year, many such areas would become tropical forest. GRASSLANDS Savanna aka tropical grasslands -­‐Acidic, mineral poor, decayed pine and spruce needles on surface. -­‐Cool temperatures make decomposition slow -­‐Undecayed vegetation builds up on the forest floor, making it feel like a sponge -­‐Soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decomposition or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground. -­‐Rich topsoil -­‐North American prairies richest agricultural region on earth Prairies: tall grasses Steppes are grasslands with short grasses. Steppes are dry areas of grassland with hot summers and cold winters -­‐Less diversity in plant life -­‐Coniferous evergreen trees that produce cones and needless. Some needles remain on trees all year long. -­‐Mostly pine, spruce, fir and other evergreen -­‐Since they don't drop their leaves in winter, they don't have to regrow them in the spring. -­‐Good for trees in a tough environment because growing new leaves takes a lot of energy. -­‐Frozen ground makes it difficult for trees to get water. Having thin needles with a waxy coating limits water loss of the conifer through transpiration. The dark color of the pine needles is also important. is absorbing energy from the sun. help the tree absorb the maximum amount of energy from the sun for photosynthesis. Conifers also have that pointy shape allowing snow to slide off of their branches decreasing damage to trees -­‐Cold climate makes it difficult for animals to live many -­‐Have thick coats of fur or migrate to warmer areas -­‐Rodents, snowshoe hares, lynx, sables, ermine, caribou, bears, wolves, birds in summer -­‐Bogs and ponds provide a great summertime breeding place for many different insects. Migratory birds often nest and feed on insects. -­‐Predators: grizzly bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines. -­‐Large, rolling terrains of grasses, flowers and herbs -­‐Mostly grasses and small shrubs, some trees near sources of water -­‐Grasses: purple needle grass, wild oats, foxtail, ryegrass, cacti, sagebrush and buffalo grass -­‐Wild flowers: asters, blazing stars, goldenrods sunflowers, clover and wild indigos -­‐have deep, massive root systems that take hold in the soil and be rooted in the ground to reduce erosion and to conserve water. Steppes occur in the interiors of North America and Europe. Plants growing in steppes are usually greater than 1 foot tall. Use steppes to graze livestock and to grow wheat and other crops. Overgrazing, plowing, and excess salts left behind by irrigation waters have harmed some steppes. Strong winds blow loose soil from the ground after plowing, especially during droughts. This causes the dust storms of the Great Plains of the U.S. -­‐Dominated by grasses such as Rhodes, red oats, star, lemon and some shrubs. Most grass is course and grows in patches -­‐Few trees that typically live near streams or ponds -­‐American grasslands: bison, antelope, birds, gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes, and insects -­‐African grasslands: elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes -­‐Steppes: lynx, antelopes, falcons, and fox -­‐Because of the open landscape and the widely spaced trees, grasslands are home to large herds of grazing mammals lack of shelter from predators, and an abundance of grass for food; populations are similar throughout the world. -­‐Herbivorous or plant-­‐eating grazers called ungulates mammals with hoofs, like horses and deer. Their long legs help them run fast to escape grassland predators. -­‐Not as much animal diversity, especially compared to the Savannah. African savannas: elephants, zebras, horses and giraffes