Land Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems
Physical
Description
Dry, cold,
mountainous in
areas/flat in areas,
mostly white,
treeless, some
greenery (shrubs,
lichen), permafrost
Average
Precipitation
15 – 25 cm
yearly/annually of
mostly snow and
ice
Temperature
Location
Average daily is -25
to 10 degrees
Celsius
North & South
Poles and on
extremely high
mountains
*Extending across
N. America,
Europe, and Siberia
*temperatures are
low because it is
wet and evaporation
occurs more slowly
Greenland, Alaska,
Canada, Russia
(parts of each)
Tundra
Cold, forest region,
mountainous
Boreal
Forest/Taiga
20 – 200 cm per
year
Winter: -53 degrees
Celsius
Summer: 25-50 cm
Winter: 50-101 cm
Summer: -6 to 21
degrees Celsius
50 degree N – 60
degrees Latitude,
North America,
Northern Europe,
Asia
(aka:
Coniferous
Forest)
Temperate
Deciduous
Forest
trees that shed their
leaves, wood that is
good for furniture
making, mountains
and flat regions
At least 75-100 cm
per yr,
Temperatures vary
different seasons, 4
seasons, -7 to 20
degrees Celsius
Found on eastern
U.S, Every
continent except
Antarctica
Plant/Animal
Life
Interesting
Facts
Plants: Arctic mosses,
Many animals are white to
blend with environment,
long periods of dark due to
lack of sun, three-fourths
of Tundra is permafrost,
the word Tundra comes
from the Finnish word
Tunturia (treeless land)
willow, bearberry,
pasque flower, diamond
leaf willow, poppy
flower, cotton grass
(lichens, moss, shrubs,
grasses) 400 varieties of
flowers
Animals: Arctic Hares,
Tundra Swan, polar
bears, snowy owls (mice,
reindeer, birds) Arctic
Fox, Musk Ox, Turncoat
Snowshoe rabbit, Ermine
(most live under the
snow but burst into life
during the
summer),Rock
Ptarmigan
*Too cold to support trees
*Snow lasts most of the
year
Plants: lichen,
Balsam Fir,
Douglas Fir, Paper
Birch (cone-bearing
evergreens)
Animals: caribou.
Ermine, Raccoon,
red squirrel,
warbler(variety),
Snow Hare, Bobcat,
Grizzly Bear
Takes up 11% of the world
(largest biome), known as
Earth’s green halo, can be
seen from space,
Distinguishable by the
smell of evergreens,
Muskeg – spongy soil
from non-decayed
vegetation.
Plants: Ivy, Ferns,
Bermuda Grass,
Deciduous trees
Animals; White
Tailed Deer,
Squirrels, Thrushes,
Turtles,Turkey
Very rich soil, Main
predator/Human, being
destroyed by logging
Named after Greek
goddess Boreal.
Land Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems
Five layers of plants:
Canopy, saplings &
young trees,
understory/shrubs,
herbs/berries,
moss/lichen
Warm & cold, wet
and dry seasons,
dense forest with a
variety of trees
200 – 350 cm per
year
heavy canopy of
trees, wet, colorful,
More than 200-300
cm per year
(32 feet)
Dry, sand or thin
soil, some can be
cold, some are very
hot, landscape is
very bare
Less than 25 cm per
year (some in the
south can have less
than ½ inch per
year)
Moderate
temperatures of 0 to
20 degrees Celsius
Pacific Northwest
U.S., Chile, New
Zealand, Western
Canada
Temperate
Rain Forest
All year round: 17
to 25 degrees
Celsius
Tropical Rain
Forest
Desert
Extreme heat and
cold, usually 38
degrees Celsius
during the day and
4 to 20 degrees
Celsius at night in
warmer regions,
lower in cold desert
biomes
Near equator, lies
between Tropic of
Cancer and Tropic
of Capricorn, 57%
in Latin America,
other in Brazil,
Pacific Islands,
West Africa
Along the Tropic of
Cancer and the
Tropic of
Capricorn, Western
U.S., South
America, parts of
Australia, and Asia,
cold deserts in
Antarctica
Plants: Eastern
Redwood, Douglas
Fir, moss, ground
fern, (tall trees,
variety of trees but
most are coniferous
Animals:
Parrots, deer, elk,
cougars, slugs,
black bear ,(able to
live in cold and
warm temps)
Plants: orchids,
vines, palms, moss,
Bromeliads, ferns, -(lush, green,
shallow root
system, 4 zones:
Emergent layer,
canopy, understory,
floor)
Animals: tree
frogs, orangutan,
monkeys, ants,
various reptiles,
colorful birds,
poisonous insects
Plants: cactus, sage
brush, brittle brush,
(few plants spaced
far apart)
Animals: red-tailed
hawk, gila monster,
spiders, camel,
snakes (animals that
do not require large
amounts of water)
55% of the Earth’s
Temperate Rainforests
have been destroyed
making them endangered,
To survive in this biome
you must be able to adapt
to extreme changes.
Trophy hunting/poaching,
many exotic food products
and medicines come from
the plants, app. 75
acres/minute of trees cut
down, home to variety of
exotic animals/bird, largest
rainforest stretches across
the Amazon Basin, all are
endangered, receives 12
hours of sunlight.
Covers 1/5 of Earth’s land,
dry climate usually
restricts farming, Sahara
Desert is the largest desert,
cannot support large
amounts of people
Land Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems
Grasslands
Savanna
Freshwater
Marine
Large flat areas,
few small trees,
mainly grass, some
small rolling hills,
no forests
Savanna: brown
grasses, shrubs
Prairie: green
grasses, wildflowers
Average: 25 – 75
cm of rain per year,
(A Savanna can
receive up to 120
cm per yr.)
-6 degrees Celsius,
Ranges from mild
to hot
Every continent
except Antarctica,
Prairies-N.
America, SteppesAsia, SavannasAfrica & Australia,
Pampas-South
America
Plants: short grass,
tall grass, shrubs.
Variety of flowers,
short trees
Animals: elephants,
groundhogs,
coyotes, kangaroo,
antelope, zebra,
bison, giraffe
Rich soil, wet/dry
seasons, flat, not
many trees, lots of
grass
50-120 cm
20 – 30 degrees
Celsius
Australia, West
Africa, South
America
Lakes, ponds,
streams, rivers,
freshwater marshes,
swamps
(Minimum to no
salt concentration)
Will vary
depending on the
location
Will vary
depending on
location
All continents
High salt
concentration in the
water, mainly blue,
but gets darker as
you go down
Will vary
depending on the
location,
Will vary
depending on
location
Pacific, Atlantic,
Indian, Arctic,
Southern
Plants: grasses,
Acacia trees,
Boabab trees
Animals: African
Elephants, snakes,
lions, crocodiles,
gazelles, cheetahs,
jaguars
Plants: lily pads,
cattails, reeds,
moss, duckweed,
slocum lotus,
Animals: catfish,
bass, turtle, snail,
alligators, rainbow
trout, deer, worms
Plants: seaweed,
algae, kelp, coral,
shoal grass, and star
grass
Animals: star
fishes, whales, great
white sharks,
octopus, eels,
tropical fish, sting
ray, and squid
Fires & draughts are
common, poaching is a
problem, most species in
the savannas are
endangered, large
herbivores keep young
trees & bushes from
sprouting & competing
with grass for water &
sunlight
Sometimes called Tropical
Savanna, Australia –
called a Bush, Boabab tree
lives thousands of years,
Acacia trees are home to
lots of ants which attack
animals that try to feed on
the tree.
Covers 1/5 of the Earth,
most of the freshwater is
frozen, most diverse
ecosystem, 700 species of
fish,
97% of all water on the
Earth contains salt
(ocean),the longest
continuous chains of
volcanoes are located
under the ocean, the
Mariana Trench in the
Pacific Ocean is the
deepest part of the world’s
ocean floor and the lowest
elevation on the surface of
the Earth.