ENVIRONMENTS
CLIMATE, WATER, VEGETATION, SOIL,
AND LANDFORMS
WHAT IS AN “ENVIRONMENT”?
• An environment is an area on Earth in a specific
area of land or water.
• It includes all of the plants and animals in that
area.
• It has its own characteristics, such as:
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Weather
Climate
Amount of water
Soil
Landforms
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTS
• Desert
• Grasslands
• Polar/Tundra
• Forests
• Wetlands
• Aquatic
• Oceans
• Freshwater
• Tropical rainforests
• Temperate rainforests
• Urban
DESERT
• There are four different • Examples:
classifications of deserts: • Mojave (USA), Sahara
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Hot and dry
Semiarid
Coastal
Cold
• The Great Basin (USA)
• Atacama, Chile
• Antarctic and
Greenland
DESERT
• Features:
• Less than 20” precipitation per year
• Plants and animals have special structures that
help them survive.
• Soil has an abundance of nutrients, but has
little organic material.
• Very few large mammals
DESERT
• Adaptations may include:
• Being nocturnal (Most activity is at night.)
• Long appendages (legs, tails, and feet) and
large ears
• Light colors
• Long eyelashes and thick eyebrows
• Nostrils that can close
DESERT
POLAR / TUNDRA
• Features:
• Permanently frozen soil
• Low growing plants: moss,
lichens, and heath
• Two seasons: winter and
summer
• Very windy
• Rainfall is between 6”–10”
per year.
• Examples:
• Northern regions of
Canada
• Northern regions of
Russia
• Alaska
POLAR / TUNDRA
• Adaptations may include:
• Thick layer of fat under the skin
• Short appendages
• Mammals often have white fur.
• Have special padding on their feet to help them
move on ice and snow
POLAR / TUNDRA
WETLANDS
• Features:
• There is generally water on
the ground all year.
• Can be fresh water or salt
water
• Called marsh, swamp, bog,
or fen
• Aquatic plants and reeds
• Diverse plants and animals
• Examples:
• Amazon River Basin
• Pantanal in South
America
• Florida Everglades
• Peat bogs in Scotland
WETLANDS
• Adaptations may include:
• Birds have webbed feet.
• Many birds have specialized beaks.
• Have the ability to survive in water and on
land
• Have the ability to survive in fresh or salt
water
WETLANDS
FRESH WATER
• Features:
• Very low salt content in the
water
• Precipitation keeps water in the
lakes, ponds, streams, and
rivers.
• Changes temperatures
depending on the season
• Large variety of organisms
• Examples:
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Streams
Rivers
Ponds
Lakes
FRESH WATER
• Adaptations may include:
• Obtaining oxygen through gills
• Having the ability to swim
FRESH WATER
OCEANS
• Features:
• There are five ocean biomes.
• The average temperature is 39°F.
• There are many plants and
animals in the ocean:
whales, sharks, fish, and sea
urchins.
• The water can be very shallow
and up to 36,200 feet deep.
• Examples:
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Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Southern Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Many major seas
OCEANS
• Adaptations may include:
• Obtaining oxygen through gills
• Having the ability to swim
• Some mammals have much smaller ears than land
animals.
• Fins and flukes to assist with movement
• Waterproof feathers
• Beak adaptations to catch food
OCEANS
GRASSLANDS
• Features:
• Can be tall-grass or short
grass
• Average rainfall is between
10”–30” in temperate
grasslands and 25”–60” in
tropical grasslands.
• Vegetation is dominated by
grasses.
• Examples:
• Russian steppes
• African savanna
• North American tallgrass prairie
• South American
grasslands
GRASSLANDS
• Adaptations may include:
• The ability to run fast
• Coats that help the animal blend with their
surroundings
• Migration to find food
• Strong hooves to run across the savanna
GRASSLANDS
DECIDUOUS FORESTS
• Features:
• Growth is dependent on either
rainy/dry seasons or because of
seasonal temperatures.
• Rainfall is between 30”–60” per
year.
• Trees, mosses, and wild flowers
are common.
• The soil is usually very rich in
nutrients and organic material.
• Examples:
• Eastern USA and
Canada
• Northern California
• Parts of China
• Europe
• Southern coast of
South America
DECIDUOUS FORESTS
• Adaptations may include:
• Larger leaves on plants to absorb more sunlight
• Ability to survive in a variety of temperatures,
although some animals will hibernate or migrate
• Storing food (squirrels storing nuts)
• Specialized beaks and feet on birds to obtain food
DECIDUOUS FORESTS
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
• Features:
• Warm: Temperatures stay
above 64°F all year.
• Rainfall is between 66”–390”
per year.
• Home to half of the living
species on the planet
• Examples:
• Amazon Basin, South
America
• Congo Basin, Africa
• New Guinea
• Queensland, Australia
• Hawaii, USA
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
• Adaptations may include:
• Specific plant/animal relationships (An example is an
(Azteca) ant and the Acacia tree.)
• Variety of seed dispersal methods
• Ability to live in trees
• Great agility and specialized body parts, such as tails.
• Brightly colored skin or feathers
or
• Camouflage
TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS
• Features:
• Lots of rain (140”–167“)
• Moderate temperatures
• Plants growing on other
plants (mosses and ferns)
• Large, old trees
• Examples:
• Olympic Rainforest in
Washington state (USA)
• Chiloé Island, Chile
• Te Anau, New Zealand
• Wielangta Forest,
Tasmania
TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS
• Adaptations may include:
• Migration, hibernation, and dormancy
• Camouflage
• Ability to withstand both warm and very cold
temperatures
• Eat a variety of food
TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS
URBAN