Study Guide: Tropical Rainforest
1. Location of the rainforest: Lie along the equator line: central and southern America
(Brazil _ Amazon River), central Africa, Southeast Asia. The sunlight shines at the angle
~80o.
2. Has year-round warmth and rainfall.
3. Even though it covers less than 6% of the Earth’s surface area, it contains about 50% of
the world’s species.
4. (high) Biodiversity: is the degree of variation of life forms within a given species,
ecosystem, biome, or planet.
5. 4 distinct layer in tropical rainforest:




Emergent layer (100-240ft): The highest layer in the forest, get the most
sunlight, low humidity.
Canopy layer (60-130ft): Have broad, irregular crowns of trees with branches.
Home of the 90% of the organisms in the rainforest.
Understory layer (~60ft): Receive only 2-15% sunlight. House plants belong to
this layer.
Forest Floor: The lowest layer, including dead matters and some decomposers.
This layer is completely shaded so little species grow.
6. Characteristics:





Climate: warm and wet throughout the year and the temperature is about 68-93oF.
Rain seasons: Average rainfall is 50-260 in. High humidity (77-88%).
Poor nutrients in soil due to completion, frequent rainfalls and quickly decayed
matters.
Shallow root system: Adapt to the competition for resources in soil.
Water sources: Swamps, rivers, creek and streams. And water sources are mostly
obtained from the evapotranspiration cycle due to the constant warmth and
moisture along the year -> year-round rain.
7. Plant (kapok tree):
a. Belong to emergent layer
b. House for the animals and epiphytes and vines
c. Large buttresses to stabilize the tree.
d. Wind pollination
8. Symbiosis interaction (common) between the organisms: Example: epiphytes and vines
living on the big trees. OR: plants produce housing structure and sugar for ants, and in
turn, ants protect the plants from other insects that want to eat on plants’ leaves.
9. Threats and extinction:
a. Deforestation: mining, agricultures, road building, economic purposes.
b. Tropical rainforest environment is being diminished overtime, which leading to
the reduction of the species diversity.
10. Food web: Producers-(plant/algae) -> 1o consumer (herbivores) -> 2o consumers
(carnivores and omnivores) -> higher level of consumers -> detritus (decomposers).
EX:
(secondary consumer)
Jaguar
Harpy eagle
(tertiary
consumer)
Tapir
Capybara
Butterfly
Agouti
Toucan
Snake (Secondary
consumer)
Green plant
(Primary
producer)
Fruits
(Primary
producer)
Monkey
(Primary
consumer)
Study guide for Tropical Dry Forest
Location:

Usually found near the equator such as South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Environmental conditions:

Temperature are consistently warm all-year round. (About 25°C all year round.)

Precipitation depends on the seasons. High rainfall from June to October and Low
rainfall from November to April.

Ideal for growing crops anytime of the year unless there is drought.

Deciduous trees are most commonly found in this kind of forests due to the high
rainfall.

Soil types varies throughout the forest of the different regions. For example, the
luxuriant forests with the highest canopies are found on the richer soils while forests
with sandy soils have shorter canopies.
Plant life in Madagascar

Dry tropical forests are smaller in stature and less complex floristically and
structurally than wet tropical forests

Megadiverse: Exhibiting great diversity, especially great biodiversity

More than 12,000 species not found anywhere else in the world.

The tree tops form a canopy in which between 70 percent and 90 percent of rain
forest life exists.

The uniqueness is caused by tens of millions of years of isolation from the African
mainland and from people, who didn't arrive until 2,000 years ago.

Special adaptation: Deciduousness, the shedding of leaves.

Water storage tissues, such as swollen roots or stems, that allow them to draw
on
saved water to survive the dry season.

Beta diversity and alpha diversity high but typically lower than adjacent moist forests.

Beta diversity: how local habitats differ from each other.

Alpha diversity: diversity of a species at the level of local habitats.
Animal Life in Madagascar

Lemurs
i. Can only be found in Madagascar.
ii. Most lemurs are arboreal, living in trees. They spend most of their time at the top
of the rainforest canopy or in the forest midlevel.
iii. The majority of lemurs are also diurnal, awake during the day and asleep at night
iv. Do not have prehensile tails but they do have long, wet noses. Lemurs have a
keen sense of smell and they also have good vision, even at night.
v. Have sharp claws on their feet which enable the lemur to hold onto tree branches
and escape predators.

Brookesia Chameleon
i. World's smallest reptiles—one species reaches a maximum length of just over an
inch (30 mm).
ii. Brookesia feed on small insects and rely on their cryptic coloration to escape
predators.
iii. When disturbed, these chameleons will play dead in an effort to resemble a fallen
leaf.
iv. Discovered in dry forest leaf litter scattered around eroded limestone boulders.
What is the specific food web in South Africa: Northwestern Madagascar?
The forest is essentially deciduous with most trees losing their leaves during the dry season
(May to October), and consequently, relatively heavy leaf litter is a characteristic of the
forest.
So in this Southern Madagascar, the producers are :
- Acacia tree,
- several species of baobabs (Adansonia, family Bombacaceae), and
- several species of succulents plant (E. neohumbertii)
Going up to the primary consumers, The fauna of the deciduous dry forest ecoregion has
some overlap with that of the succulent woodlands, but it is mostly distinct, endemic and
diverse. There is high beta diversity of lemur species across a latitudinal gradient, with five
subspecies of Propithecus, three species of Lepilemur, and five species of Microcebus
found throughout the ecoregion. The alpha diversity is also high within habitats in the
ecoregion. In some primary dry deciduous forest sites, there are eight known sympatric
species of lemurs, many of which are endemic to the region and which represent four of the
five endemic and endangered families of primates in Madagascar. There are also mule deer
and western forest rat supporting this level.
Next, the secondary consumers are dominated by the carnivore. The dry deciduous
forests are one of the primary habitats for the island’s largest predator, the fossa
(Cryptoprocta ferox), and some of the smaller endemic Carnivora, like the arboreal snake.
At the end, fungi is the decomposer for this specific food web in southern africa,
specifically in Northwestern Madagascar.
How about threats in Northwestern Madagascar? How do they affect the community?
The major threat to the dry, deciduous forests is destruction and fragmentation through
intentional burning to clear land for grazing and agricultural lands, and through
wildfires sparked by burning adjacent secondary grasslands. With an expanding rural
population and increasing degradation of existing arable lands, the pressure on the
remaining forest is extremely high. Selective logging and the removal of large trees pose
additional threats of forest habitat degradation. It is likely that much of the remaining forest
is already secondary forest that has been selectively logged and has lost the largest of its
trees. These degraded forests do not support viable populations of at least 7 of the 8
species of lemur found in more intact forests (Ganzhorn 1995). Several species of diurnal
lemurs are hunted for food, and this may be adversely affecting the regeneration of the
forests (Ganzhorn 1995, Ganzhorn et al. 1999).
River, wetland, and lake systems are threatened with siltation resulting from deforestation of
adjacent forests and soil erosion and run-off from the central highlands. Lakes and wetland
habitats are also being destroyed through rice paddy cultivation, over fishing, and invasive
species (e.g. water hyacinth, Eichornia crassipes).
Bibliography
Gillespie, Thomas W. "Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Marianas Islands."Tropical Dry Forests of the
Pacific - Marianas Islands. UCLA, n.d. Web. 18 May 2013.
"Rita Kennedy, Demand Media." Information on the Madagascar Rainforest in Africa
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/information-madagascar-rainforest-africa-56162.html
Ganzhorn, J. 1995. Causes for lemur population decline in degraded and secondary forests of the
Morondava Region. pp. 39 in S.M. Goodman, B.D. Patterson & J.L. Sedlock (eds.) Environmental
Change in Madagascar. The Field Museum, Chicago.
Ganzhorn, J.U., J. Fietz, E. Rakotovao, D. Schwab, and D. Zinner. 1999. Lemurs and the regeneration of
dry deciduous forest in Madagascar. Conservation Biology 13: 794-804.
Preston-Mafham, K. 1991. Madagascar: a natural history. Facts on File, Inc., New York, NY
White F. 1983. The vegetation of Africa, a descriptive memoir to accompany UNESCO/AETFAT
Vegetation map of Africa. UNESCO, Paris.
http://www.wildmadagascar.org/wildlife/animals.html
http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~jburns/Articles%20-Read/dryforest2.pdf
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/information-madagascar-rainforest-africa-56162.html
Desert Biome Study Guide
Savanna Biome Study Guide
Shanna Lee, Pareet Raju, Paula Ng Lam
Professor Johnson Kent
Bio6C
Terrestrial biomes presentation
The Savannas
●
What’s the Savannas?
According to blueplanetbiomes.org, “A savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with
shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome.
Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical
grasslands.”
● Where in the world can Savanna be found?
- Africa, it occupy 65% of Africa
- Australia, it occupies 60% of Australia
- South America- Venezuela, Colombia & Brazil, occupies 45% of South America
- India and southeast asia, occupies about 10%
● Environmental conditions
- There is both a dry and a rainy season that occur in the savannah biome, which last for
extended periods of time. In the dry season, which is in the winter. Savannas get all their rain in
the summer months. During the distinct dry season of a savanna, most of the plants shrivel up
and die. Some rivers and streams dry up. As a result the supply of food can be very high at
some times of the year. In the wet season all of the plants are lush and the rivers flow freely. In
West Africa the rainy season begins in May. The plants and animals living in the savanna biome
have had to adapt to such issues. Many of the animals have to migrate around the biome in
order to find enough food and water for survival during these changing seasons. The annual
rainfall in a savanna biome is 59 inches. During the dry season the average daily temperature is
93 degrees. During the rainy season it drops to a more comfortable average of 61 degrees.
-Something that is very interesting in the savanna biomes is that the soil types are very diverse.
Experts have found just about every type of soil in such biomes. There are many factors that will
influence what the soil is in a given location. They include the climate, the terrain, and the
amount of precipitation that the area receives annually.
-Fire is very common in the savanna biome at various times of the year. However, the plants
and animals here are adaptable to it. Even in areas that get severely burned, less than 10% of
the plants will die from it. The stems and the roots of these plants seem to be able to thrive due
to how thick they are. Some of the plants are made from materials that is highly flammable
which is why a fire can spread so rapidly in these areas.
Wonderful array of wetlands are found in the tropical savannas region. This diversity is created
to some degree by the range of climatic zones in the region. The great hydrological variation;
lots of water in the wet season and nearly none in the dry, also creates different habitats that
support a wide variety of plants and animals.
Wetland types found in the tropical savannas region include:
•
•
•
•
•
escarpment streams,
flood basins and plains,
waterfalls and plunge pools,
estuaries and seagrass beds,
lowland permanent or seasonally-flowing streams,
•
•
•
tidal reaches of streams,
permanent billabongs or lagoons, and
mangroves and salt flats.
The importance of many of these wetland sites, support large populations of many aquatic
fauna species (fish, birds, reptiles) which play an important role in the nutrition and culture of
Aboriginal peoples and sustain important commercial and recreational fisheries and tourism.
They also play an important role in protecting areas from flooding, and act as natural filtering
systems.
●
What kind of plant species grow in the Savannas? What are their characteristics and
adaptations?
-Acacia Senegal can survive drought conditions because it has long deep tap roots (Africa and
India)
-Baobab Trees have leaves that grow during rainy seasons. The leaves reduce water loss
(Africa and India)
-Bermuda Grass: frequent disturbances of grazing, flooding and fire. Has deep roots,
reproduces through seeds and rhizomes. (East Africa)
-Gum Tree Eucalyptus: grows on average of 20 to 30 ft. They grow in sunny and dry climates
only (Australia)
-Jackal Berry Tree: can be found growing on termite mounds which provide the tree with
aerated soil and moisture. The roots provide protection for the termites who don't cut the living
wood. (Africa)
●
What kind of animals live in the Savannas? What are their special adaptations that
allow them to survive in this environment?
-Giraffe: can go without water for weeks, they rely on morning dew and water from food content,
long necks are adapted to feeding at high levels from trees, keeps them away from predators.
-Hyena: eat dead animal corpses that other animals kill for them
-Elephants: the trunk and tusks keep them alive, uses the tusk to protect himself, the trunk to
drink water
-Zebra: can run quickly to escape predators because of their long legs, eat grasses and stay
near water, migrate in a group
-Cheetah: run fast and large nostrils allow for increased oxygen intake, enlarged heart and
lungs, during a chase their respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute, claws
for hunting.
-Lions: have sensitive whiskers that help it hunt its prey, claws for killing and tearing flesh,
colors that help them blend into grass
● Example of a food web of the Savanna
-Primary Producers: Plants and Trees of the Savanna
-Primary Consumers: Giraffes, zebras, elephants
-Secondary Consumers: Lions, Cheetah
-Decomposers: Hyenas, Vultures
● Threats to the Savanna
-Humans
○ Hunting animals, poaching which is now illegal
○ Endanger species
-Climate change
○ reduce rainfall
-Tourism
○ People getting too close to the animals and they would distract the animals from
what they would be doing. For example, preying on their prey.
○ Tourbus are eroding the savanna soil and destroying vegetation.
-Wildfire
○ Started by humans.
■ Villagers would use open fire to cook and the flames would catch on
brushes
-Agriculture
○ People would start living in the savanna and would destroy the lands to plant
farmland.
Bonnie Liang
Andy Ly
Group 2
Grasslands Biome: Study Guide
What are the two main types of grasslands?
Temperate and tropical
Where are they located?
Temperate: north of Tropic of Cancer, south of Tropic of Capricorn; Tropical: between the
Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
What is a special characteristic of the soil found in Tropical grasslands and what
does it do?
Humus: provides vegetation with nutrients
What are the two types of temperate grasslands and their characteristics?
Tall grass prairies (wetter areas); Short grass prairies (dryer habitats)
What are the major differences in climate between the two grasslands?
Temperate: hot summers, cold winters; Tropical: overall hot, season of heavy rain
Where are Tallgrass prairie located?
Central North America
What are the two dominant plant species of the tallgrass prairie?
Indian grass and Big bluestem
What does Tallgrass prairie depend on for growth and renewal?
Fire
What are the keystone species of tallgrass prairie?
American bison
Group 5A
CONIFEROUS FOREST BIOME Study Guide
Lau Hoi Lei
Hoa Thai
CamHa Nguyen
Hong Hoang
Description
Coniferous forests consist mostly of conifers, trees that grow needles instead of leaves, and cones
instead of flowers. Conifers tend to be evergreen, that is, they bear needles all year long. These
adaptations help conifers survive in areas that are very cold or dry. Some of the more common
conifers are spruces, pines, and firs
Location:
Between the tundra to the north and the deciduous forest to the south lies the large area of
coniferous forest. One type of coniferous forest, the northern boreal forest, is found in 50° to
60°N latitudes.
Another type, temperate coniferous forests, grows in lower latitudes of North America, Europe,
and Asia, in the high elevations of mountains.
Environmental condition
Temperature: can range from14°F to 68°F, average summer temperature is 50°F
Precipitation: 20 inches of rain per year
Layering
The canopy layer of a forest community may be seen as being the primary buffer between
atmospheric conditions and the communities below; it bears the brunt of wind and temperature
extremes, and is the first beneficiary of sunlight.
Beneath the canopy layer, shrubs vary locally in density.
The ground layer in coniferous plant communities often includes feather mosses as well as forest
herbs
Vegetation
Coniferous - Evergreen Trees / Trees that produce needles and cones that stay all year round
Animals Boreal: Bears, Elk, Wolves
Animal temperate: Owls, Stoats, Birds Of
prey
New term and definition:
Coniferous forest: is a forest of conifer
Conifer: a tree that produce seed and cones
The pine tree is the most common example
Needles: conifer’s leaf that is covered thick waxy layer to conserve water
Gymnosperm: are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo,
and Gnetale
Boreal forest: one type of coniferous forest which is found in 50° to 60°N latitudes.
Temperate forest: another type of coniferous forests, grows in lower latitudes of North America,
Europe, and Asia, in the high elevations of mountains
Canopy layer: The primary layer of the rainforest, the canopy, extends beneath the emergent,
rising to 150 feet
Evergreen Trees / Trees that produce needles and cones that stay all year round
Spruce: a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found
in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from
20–60 metres (66–200 ft) tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches
and conical form.
Fir: is a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen coniferous tree in the family Pinaceae. It is found
through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in
mountains over most of the range
Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome Study Guide
Tundra Biome Study Guide
II. General Info on Tundra (Finnish “tunturi” meaning “treeless plain”)
A. General biome information:
1. Where in the world is your biome found?
1. Exclusively in the northernmost portions of the world, primarily in Alaska,
2.
Canada, Russia, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia, as well as sub-Antarctic
islands
1. Very few tundras exist in Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica specifically)
because it is too cold and ice/snow cover the ground
Appropriate environmental conditions such as climate, soil characteristics, water
characteristics (salinity, depth, flow, layering, etc). Use specific statistics as appropriate.
1. Soil characteristics: soil forms slowly and always contains of a layer of
permafrost (permanently frozen soil), consisting of gravel and fine materials
1. prevents deep root system from forming
2.
2.
3.
summer allows plants to grow for a short time while uppermost layer of
permafrost is melted
Water characteristics: low rainfall
1. Arctic: permafrost prevents drainage of water, bogs and ponds form when
upper surface saturates with water
2. Alpine: better drainage (also, no trees grow~)
Climate: low temperature, short growing seasons.
1. main seasons: winter and summer
4.
Nutrients: comes from dead organic matter (from which is obtained nitrogen and
phosphorous)
B. Distinctive features of one sub-biome of your biome (ex: a redwood forest is a sub-biome of
the coniferous forest biome) OR a specific example of your biome (ex: Lake Tahoe as an
example of a lake).
-The arctic tundra
1. Typical plant (or algae) species and their structure/arrangement (such as layers in the
forests, etc). Include special adaptations that make them well suited to their environment.
1. Lichens are adapted to extreme cold weather and sparse foods as primary
producers.(1)
1.
symbiotic relationship between green algae and fungi help in harsh
conditions
1.
2.
2.
2.
fungi supplies algae with water and nutritious salt
alga provide organic produce
Mosses
1. form colonies to reciprocate food resources
2. adapt to long durations of polar summers by performing photosynthesis
continuously
3. conversely, can efficiently do photosynthesis in lower temperatures
Several characteristic animals and examples of special adaptations that make them well
suited to their environment. (2)
1. Mosquitoes: (4)
1. replace water in their bodies with glycerol since glycerol takes a longer
time to freeze than water, an adaptation allowing mosquitoes to live in
colder climates.
2. Muskox: (3)
1. double-coat protects it from harsh cold weather
1. inner hair → qiviut: warmest naturally occurring fiber in the world
2. outer hair → guard hair: dark long hair that protects it from frost.
3.
4.
5.
Snowshoe hare: (2)
1. resource competition with moose for grass
2. subject to pressures of pressure by fox
Red fox (2)
1. tapetum lucidum, well-developed senses that allow for nocturnal hunting
2. cache excess food and dig up and rebury food storages to have enough
food
Caribou: (2)
1.
6.
1.
large, concave hooves that spread widely
1. support animals in deep snow
2. help paddle when swimming
Polar bear (2)
1. water repellent guard hairs with dense underfur
2. short thick-furred snouts and ears prevent heat loss
A food web specific to your sub-biome or example. (7)
The food web illustrates the multiple layers of energy allocation through the trophic
levels, starting from the abiotic factors (permafrost) to biotic factors such as the primary
producers, autotrophs adaptable to low and high exposures to sunlight. They also consist of the
most biomass. Then the 10% energy principle applies as one traces the predation from primary
producer to primary consumer to secondary consumer and so forth.
1. A discussion of threats to the health of your sub-biome or example.
1.
Global Warming:
1.
Tundra is one of Earth’s major carbon sinks. The plants of the tundra take
up carbon dioxide and would normally release it when they are
decomposed after death, but instead, they’re incorporated into the
permafrost. Plants can be locked for thousands of years in the permafrost.
Every year, several feet of tundra disappears, allowing for the plants in the
permafrost to be exposed and decomposed.
2.
Human Intervention:
1.
Mines, oil rigs, and civilization in general have caused a great strain on the
fragile tundra. Animals are hindered by these constructions and are either
scared away from their traditional paths or shot dead. Caribou migration
paths have been blocked by oil rigs. In some places the pipeline has been
raised above the ground so the caribou can pass under it. The insect
“problem” has been dealt with using pesticides, leading to
biomagnification of these chemicals in the birds that eventually eat the
insects. Pollution from mining and drilling for oil has polluted the air,
lakes and rivers. “Tracks made during WW II have grown so large that
some of them are now lakes.”
Bibliography
1. http://library.thinkquest.org/26442/html/life/plant.html
2. http://www.nps.gov/akso/parkwise/students/referencelibrary/bela/arcticadaptations.htm
3. http://www.tburg.k12.ny.us/mcdonald/muskox.htm
4. http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm
5.http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_eco
regions/habitat11.cfm
6.https://www.google.com/url?sa=f&rct=j&url=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/t
undra.php&q=&esrc=s&ei=r2CZUZD_OT7iwKRzYDIDA&usg=AFQjCNEw9gPU8VrmEEOmeto0_YSsq0wLog
7. http://www.wildanimalplanet.com/images/ecosystems/tundraweb.gif