RAINFOREST
Different animals and plants live in different parts of the
rainforest. Scientists divide the rainforest into strata (zones)
based on the living environment. Starting at the top, the strata
are:
EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the
average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects.
CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy
environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and
includes: insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more.
UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the
leaves but over the ground.
FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially
insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally
live here.
Animals that Live in Rainforests: A HUGE number of
animals live in rainforests, including, invertebrates (like
insects and worms), fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and
mammals. The different rainforests of the world have
different types of animals.
Examples:
Insects – Monarch Butterfly
Mammals – Jaguars, Ocelots
Birds - Macaws, Hummingbirds, Eagles, and Toucans
Reptiles: Anacondas, Iguanas, Boa Contstictors
Amphibians: poison arrow frog
DESERT
Deserts cover about one fifth (20 percent) of the earth's land
area. The desert is a harsh environment with very little
rainfall and extreme temperatures; a desert is defined as a
region that gets less than ten inches of precipitation per year.
Because of these dry conditions, there is limited plant and
animal life in deserts. Desert plants (like cacti) are not
abundant; neither is animal life.
Some deserts get both very hot (during the day) and very cold
(during the night, when temperatures can drop well below
freezing). Some deserts, however, are always cold (for
example, the Gobi Desert in Asia, and the desert on the
continent of Antarctica).
Different animals live in the different types of deserts.
Animals that live in the desert have adaptations to cope with
the lack of water, the extreme temperatures, and the shortage
of food. To avoid daytime heat, many desert animals are
nocturnal (sleep during the day, are awake at night). they
burrow beneath the surface or hide in the shade during the
day, emerging at night to eat. Many desert animals do not
have to drink at all; they get all the water they need from their
food. Most desert animals are small.
Desert Extremes: The biggest desert is northern Africa's
Sahara Desert; it covers roughly 3,500,000 square miles The
driest deserts are the Atacama deserts these extreme deserts
get less than half an inch (about 1 centimeter) of precipitation
each year - and it is from condensed fog, and not from rain.
TUNDRA
The tundra is a cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome. The
tundra is characterized by very low temperatures, very little
precipitation (rain or snow), a short growing season, few
nutrients, and low biological diversity. The word tundra
comes from the Finnish word tunturia, which means "treeless
plain."
There are two types of tundras, (1)Arctic tundras and (2)
alpine tundras.
Arctic tundras are frozen, windy, desert-like plains in the
Arctic that are dotted with bogs and ponds. Permafrost (a
layer of frozen subsoil) covers the ground, so there is very
little drainage of water. The short growing season lasts for
only 50 to 60 days. Arctic tundras are located in the far north
of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Russia.
Alpine tundras are located high in mountains worldwide,
above the tree line. The growing season is about 180 days,
and nighttime temperatures are usually below freezing. The
soil is well-drained (unlike the Arctic tundra).
Savanna
What is a Savanna? A savanna is a hot, seasonally dry
grassland with scattered trees. This environment is
intermediate between a grassland and a forest. Savannas are
located in the dry tropics and the subtropics, often bordering
a rainforest. Savannas have an extended dry season and a
rainy season.
Animal Adaptations: The animals that live in savannas have
adapted to a great deal of variability in the food supply
throughout the year; there are times of plenty (during and
after the wet season) and times of almost no food or water
(during the dry season). Many savanna animals migrate to
deal with this problem.
Where are Savannas? Savannas are located in Africa,
Madagascar (an island off the east coast of Africa), Australia,
South America, India, and the Myanmar-Thailand region of
Southeast Asia.
Animals that Live in Savannas: Many animals live in
savannas, from invertebrates (like grasshoppers, termites, and
beetles) to large mammals (like lions and leopards). The
different savannas of the world support different populations
of animals.