Biome- A large community of
plants and animals that
occupies a distinct region.
• Climate and temperature
• Animal adaptations
• Plant adaptations
• Tundra
• Taiga
• Deciduous forest
• Grassland
• Desert
• Rainforest
Tundra
1.
a.
b.
c.
Tundra biome – located near the Arctic.
Cold with very little precipitation
Winters are cold and long with little sunlight
Summers are short and mild with 24 hr/day
sunlight
d. Contains permanently frozen ground
(subsoil) called permafrost (10-35 in)
Permafrost
e. There are no trees in the tundra
f. Contains small plants that hug the ground to
avoid wind damage (shrubs, algae, lichen,
reindeer moss)
g. Being close to the dark, warmth, absorbent soil
helps to keep plants from freezing.
h. Plants are also dark and hairy. The darkness of
their flesh absorbs solar heat, and the hair
helps to trap the heat and keep it close to the
surface of the plant.
i. Some plants also grow in clumps in order to
break harsh winds and protect each other
from the cold.
j. Animal adaptations in the tundra:
- short and stocky legs.
- thick, insulating cover of feathers or fur.
- color changing feathers or fur: brown in
summer, and white in winter.
- thick fat layer gained quickly during spring in
order to have continual energy and warmth
during winter months.
- many tundra animals have adapted to prevent
their bodily fluids from freezing solid.
k. Some common resident animals found in the
arctic tundra are lemmings, voles, arctic foxes,
snowy owls, arctic ground squirrels, and musk
oxen.
l. Trillions of insects in the summer like
mosquitos and black flies
Lemming
Vole
Weasel
Hare
Squirrel
Snowy Owl
Willow Ptarmigan
Snowy Bunting
Arctic Fox
Musk Oxen
Caribou
Black Fly
Taiga
2. Taiga- located below the tundra (largest biome)
a. Also called the Northern Coniferous Forest and
the Boreal Forest
b.Has long dark winters and short summers
(sunshine up to 20 hrs day)
c. Contains conifers (trees with needlelike
leaves)
d. Leaves remain green during the winter, so
that when temperatures rise in the spring and
summer, plants can begin photosynthesis right
away.
e. Dark green needles allow more sun light and
heat to be absorbed, so that the process of
photosynthesis is accelerated.
f. Waxy coatings on needles prevents moisture
from evaporating in drying winds. It also
allows the tree to survive during hard hitting
winter droughts, and prevent snow from
collecting on them, which may cause the
branches to break.
g. The soil that does form, has a very high acid
content. This is because the acid in conifer
needles is released into the soil as they
decompose. As a result, the soil is very
infertile and very few plants can grow.
h. Animals give birth to young in the spring.
i. Some animals (birds) migrate
j. Animal adaptations include wide paws for
walking on snow and protective layers of fat to
protect from the extreme cold
-The Canada lynx's wide paws work like
snowshoes. They distribute the lynx's weight,
and help it move in the snow.
- Grizzly bears avoid the coldest weather by
going into their dens in the fall and staying
there until the early spring. They have a
protective layer of fat that allows them to stay
in their dens while the weather is cold.
-Snowshoe rabbit-toes can spread out resembling
like a snowshoe. The coat color is grayish brown
in summer that turns into snow-white during
the winter season, which helps them to protect
from the predators such as wolf and lynx.
Deciduous Forest
3. Temperate forest –found in the temperate zone
a. Also known as the deciduous forest
b.The climate and amount of sunlight can vary
tremendously between each season (four
seasons)
c. Plants include trees with broad leaves (lose
leaves in fall) such as American beech , Pecan,
and White Oak.
d. Animals include the bald eagle, black bear,
white tail deer, and coyote.
e. Insect populations for the summer can reach
the trillions and provide food for birds and fish
e. Trees are deciduous (lose their leaves in the fall)
f. Animals include mammals, birds, amphibians,
and reptiles.
g. Adaptations include migration and hibernation.
k. Squirrels, chipmunks, and some jays often store
large supplies of food (such as nuts and seeds) in
the ground, under fallen leaves, or in tree
hollows for use during the cold winters when
food is scarce.
Grassland
4. Grasslands
a. Characterized by their tall, perennial grasses
and lack of trees.
b. Grazing and roaming animals dominate this
tranquil biome.
c. There are two main types of grasslands:
tropical grasslands and temperate grasslands
d. Tropical grasslands are located near the
equator, between the Tropic of Cancer and the
Tropic of Capricorn.
e. These areas are hot year-round, usually never
dropping under 64° F (18° C).
f. Temperate grasslands are located either north
of the Tropic of Cancer or south of the Tropic
of Capricorn.
g. These areas experience cold winters and hot
summers.
h. Any area where the amount of rainfall is
between that of a forest and that of a desert is
a grassland.
i. As dead plants, animals, and animal
droppings decay into the ground and mix
with rocks they make a rich, dark soil called
humus
j. Grass roots are also essential to the make up
of soil. The roots prevent the grasslands fine
soil from eroding away in the wind and rain.
k. Examples of temperate grasslands are steppes
(Russia), pampas (South America), and prairies
(USA).
l. Steppe and prairie temperatures are very hot
in the summer and can rise above 100° F (38°
C) and can be as cold as -10° F (-23° C).
m. Steppes and prairies receive relatively small
amounts of rainfall annually, about 12-20
inches (30-51 centimeters).
n. Since plant dryness is always a factor in every
temperate grassland, plants have adapted
ways to conserve water.
-By having thin, needle-like shaped leaves that
expose little of the plant to the sun.
-Seventy percent of the plant is also
underground, avoiding sun and wind.
o. Grasses are almost impossible to kill.
-They have extensive root webs that prevent
grazing animals from pulling their roots out of
the ground.
-Since grass grows upward from its base, it is
less likely to be damaged by fires, animals, and
humans than are most other plants.
p. Steppe and prairie grasslands do not have
many trees because it is too dry for most trees
to survive.
q. Most temperate grasslands are inhabited by
hares, mice, and other small rodents.
r. These animals have sharp teeth that are able
to easily gnaw through grass.
s. Tropical grasslands, or savannas, lie north and
south of tropical rain forests that are on the
equator.
t. Temperatures can be well over 64° F (18° C)
during the winter.
u. Temperatures for the summer remain above
80° F (27° C).
4. Desert – hot and dry
d. Desert plant adaptations:
-Store water in their tissues
e. Features that reduce water loss
-Cactus spines are modified leaves minimizing
leaf area to cut down on water loss
-Some plants open up leaf pores only at night
and use special forms of photosynthesis
f. Desert animal adaptations
-Get water from food they eat
-Nocturnal (active at night) or active only at
dawn and dusk
-Large or elongated ears and other extremities
with blood vessels close to the surface help
animal to lose body heat
-Some smaller desert animals burrow below the
surface of the soil or sand to escape the high
temperatures at the desert surface.
5. Tropical rainforest –located near the equator
a. Warm and wet
b. Poor soil subject to erosion
c. Tall trees form a dense leafy covering called a
canopy.
d. Below the canopy, the shorter vines and trees
form a layer called the understory
e. Ground layer gets little sun
f. Epiphytes are plants that grow on the
branches of tall plants in order to get sunlight
h. Plant adaptations
-Because the weather is hot and wet, trees do
not need thick bark to slow down moisture
loss and have instead thin, smooth bark.
-The leaves of rainforest trees have adapted to
cope with the large amount of rain. The
leaves are big, thick and waxy, and have
'drip tips' to let the rain drain off quickly.
-Many large trees have huge ridges called
buttresses near the base. They may be 10-12
metres high where they join into the trunk.
They increase the surface area of a tree so
that it can 'breathe in' more carbon dioxide
and 'breathe out' more oxygen.
-Nutrients in the soil are near the surface, so the
big rainforest trees have quite shallow roots.
The buttresses support the trees.
-Some trees have above-ground roots called
prop or stilt roots which give extra support to
the trees.
• Some tropical rainforest plants are
carnivorous, or meat-eating. They have a
cavity filled with either sweet or terrible
smelling nectar that attracts insects, especially
ants and flies. Inside, the sides are steep and
lined with downward pointing hairs. Insects
enter and lose their footing or are prevented
from leaving because of the hairs.
i. Animal adaptations
-Some animals became very specialized. This
means that they adapted to eating a specific
plant or animal that few others eat. For
example, parrots and toucans eat nuts, and
developed big strong beaks to crack open the
tough shells of Brazil nuts.
-Leafcutter ants climb tall trees and cut small
pieces of leaves which they carry back to their
nest. The ants bury the leaf pieces, and the
combination of the leaves and the ants' saliva
encourages the growth of a fungus, which is
the only food these ants eat.
- Some trees depend on animals to spread the
seeds of their fruit to distant parts of the
forest. Birds and mammals eat the fruits, and
travel some distance before the seeds pass
through their digestive systems in another
part of the forest.
-Many rainforest animals use camouflage to
'disappear' in the rainforest.
- Stick insects are perfect examples of this.
There are some butterflies whose wings look
like leaves.
- Some animals are poisonous, and use bright
colors to warn predators to leave them alone.