Climate and Biomes
By: Natalie Palmer
May 14th 2009
5th grade
Climate
• The general or average weather conditions of
a certain region, including temperature,
rainfall, and wind. On Earth, climate is most
affected by latitude, the tilt of the Earth's axis,
the movements of the Earth's wind belts, the
difference in temperatures of land and sea,
and topography.
Why is Climate important?
Climate is important to all organisms because
different organisms are only able to survive in
certain climates and environments. Different
species of animals and plants have optimal
environments in which they can thrive and
grow.
Climate Factors
• There are two
major aspects that
change climate :
Precipitation and
temperature.
Temperature
• Determined mainly by location. More
specifically Longitude and Latitude.
• Elevation also effects temperature.
Precipitation Factors
• Mountain Ranges
• Prevailing Winds
Biome
• Biomes are defined as "the world's major
communities, classified according to the
predominant vegetation and characterized
by adaptations of organisms to that
particular environment" (Campbell 1996).
Biome Development
• As the earth has
aged different
biomes have
developed.
• Climate is a
primary factor in
the different
characteristics of a
given biome.
Different Biomes
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Freshwater
Chapparal
Desert
Marine
Taiga
• Tundra
• Grassland
• Temperate
Deciduous Forest
• Rainforest
Freshwater
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Has low salt
concentration- plants
and animals wouldn’t
be able to survive in
high concentration
Ponds and Lakes
(temp. varies
seasonally)
Streams and Rivers
Wetlands
Plants
Animals
Algae
Cattails
Brine-Spike
Swampfrond
Tamarack
Deerflower
Myrtle
False Ivy
Flagellates and
Wrigglers
Diatoms
Leeches
River rats, Muskrats,
Otters and Minks.
Sunfish and Bass
Bowfin
Catfish species
Hendrickson Turtle
Painted turtle
Chapparal
• Characterized as being
very hot and dry.
• Flat plains, rocky hills
and mountain slopes.
• Mild and moist
• Summers are hot and
dry
Plants
Animals
Blue oak
Coyote brush
Sagebrush
Fairy duster
French broom
King protea
Lebanon cedar
Manzanita
Mahogany
Torrey pine
Olive tree
Aardwolf
Jackrabbit
Cactus wren
Golden jackal
Grey fox
Puma
Kit fox
Spotted skunk
Wild goat
coyote
Desert
• There are hot and
cold deserts
• Cover 1/5 of the
lands surface
• Mostly dry and hot
with very little
rainfall. About 1
inch of rainfall each
year!
Plants
Animals
Brittle brush
Cactus
Jumping cholla
Creosote bush
Palo verde
Saguaro cactus
Soaptree yucca
Mojave aster
chainfruit
Armadillo lizard
Bobcat
Javelina
Thorny devil
Cactus wren
Kangaroo rat
Desert tortoise
Marine
• Oceans, coral reefs, estuaries
• Cover about ¾ of earth surface
and is the largest of the
biomes.
• Provides rainwater for land
• Gets warmer as you get closer
to the equator-colder closer to
the poles
• Affects coastal areas by the
winds, depending upon the
temperature of the water, the
winds usually match that
temperature.
Plants
Animals
Green Algae
Red Coralline
Algae
Tropical Fish
Sea Turtle
Humpback Whale
Moray Eel
Taiga
• Biome of the needle
leaf forest.
• Main seasons in the
taiga are winter and
summer.
• Consists of cold arctic
air
Plants
Animals
Balsam Fir
Black spruce
Douglas-fir
Red cedar
Jack pine
Paper birch
White fir
White popular
White spruce
Black bear
Bald eagle
Bobcat
Canadian lynx
Gray wolf
Grizzly bear
Red fox
Long eared owl
river otter
Wolverine
Snowshoe rabbit
Tundra
• World's youngest
biome
• Coldest region in the
world.
• Main seasons are
Winter and Summerwith Summer being
short
• Usually Cold and dry
climate
Plants
Animals
Arctic moss
Bearberry
Arctic willow
Caribou moss
Labrador tea
Pasque flower
Tufted saxifrage
Arctic fox
Caribou
Ermine
Grizzly bear
Harleguin duck
Musk ox
Polar bear
Snowy owl
Grasslands
• Large, rolling
terrains of grasses,
flowers and herbs
• Annual precipitation
is great enough to
support grasses
• Some are dry and
others are tropical
Plants
Animals
Sunflower
Buffalo grass
Crazy weed
Asters
Clover
Blazing stars
Bison
Crickets
Dung beetles
Prairie chicken
Canadian geese
Wild turkey
Grey wolf
Temperate deciduous forests
• During the winter months
the trees lose their leaves
• Plants have adapted to the
forests by leaning toward
the sun
• Climate has four distinct
seasons
• Mostly located near the
ocean. Ocean and wind
play a big part in the temp.
and climate
Plants
Animals
Common Lime
Lady Fern
Pecan
White Berch
White Oak
Carpet Moss
Coyote
American Black
Bear
American Bald
Eagle
White-tailed Deer
Rainforests
• Cover less than 6% of
Earth's land surface
• Produce 40% of earths
oxygen
• More kinds of trees than
any other forest in the
world
• Tropical moist climate
• Humid climate
• Lots of rainfall
Plants
Animals
Bengal Bamboo
Kapok Tree
Coconut tree
Jambu
Durian
Mangrove forests
Strangler figs
African elephant
Bengal tiger
Chimpanzee
Dawn bat
Orangutan
Harpy eagle
Vampire bat
King cobra
Sloth
Pit vipers
Example of where some of the Biomes are
located
ACTIVITY!!!
• We are going to
play a FUN Biome
game!
• Oh and the best
part…there is a
prize at the end!
Biome Game
Goal is to identify which animal lives in which Biome. Winner is the
team that gets the most animals in the right Biome box.
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Class forms 4 teams - 8 team members
per team
Each team will be assigned a team color
– red, blue, green or black
Teacher Hands out 9 animal pictures to
each team (one animal for each Biome)
Each team will assign one team member
per animal
Each team will have a total of 4 minutes
to match each animal with right Biome
Teams determine which animal belongs
in what Biome
A clue is on the back of each animal to
help select correct Biome
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Team must work together to figure out
which animal lives in what Biome
Mark the back of each animal with the
appropriate Biome name
Once team has determined what animal
goes in which Biome & has written the
Biome name on back, the team member
folds the animal in half and places it in
the appropriate Biome box
The team with the most correct
animal/Biome selections is declared the
winner!
Prize is given for winning team
Work Cited
• Information
• Photos
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/bi
omes/index.php
http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/marine4/m
arine4.html
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_pl
ant_page.htm
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/climate.h
tm
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http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/biomes/
http://www.hickerphoto.com/rainforest-biome-3368pictures.htm
http://www.kruger2canyons.com/images/grassland_
biome.jpg
http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/hherms/herms/ME
TEOROLOGY/climates/sub_arctic.htm
http://www.ericksonscience.com/Biomes/Student%2
0Websites/Period%202/10_2_Ramtin/10ramtinocea
npic.jpg
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/172/desert_
biome_t2237.jpg