Download Bio List of Biomes 2009 Yingxin

Name of
Biome
Tundra
Taiga
Temperate
forest
Abiotic characteristics and distribution
Examples of organisms and their adaptation
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Caribou
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Hair keeps them warm: long, hollow hairs provide good
insulation
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Large, concave, crescent-shaped hooves
o Grow longer in fall, ensuring that the exposed pad
between hooves stays above the snow
o Spread widely to support animals in deep snow and
soft tundra
o Function well as paddles for swimming
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Circulation
o Arteries and veins in legs are close together, so the
outward flowing blood (arteries) warms the inward
flowing blood (veins)
o Allows their body temperature to remain warm while
their legs are colder
Strong winds
Little precipitation
Short summer days
Very long cold winters
Poor soil quality
Permafrost: a layer of permanently
frozen subsoil
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major
circles of latitude that mark maps of the
Earth. In 2009, it is the parallel of
latitude that runs approximately 66° 33′
39″ (or 66.56083°) north of the Equator.
The region north of this circle is known
as the Arctic, and the zone just to the
south is called the Northern Temperate
Zone. The equivalent Polar circle in the
Southern Hemisphere is called the
Antarctic Circle.
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Large temperature range between
summer and winter
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Coldest biome on earth
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Long Winters: -50 to 30°C
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Short Summers: warm, humid
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Low precipitation (200-750mm
annually)
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Nutrient-poor soil
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Average temperature in a year: 50
degrees F
Grow between tropics and polar
regions in both Northern and
Southern hemispheres
Have 4 distinct seasons, and
different weather patterns for
each
Annual precipitation ranges from
75 to 150 cm per year
Nutrient-rich soil
Shallow roots
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Take advantage of thin soils
Seasonally alter biochemistry
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More resistant to freezing
Narrow conical shape and downward-drooping limbs
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Shed snow
Evergreen
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Do not lose their leaves seasonally, can photosynthesize with
older leaves in late winter and spring when light is good but
temperatures are too low to grow new leaves
Evergreen needles: long, thing, waxy
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Limits water lost due to transpiration
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Protection from freezing temperatures and from drying out
Dark green
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Increase absorption of sunlight
Animals
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Cold climate prevents many animals from living them year-round
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Migrate to warmer climates once cold weather begins
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Hibernate
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Produce layer of insulating feathers or fur
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Seasonal change in colour of feathers or fur to protect the
animals from its predators
Trees
Deciduous
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Lose their leaves in winter so they cannot transpire, hence
containing its water for winter
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Grow back when the weather warms in spring
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Beech, White Spruce, Elm
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Leaves that absorb water and sunlight
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Provide shade for other wildlife
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Provide nutrients necessary ofr tree to leave
Coniferous
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Have seeds that develop in cones
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Needles for leaves, which are lost gradually so tree is never bare
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Also called Evergreens
Broad-leaved Evergreens
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Warmer temperate forests like New Zealand, Australia,
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Flat leathery leaves
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Do not lose leaves in winter
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Waxy leaves keep them from losing too much water in winter
when air is dry
Deciduous
forest
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Tropical
rainforest
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Average annual temperature: 50° F
Average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches
a year
Four distinct seasons
Deciduous trees shed their leaves
each fall, so the leaves decompose
and release their nutrients to the
soil, making it fertile
Broad leaves block out sunlight,
keeping the ground constantly in
shade
Hot, moist biome
60 to 160 inches of precipitation,
fairly evenly distributed
throughout the year
How can the tropical rainforest support
so much diversity?
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Constant warmth and abundant
moisture makes the tropical
rainforest a suitable environment
for many plants and animals
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Tropical rainforests contain the
greatest biodiversity in the world.
Over 15 million species of plants
and animals live within this biome
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Ideal environment for bacteria and
other microorganisms, quickly
decompose matter on the forest
floor, so the soil is fertile for plants
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Provides a nearly constant supply
of water and a wide variety of food
for the animals.
Animals
To cope with harsh winter conditions, they:
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Hibernate during winter, and arise in spring
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Store food and burrow underground to escape cold
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Migrate to warmer regions during winter
Animals
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Hibernate in winter
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Live off the land in other seasons
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Camouflaged to look like the ground
Squirrels and chipmunks:
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Food storage: nuts and seeds that are plentiful during the
summer are gathered and are stored in the hollows of trees for
use during the winter months
Black bear
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Coat is well adapted to the cold weather of winter because of its
many layers of shaggy fur
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Claws are also very adapted to its environment, the right length
to climb the many trees that surround its forest home
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Hibernates to avoid having to find food in the winter
White-tailed deer
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Camouflage: Grayish fur in the winter then more red during the
summer
Plants
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Lean towards the sun
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Soak up nutrients in the ground
Animals
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Adapt to learn to eat a particular food eaten by no other animal
Toucans
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Long, large bill: allows this bird to reach fruit on branches that
are too small to support the bird's weight, also cuts fruit from
trees
Sloth
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Behavioral adaptation and camouflage to survive in the
rainforest
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Moves very, very slowly and spends most of its time hanging
upside down from trees
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Blue-green algae grows on its fur giving the sloth a greenish
color and making it more difficult for predators to spot
Plants
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Ability to tolerate constant shade or to adapt strategies to reach
sunlight
Fungus
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Flourishes in warm, dark places created by the forest canopy and
understory
Strangler fig
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Needs sunlight to grow and reproduce
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Seeds are deposited on branches of host trees by birds and small
animals that have eaten the fruit of the strangler fig. Seeds
Desert
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Savanna
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Annual precipitation in a desert
varies from half an inch to as much
as 15 inches
Can be either hot such as the
Australian Desert or cold such as
the Gobi Desert
Geographic conditions such as
location, high atmospheric
pressure, and proximity of
mountain ranges determine
temperature
Large daily temperature variations.
High daytime temperatures and
low nighttime temperatures make
survival in the desert very difficult
6 to 8 month wet summer season
and a dry winter season
Annual rainfall in savannas varies
depending on the geographic
location(10-50 inches annually)
Dry season is marked by months of
drought and fire which are
essential to the maintenance of
savannas
sprout and send a long root to the ground. This root rapidly
increases in diameter and successfully competes for the water
and nutrients in the soil. As the strangler fig matures, branches
and leaves grow upwards creating a canopy that blocks sunlight
from the host tree. Additional roots are sent out and wrap
around the host tree, forming a massive network of roots that
strangle and eventually kill the host.
Animals
Staying in the shade
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Avoid direct rays of the Sun
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Seek shelter by burrowing into the ground
Nocturnal
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Remain inactive during the hot daylight hours
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Hunt at night when temperatures are cool and when there is less
risk of losing precious body water
Less water
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Allows the secretion of salt without the loss of water
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Absence of sweat glands
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Concentration of urine
Storage of fat
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In humps or tails, rather than throughout the entire body
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Fat intensifies heat
Plants
Roots
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Long (20-30 foot) taproots that go deep into the ground and tap
into groundwater sources
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Extensive horizontal root systems
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Lie just below the surface and extend far beyond the plant
canopy. Numerous tiny roots capture the water.
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Ability of desert plants to store water in their roots, stems,
leaves, or fruit. Succulents, like cacti
Leaves
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Limiting water loss through their leaf surface
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Adapting the size, sheen, or texture of their leaves
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Small leaves or spines limit the amount of surface area exposed
to the drying heat
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Glossy leaves reflect the Sun's radiant heat reducing leaf
temperatures and evaporation rates
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Waxy leaves prevent moisture from escaping. Water escapes
from leaves through the stomata, or leaf pores
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Only open leaf pores during the night when air temperature is
cool and evaporation rate is low
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Rainy season (6-8 months): birds, insects, and both large and
small mammals thrive in the savannah
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Dry season: surface water from the rain is quickly absorbed into
the ground because the soil is extremely porous
Competition for water during the dry season is intense
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Most birds and many of the large mammals migrate during the
dry season in search of water
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Small burrowing animals is to remain dormant during times of
drought
Lightning frequently ignites the brown, dry grasses that cover the
savannah
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Many of the animals have adapted to living with the fires
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Ability to fly or to run fast enables most birds and large
mammals to escape the flames
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Small burrowing animals may not be able to outrun the flames,
they frequently survive the fire by digging beneath the soil and
remaining there until the flames pass by them
Grasses grow quickly when there is adequate water
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When water becomes scarce, the grasses turn brown to limit
water loss
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Store necessary moisture and nutrients in their roots, are able to
survive the effects of fire as well
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Fire stimulates new growth and replenishes the soil with
nutrients
Baobab tree
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Only produce leaves during the wet season
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Tiny finger-like clusters helps limit water loss
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Ability to store water in its large trunk.
Acacia tree
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Developed long tap roots that can reach deep, ground water
sources. It is also fire resistant
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Long, sharp thorns
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Symbiotic relationship with stinging ants. The ants live in acacia
thorns they have hollowed out, and they feed on the nectar
produced by the tree. When an animal takes a bite of leaves
(and thorns), it also gets a mouthful of angry, stinging ants. The
ants defend their homes from other insects as well, thus
protecting the acacia tree
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Chemical defense system that is triggered when the giraffe
begins to munch on the leaves
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Poisonous alkaloid that tastes nasty is pumped into the leaves.
The giraffe only gets a couple of mouthfuls of leaves before the
remaining leaves become inedible
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Tree warns other acacia trees in the area by emitting a chemical
into the air. The other acacia trees respond by pumping alkaloid
into their leaves.