Download terrestrial (land) biomes

TERRESTRIAL (LAND) BIOMES
DEFINITIONS



Abiotic Factors – nonliving factors that
shape an ecosystem (Ex. Temperature,
Precipitation & Soil Type)
Biotic Factors – living factors in an
ecosystem (Ex. Plants, Animals, Fungus
& Bacteria)
Biome – a group of ecosystems that
have similar climate and dominant
communities (plants & animals)
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Parts
of South and Central
America, Southeast Asia,
parts of Africa, southern
India, and northeastern
Australia
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Warm
/ hot year-round (25OC)
 PRECIPITATION:
 Wet year-round (100-300 cm a
year)
 SOIL:
 Thin, nutrient-poor soils
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Broad-leaved evergreen trees, ferns,
large woody vines and climbing
plants, orchids and bromeliads
 ANIMALS:
 Sloths, jaguars, anteaters, monkeys,
birds, butterflies, ants, beetles,
piranhas, boa constrictors, anacondas

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Grow toward canopy for
sunlight
 2. Waxy coating on leaves to
prevent absorption of
precipitation
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Live in canopy for
protection from predators
 2. Camouflage
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation
trees)
(cutting down
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Competition
among
plants/animals
 Deforestation
 Flooding
 Overhunting
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Clownfish/sea
Mutualism
anenome -
TROPICAL DRY FOREST
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Parts
of Africa, South and
Central America, Mexico,
India, Australia and other
tropical islands
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Generally
warm year-round
 PRECIPITATION:
 Alternating wet and dry seasons
 SOIL:
 Rich soils subject to erosion
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Tall, deciduous trees (birch, oak and
pecan), orchids and bromeliads, aloes
and other succulents (cactus)
 ANIMALS:
 Tigers, monkeys, elephants, birds,
hog deer, termites, snakes, monitor
lizards

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Trees shed leaves to
conserve water
 2. Drought-tolerant
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Camouflage
 2. Live in canopy for
protection from predators
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation
 Overhunting
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Lack
of rain (only 1 season)
 Fires
 Poaching
 Deforestation
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Termite/Protist
living inside
termite - Mutualism
TROPICAL SAVANNA
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Large
parts of eastern Africa,
southern Brazil, northern
Australia
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:

Warm temperatures
 PRECIPITATION:
 Seasonal
rainfall
 SOIL:
 Compact
soil
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Tall, perennial grasses, droughttolerant and fire-resistant trees or
shrubs
 ANIMALS:
 Lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants,
giraffes, antelope, zebra, stork,
eagles, termites

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Drought-resistant
 2. Fire-resistant
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Travel/Hunt in groups or
packs
 2. Grazing Animals lick the
dew off the grass
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Overhunting
 Fires
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Lack
of rain (only 1 season)
 Competition
 Fires
 Poaching
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Gazelle/Ostrich
- Mutualism
DESERT
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Africa,
Asia, the Middle East,
United States, Mexico, South
America and Australia
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:

Variable temperatures (hot days and cool
nights)
 PRECIPITATION:

Low precipitation (less than 25 cm a year)
 SOIL:

Soils rich in minerals but poor in organic
material
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Cacti and other succulents, creosote
bush, sagebrush
 ANIMALS:
 Mountain lions, foxes, deer,
antelopes, bats, owls, hawks,
roadrunners, ants, beetles,
butterflies, flies, rattlesnakes, lizards

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Drought-resistant
 2. Store water
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Nocturnal - awake at night,
sleep during day
 2. Camouflage
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Urbanizing
deserts
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Lack
of rain, heat, extreme
temperature changes
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Yucca
plant/Yucca moth Mutualism
TEMPERATE GRASSLAND
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Central
Asia, North America,
Australia, central Europe and
upland plateaus of South
America
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Warm
to hot summers, cold
winters
 PRECIPITATION:
 Moderate, seasonal precipitation
 SOIL:
 Fertile soils
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Lush, perennial grasses and herbs,
corn, wheat and other grains
 ANIMALS:
 Coyotes, badgers, mule deer,
antelopes, rabbits, prairie dogs,
cattle, hawks, owls, snakes, ants,
grasshoppers

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Drought-resistant
 2. Fire-resistant
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Grazing Animals - lick dew
off the grass
 2. Endure Cold Winters
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Overhunting
 Overfarming
 Fires
(Dust Bowl of 1930s)
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Fires
 Lack
of rain (only one season)
 Overgrazing
 Overfarming
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Cowbird/Cow
- Commensalism
TEMPERATE WOODLAND &
SHRUBLAND
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Western
coasts of North and
South America, areas around
the Mediterranean Sea, South
Africa and Australia
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Hot
summers and cool winters
 PRECIPITATION:
 Dry summers and moist winters
 SOIL:
 Thin, nutrient-poor soils
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Woody evergreen shrubs with small,
leathery leaves (mesquite), oily herbs
(rosemary), wildflowers, oak trees
 ANIMALS:
 Coyotes, foxes, mountain lions, deer,
rabbits, squirrels, hawks, quails,
lizards, snakes, butterflies

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Drought - resistant
 2. Short and stunted (store
water in thick stems)
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Thick, watertight coverings
- reptiles/insects
 2. Nocturnal
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation
 Fires
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Deforestation
 Fires
 Lack
of rain (one season only)
 Eliminating predators leading
to overpopulation of prey
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Silverfish/Army
Commensalism
ants -
TEMPERATE FOREST
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Eastern
United States,
southeastern Canada, most of
Europe, and parts of Japan,
China and Australia
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Cold
to moderate winters, warm
summers
 PRECIPITATION:
 Year-round precipitation
 SOIL:
 Fertile soils with humus
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Deciduous trees (maple, birch,
beech), flowering shrubs, herbs, a
ground layer of mosses and ferns
 ANIMALS:
 Deer, black bears, bobcats, squirrels,
raccoons, skunks, songbirds, turkeys

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Small plants must grow
quickly and flower before large
trees leaf out
 2. Broadleaves on deciduous
trees to obtain sunlight
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Layer of fat and fur to
endure winters
 2. Migrate
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Overhunting
 Deforestation
(for farming
because of the humus)
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Cold
weather
 Overhunting
 Deforestation
 Tree diseases
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Honey
guide bird/Badger Mutualism
NW CONIFEROUS FOREST
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Pacific
coast of northwestern
United States and Canada,
from northern California to
Alaska
ABIOTIC FACTORS
TEMPERATURE:
 Mild temperatures, relatively cool, dry
summer
 PRECIPITATION:
 Abundant precipitation during fall,
winter and spring
 SOIL:
 Rocky, acidic soils

BIOTIC FACTORS
 PLANTS:
 Douglas
fir, Sitka spruce, western
hemlock, redwoods, flowering
trees and shrubs (dogwood)
 ANIMALS:
 Bears, elk, deer, beavers, owls,
bobcats, weasels
PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Small plants must "fight"
for sunlight under the shade of
larger trees
 2. Waxy coating to prevent
absorbing too much
precipitation
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Migrate
 2. Hibernate
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation
 Overhunting
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Competition
among plants/
animals
 Deforestation
 Overhunting
 Forest fires
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Bees/Dogwood
- Mutualism
BOREAL FOREST (TAIGA)
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 North
America, Asia and
northern Europe
ABIOTIC FACTORS
 TEMPERATURE:
 Long,
cold winters; short, mild
summers
 PRECIPITATION:
 Moderate precipitation
 SOIL:
 Acidic, nutrient-poor soils
BIOTIC FACTORS
PLANTS:
 Needleleaf coniferous trees such as
spruce pine, cedar, fir, small berrybearing shrubs
 ANIMALS:
 Lynxes, wolves, weasels, moose,
beavers, songbirds, migratory birds

PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Short growing season
 2. Evergreen trees - don't lose
their leaves because it takes
too much time and energy
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Migrate - go south for
winter
 2. Hibernate
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Deforestation
(cutting down
trees)
 Erosion and mudslides on
mountains if trees are cut down
 Lake pollution
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Cold
weather
 Deforestation
 Overhunting
 Acidic soils
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Spruce/Mistletoe
- Parasitism
TUNDRA
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
 Northern
North America, Asia
and Europe
ABIOTIC FACTORS
TEMPERATURE:
 Short and soggy summers; long, cold
and dark winters
 PRECIPITATION:
 Low precipitation
 SOIL:
 Poorly developed soils because of
permafrost

BIOTIC FACTORS
 PLANTS:

Ground-hugging plants such as mosses,
lichens, sedges and short grasses
 ANIMALS:

Migratory waterfowl, shore birds, musk
ox, snowy owl, Arctic foxes, caribou,
lemmings and other small rodents
PLANT ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Short growing season
 2. Shallow root system
(because of permafrost)
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 1.
Fat/Fur to withstand harsh
conditions for the few animals
that stay year-round
 2. Most animals migrate - go
south during winter
HARMFUL HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 Oil
pollution - oil pipelines and
the Exxon Valdez
MAJOR LIMITING FACTORS
 Cold
weather
 High winds
 Low precipitation
 Humus-poor soils
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 Fungus/Algae
Mutualism
(Lichen) -