Download LAND BIOMES

LAND BIOMES
LAND BIOMES
 A biome is a
particular physical
environment that
contains a
characteristic
assemblage of plants
and animals.
LAND BIOMES
 Different biomes are
not separated by a
defined line.
 Transitional areas
exist between
biomes.
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
 Has more species than all
other land biomes combined.
 Tops of tall trees (70 m high)
form the dense canopy.
 The understory is the second
layer of smaller trees below
the canopy.
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
 Hot and wet year-round with thin, nutrient poor soils.
 Found in parts of South and Central America, SE Asia,
parts of Africa, southern India, and northeastern
Australia.
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
 Plants in the Rain
Forest include broadleaved evergreens,
ferns, climbing plants
and vines, and
bromeliads.
TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
 Wildlife includes
sloths, monkeys,
jaguars, parrots,
toucans, ants,
beetles,
piranhas, and
anacondas.
SAVANNA
 Receives more seasonal
rainfall than deserts but
less than tropical dry
forests
 Characterized by a grass
covering with isolated trees
and small groves of trees
SAVANNA
 Warm temperatures,
compact soil, frequent
fires, seasonal rainfall
 Found in southern
Brazil, northern
Australia, and makes
up a large part of
eastern Africa
SAVANNA
 Plant-life includes tall,
perennial grasses
 Sometimes there is a
presence of droughttolerant and fireresistant trees or shrubs
SAVANNA
 Predators like lions,
leopards, cheetahs,
hyenas, and jackals
SAVANNA
 Herbivores like
elephants, giraffes, and
zebras
SAVANNA
 Other wildlife include
baboons, eagles,
ostriches, storks, and
termites
DESERT
 Annual precipitation is less than 25 cm a year
 Organisms can tolerate the extreme conditions
DESERT
 Low precipitation,
variable temperatures,
soils rich in minerals
but poor in organics
 Found in Africa, Asia, the
Middle East, United States,
Mexico, South America,
and Australia
DESERT
 Plants include cacti and other succulents (thickened
leaves for water storage), creosote bush, and other
with short life cycles
DESERT
 Predators include
mountain lions, gray
foxes, and bobcats
DESERT
 Herbivores such as mule
deer and kangaroo rats
DESERT
 Bats and birds like
hawks, owls, and
roadrunners
DESERT
 Desert reptiles include
lizards, rattlesnakes,
and tortoises
Temperate Deciduous Forest

Contain a mix of
deciduous and
coniferous trees
Temperate Deciduous Forest

Cold to moderate
winters; warm
summers; year-round
precipitation; fertile
soils (rich in humus,
which is decaying
organic matter)

Found in eastern
United States;
southeastern Canada;
most of Europe; and
parts of Japan, China,
and Australia
Temperate Deciduous Forest

Plants include
broadleaf
deciduous trees,
some conifers,
flowering shrubs,
herbs, mosses, and
ferns
Temperate Deciduous Forest

Wildlife including
deer, black bears,
bobcats, squirrels,
raccoons, skunks,
and turkey
BOREAL FOREST (Taiga)
Coniferous Forest


Dense evergreen
forests of
coniferous trees
along the northern
edge of the
temperate zone
Also known as the
taiga
BOREAL FOREST (Taiga)
Coniferous Forest

Long, cold winters;
short, mild
summers;
moderate
precipitation with
high humidity

Found in North
America, Asia, and
Europe
BOREAL FOREST (Taiga)
Coniferous Forest

Plant-life
includes
spruce and
fir trees,
some
deciduous
trees, small
berrybearing
shrubs
BOREAL FOREST (Taiga)
Coniferous Forest

Lynx,
timberwolves,
moose, and
beaver are some
of the wildlife
TUNDRA

Characterized
by
permafrost
(layer of
permanently
frozen
subsoil)
TUNDRA

Strong winds, low
precipitation, short
and soggy
summers

Found in northern
North America,
Asia, and Europe
TUNDRA

Ground-hugging plants such as mosses,
lichens, sedges, and short grasses are the
dominant plants in the tundra
TUNDRA

Musk ox, Arctic
foxes, caribou and
lemming reside in
the tundra
POLAR ICE CAPS

Icy polar regions
that border the
tundra are cold
year-round

Polar bears, seals,
insects, mites, and
penguins reside in
the polar regions