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EARTH’S BIOMES
e. Describe the characteristics of Earth’s major terrestrial biomes (i.e.
tropical rain forest, savannah, temperate, desert, taiga, tundra, and
mountain) and aquatic communities (i.e. freshwater, estuaries, and
marine).
 Biosphere-
the thin zone around the outside of the
Earth that contains all living things.
 The biosphere contains self-sustaining ecosystems
composed of biotic and abiotic factors.
 Abiotic factors are those components of the
ecosystem that are not living, but are integral in
determining the number and types of organisms
that are present.
 In order for an ecosystem to succeed, its biotic
factors must obtain and store energy. In addition,
they must recycle water, oxygen, carbon and
nitrogen.
ECOSYSTEMS
A system
 How the system of plants, animals and other
organisms relate to one another and how both
relate and interact with the environment in
which they live.

COMMUNITIES
a smaller area within the ecosystem
where certain types of plants or animals
live in close proximity to each other
 A community might have very different
types of plants and animals living in one
area---that is, the community is divided
into populations of individual species.
 Habitats are where the plants and
animals live and eat.
 Each species of the tree community has
its own niche, or place, as a member of
the community.

BIOMES
 Large
land area ecosystems
characterized by a dominant form of
plant life and climate type.
 There are many different biomes.
 There is no cut and dry place that
separates the biomes.
 They gradually merge in to the next.
 As climates change, the general area of a
biome will shift.
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
 Characterized
by a dominant form of
plant life and climate type.
 There are several:
 Tundra
 Coniferous forest
 Deciduous forest
 Grassland
 Tropical rain forest
 Desert
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
 Determining
factors are the amount
of light, oxygen and the salinity(salt)
level of the water.
 There are several:
 Freshwater ecosystems
 Marine ecosystems (There are
three zones: intertidal, pelagic, and
benthic)
 Estuary