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Chapter 4
Community Interactions
& Biomes
*Community Interactions powerfully affect an
ecosystem
Types of Interactions:
Competition: Organisms of the same or
different species try to use the same
resource in the same place and at the same
time
EX: Different species of lizards in a desert
compete by eating same type of insect
COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION STATES NO
TWO SPECIES CAN OCCUPY THE SAME
NICH IN THE SAME HABITAT AT THE
SAME TIME
Types of Interactions:
Predation: One organism captures and eats
another organism. Predator/Prey
relationship.
EX: A bobcat captures and feeds on rabbits
Types of Interactions:
Symbiosis: Means “Living Together”. Organisms live
closely together. Three types of Symbiosis are
1. Mutualism: Both species benefit. EX: Bees
receive pollen from flowers and flowers are
pollenated from bees.
2. Commensalism: One species benefits and the
other is neither helped nor harmed. EX: Barnacles
that live on a whale’s skin
3. Parasitism: One organism lives on or in
another and harms it. EX: Fleas living on a dog
Biomes
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Biome= a group of ecosystems that have the
same climate and dominant communities of
organisms.
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Species are able to adapt in order to live in different
biomes. EX: Desert Kangaroo Rats have kidney
adaptations that allow them to conserve water
Microclimate= The climate in a small area
differs from the climate around it.
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EX: Certain streets in San Francisco are often
blanketed in fog while sun shines brightly just a few
blocks away
The Major Biomes
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Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical Dry Forest
Tropical Savannah
Desert
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Woodland and Shrubland
Temperate Forest
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
Boreal Forest
Tundra
Tropical Rain Forest
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Hot & wet year round
Orchids, ferns, vines, climbing plants
Sloths, jaguars, anteaters, monkeys, toucans,
parrots, butterflies, boa constrictors,
anacondas
Found in South & Central America, Southeast
Asia, parts of Africa, Southern India,
Northeastern Austraila
EX: Belem, Brazil
Tropical Dry Forest
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Rainfall is seasonal and NOT year round
Generally warm year round, alternating wet
and dry seasons
Tall, deciduous trees, aloes and succulents
Tigers, monkeys, elephants, rhinoceroses,
hogs, deer, snakes, lizards
Parts of Africa, South & Central America,
Mexico, India, Australia
EX: Chennai, India
Tropical Savannah
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Receives more rainfall than deserts but less
than tropical dry forests
Mainly grasslands with isolated trees
Warm temperature, seasonal rainfall
Tall perennial grasses, drought tolerant shrubs
Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants,
giraffes, baboons, zebras
Large parts of Africa, Southern Brazil,
Northern Australia
EX: Mombasa, Kenya
Desert
Low precipitation, variable temperatures
 Cacti and succulents
 Mountain lions, gray fox, bobcats, mule
deer, bighorn sheep, tortoises,
rattlesnakes, lizards
 Africa, Asia, Middle East, United States,
South America, Australia
 EX: Yuma, AZ
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Temperate Grasslands
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Warm to hot summers, cold winters, moderate
precipitation
Perennial grasses and herbs
Coyotes and badgers, wolves, grizzly bear,
rabbits, prairie dogs, hawks, owls, snakes
Central Asia, N. America, Australia, Central
Europe
EX: Dallas, TX
Temperate Woodland & Shrubland
Hot, dry summers, cool, moist winters
 Woody evergreen shrubs
 Coyotes, fox, bobcats, mountain lions,
deer, rabbits, squirrels, lizards, snakes
 West coast of N. and S. America,
Mediterranean Sea area, South Africa,
Australia
 EX: Los Angeles, CA
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Temperate Forest
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Cold winters, warm summers, fertile soil,
Deciduous trees, some conifers, mosses and
fern
Deer, black bear, bobcats, squirrels, raccoons,
skunks, songbirds
Eastern US, SE Canada, most of Europe,
Parts of Japan, China & Australia
EX: Philadelphia, PA
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
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Mild temperatures, precipitation during fall,
winter, spring, rocky acidic soils
Douglas Fir, spruce, redwoods
Bear, elk, deer, beavers, owls, bobcats,
weasels
Pacific coast of northwestern US and Canada
from northern California to Alaska
EX: Seattle, WA
Boreal Forest
Long, cold winters, short, mild summers,
high humidity
 Needleleaf conifers such as spruce and
fir, berry-bearing shrubs
 Timber wolves, lynxes, moose, beavers
 North America, Asia, and northern
Europe
 EX: Fairbanks, Alaska
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Tundra
Strong winds, low precipitation, short
summers, long cold winters, permafrost
 Mosses, lichens, short grasses
 A few birds and mammals that can stand
harsh conditions, artic fox, caribou
 Northern North America, Asia, Europe
 EX: Barrow, Alaska
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