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Biomes By Drew Buzzell, Rebecca Forman and Nina Sevilla Objective Question: What defines a biome? • A biome is a terrestrial ecosystem that covers a large region of the earth • Characterized by communities of plants, animals and other organisms that are adapted to its climate and other abiotic factors Tropical Forest • Tropical forests occur near the equator where temperatures are warm year-round • One type of tropical forests--tropical rain forests--can receive as much as 350 centimeters of rainfall yearly • Tall broad-leaved trees create a canopy and little light actually reaches the forest floor • Tropical rain forests have the greatest diversity of life o 50% of all species on Earth • Clearing forests affects global weather patterns Savanna • Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees • Found in tropical regions of Africa, Australia and South America • Grasses grow rapidly and are food for grazing animals • Warm climate with alternating wet and dry seasons o Organisms in the savanna must be able to cope with drought Desert • Deserts are land areas that receive less than 30 cm of rain per year • Some have soil temperatures of over 60 degrees C, while others are relatively cold • Some have little to no plant life and others are populated by scattered shrubs and cacti Chaparral • Temperate coastal biome dominated by dense evergreen shrubs are known as chaparrals • Climate consists of mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers Temperate Grassland • Temperate grasslands are characterized by deep, nutrientrich soil that supports a varity of species and other plants • Seasonal drought and occasional fires prevent woody shrubs and trees from growing • Drier areas have shorter grass species, but wetter areas support plants that grow over 2 meters in height. Temperate Deciduous Forest • Temperate deciduous forests are characterized by dense stands of deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves each year) • Winters tend to be cold, and summers tend to be quite hot. • New England falls into this category. Coniferous Forest • Coniferous forests are characterized by cone-bearing evergreen trees (pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock) • These regions are also called the taiga • Winters are long, cold, and have heavy snowfall • Typical animals are hares, moose, elk, wolves, and bears Tundra • Tundras are characterized by extremely cold temperatures and high winds • Found within the Arctic Circle and on high mountaintops at all latitudes • Permafrost is the permanently frozen subsoil, during the summer only the first few inches melt Aquatic Ecosystems Background • Nearly 3/4ths of the Earth's surface is covered with water • Aquatic (water) ecosystems provide homes to many of the Earth's organisms • Major abiotic factors affecting aquatic ecosystems include the amount of dissolved salt, the water temperature and the availability of sunlight Ponds and Lakes • Standing (not flowing) bodies of water • Photic zone is made up by the shallow water close to shore and the upper zone of water away from shore o Water plants and Phytoplankton--microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that carry out photosynthesis--live in this zone • The aphotic zone is the deep, murky areas of a lake where light levels are too low to support photosynthesis • The benthic zone is what the bottom of any aquatic ecosystem is called o consists of rock, sand, and sediment Streams and Rivers • Bodies of flowing freshwater o Streams are smaller, rivers are larger • Near the source, river water is usually cold, low in nutrients, and clear o Few phytoplankton inhibit this part, instead the major producer is algae on rocks o Many species of anthropds live in the benethic zone and the most common fish are trout • Downstream the river becomes warmer, murkier, wider and deeper o Marshes and other wetlands are common o More phytoplankton, as well as many other species, inhabit this part o Worms and insect larvae are more abundant in the benethic zone Estuaries • An estuary is the area where a stream or river merges with the ocean • There are changes in slat concentration and temperature • Nutrient rich soil supports a rich diversity of life, it is one of Earth's most productive ecosystems • Along the east coast of the United State, the major ecosystems found in estuaries are salt marshes • In tropical areas, the typical estuary ecosystems are mangrove swamps Objective Question: Freshwater Flowing Aquatic Ecosystems Standing Salt and Fresh Water Ocean Zones • The ocean can be divided into zones based on depth o Pelagic Zone (open water above the ocean floor) Photic, Aphotic o Benethic Zone • The ocean can also be divided into zones based on the distance from shore o Intertidal Zone o Nertic Zone o Oceanic Zone Intertidal Zone • Intertidal zone is the area of shore between high-tide and low-tide • Benethic organisms in this zone must be well-adapted to the harsh conditions of the sun and wind during low tide and pounding waves during high tide o Ex. Barnicles cement themselves to rocks trap-door holds moisture during low-tide Neritic Zone • Neritic zone is the area of the ocean from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf • Sunlight allows for seaweeds and phytoplankton • Other animals include mollusks, crustatians, sponges, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals Oceanic Zone • Oceanic zone is the vast, open ocean from the edge of the continental shelf outward • The photic zone is inhabited by phytoplankton and zooplankton (microscopic animals that serve as food) • Swimming animals include dolphin, whales, squid and numerous species of fish that are adapted to life at different depths Coral Reefs • Visually spectacular and biologically diverse ecosystem o Equivalent to tropical rain forests on earth • Contain one out of every four marine species • Usually in the neritic zone • Most coral reefs are formed by colonies of coral polyps Deep-Sea Vents • Hydrothermal vents are spots on the ocean floor where hot gasses and minerals escape from the Earth's interior • No sunlight reaches this deep zone • Vent communities use chemical energy from the Earth o The producers in this ecosystem are prokaryotes that can extract energy from sulfur compounds and use it to make carbohydrates