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Biomes
4.3
Biomes
• What is a biome?
• A complex of terrestrial
communities that cover
a large area
characterized by certain
soil and climate
conditions and particular
plants and animals.
Biomes
• Can all kinds of
organisms live
in every
biome?
• What allows
species to
survive in their
biome?
• No- Not all species of
organisms can live in
every biome.
• Species have
adaptations to help
them adapt to different
conditions
Tolerance
• What is meant by • Ability to survive and
tolerance?
reproduce under conditions
Frozen wood frog
that differ from their optimal
conditions.
• Too much or too little of
any environmental factor
can make it difficult for an
organism to survive.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/video/3209/i05.html
Biomes & Climate
• What are the
two main
components
of climate?
• What is a
microclimate?
• Temperature
• Precipitation
• A small area within a biome
where the climate differs from
the climate around
– When driving to school on a
sunny day, you go through a
valley blanketed by fog
The 10 Major Biomes
•
•
•
•
•
Tropical rain forest
Tropical dry forest
Tropical savanna
Desert
Temperate
grassland
• Temperate
woodland &
scrubland
• Temperate forest
• Northwestern
coniferous forest
• Boreal forest
(Taiga)
• Tundra
The Major Biomes
• What can cause • Microclimates
variations within • Differences in exposure
a biome?
• Elevation above or below sea
level
• Presence of rock outcroppings
• What is a
transitional
•
Areas
between
one
biome
and
area?
the next where plants and
animals become more or less
common to the biomes adjacent
one another
Tropical Rain Forest
• Canopy
– 50-80 m above the forest floor
• Understory
– area below the canopy
• Geographic distribution
–
–
–
–
–
South & Central America
Southeast Asia
Parts of Africa
Southern India
NE Australia
• Abiotic
– hot & wet yearround
– thin, nutrient poor
soils
• Biotic
– home to more
species than all
other biomes
combined
Tropical Dry Forest
• Rainfall is highly
seasonal.
• Trees drop their
leaves during dry
season.
• Geographic Distrib.
–
–
–
–
–
–
• Abiotic
– warm year-round
– alternating wet & dry
seasons
– rich soils subject to
erosion
• Biotic
Parts of Africa
– deciduous trees,
South & Central America
drought-tolerant plants
Mexico
– tigers, monkeys,
India
elephants, birds, snakes,
Australia
monitor lizards, etc.
Tropical Islands
Tropical Savanna
• More seasonal
rainfall than
deserts, but less
than tropical dry
forests
• Geographic Dist.
– Eastern Africa
– Southern Brazil
– Northern
Australia
• Abiotic
–
–
–
–
warm temperatures
seasonal rainfall
compact soil
frequent lightning fires
• Biotic
– Grasslands.
– Spotted with isolated trees
and small groves
– lions, cheetahs,
rhinoceroses, elephants,
giraffes, baboons, eagles,
ostrich, etc.
• Abiotic
• Annual precipitation is
less than 25 cm. Vary
based on elevation and
latitude. Extreme
temperature changes &
extreme conditions
• Geographic Dist.
–
–
–
–
–
–
Africa
Asia
Middle East
United States
Mexico
South America
Desert
– Low precipitation
– variable temps
– soils rich in
minerals but poor
in organic material
• Biotic
– Mountain lions,
bobcats, pronghorn
antelope, bighorn
sheep,
– owls, hawks,
rattlesnakes,
lizards, etc.
Temperate
Grasslands
• Rich mix of
grasses and
some of the
world’s most
fertile soil.
• Geographic Dist.
– Central Asia
– North America
– Australia
– Central Europe
– South America
upland plateaus
• Abiotic
– Warm to hot summers,
cold winters
– moderate seasonal
precipitation
– fertile soils
– occasional fires
• Biotic
– Lush perennial grasses,
most drought, fire, & cold
resistant
– coyotes, wolves, grizzly
bears
– Rabbits, prairie dogs,
snakes, etc.
Temperate Woodland &
Scrubland
• Semiarid climate.
Growth of dense low
plants that contain
flammable oils makes
fires a constant threat.
• Abiotic
• Geographic Dist.
• Biotic
– Western coast of North
& South America
– Areas around the
Mediterranean Sea
– South Africa
– Australia
– Hot, dry summers
– Cool, moist winters
– Thin, nutrient-poor
soils
– Periodic fires
– Woody evergreen
shrubs, oily herbs
– Coyotes, fox, bobcats
– Deer, rabbits, squirrels
– Lizards, snakes,
butterflies, etc.
Temperate Forest
• Cold winters that halt
plant growth for
several months.
Deciduous trees shed
leaves in autumn, new
plant growth in spring.
• Geographic Dist.
–
–
–
–
–
–
Eastern US
SE Canada
Most of Europe
Parts of Japan
China
Australia
• Abiotic
– Cold to moderate
winters
– Warm summers
– Year-round
precipitation
– Fertile soils
• Biotic
– Coniferous trees &
deciduous trees,
mosses, ferns
– Deer, black bear,
squirrels, skunk
– Songbirds, turkeys
•
Northwestern Coniferous
Forest (Temperate Rain
• Abiotic
Mild, moistForest)
air from
– Mild temperatures
Pacific Ocean
provides abundant
rainfall.
• Geographic Dist.
– Pacific coast of NW US
– Canada
– Northern California to
Alaska
Twilight
Series is set
here
– Abundant precipitation during
fall, winter, & spring
– Relatively cool, dry summer
– Rocky, acidic soils
• Biotic
– Redwood trees, Spruce
– Bears, elk, deer, owls, bobcats,
weasels, etc.
Boreal Forest (Tiaga)
• Abiotic
• Also referred to as
Taiga. Bitterly cold
winters, mild summers
to allow ground to
thaw.
• Geographic Dist.
– North America
– Asia
– Northern Europe
–
–
–
–
–
Long, cold winters
Short, mild summers
Moderate precipitation
High humidity
Acidic, nutrient-poor
soils
• Biotic
– Needleleaf coniferous
trees, small berrybearing shrubs
– Lynxes, timber wolves,
moose, beaver,
songbirds, migratory
birds
Tundra
• Abiotic
– Strong winds
– Low precipitation
– Short, soggy summers
– Long, cold, dark winters
– Poorly developed soils
• Characterized by
permafrost (layer of
permanently frozen
subsoil). Ground
thaws a few
centimeters in summer • Biotic
becoming soggy & wet. – Ground hugging plants
– Musk ox, arctic fox,
• Geographic Dist.
caribou, lemmings,
small rodents,
– Northern North America
migratory
waterfowl,
– Asia
shore birds
– Europe
Other Land Areas
• Some areas of
land on Earth do
not neatly fall into
the major biome
categories.
• Mountain
Ranges- found on
all continents.
– Abiotic and biotic
conditions vary
with elevation. As
elevation rises,
temperature
decreases and
precipitation
increases.
Other Land Areas
• Polar Ice Capsborder the
tundra, cold all
year
• Northern polar regions– Arctic Ocean covered with sea
ice & a thick ice cap over most
of Greenland
• South polar regions– Antarctica is covered by a layer
of ice nearly 5 km thick
– Dominant wildlife:
• Penguins and marine
mammals