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Biome Notes 2013-2014
term
ecological
succession
definition or information
normal, gradual changes that
occur in the types of species
that live in an area
primary
succession
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secondary
succession
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
climax
community
begins in a place without
soil. (takes longer)
starts with pioneer species
such as lichens that can
grow in rock
new soil forms as weather
and erosion break down
rock; volcanoes
decaying plants add
organic material to new
soil
begins in a place that has
soil and once had living
organisms
Example: after a fire or
removal of buildings
Occurs faster and has
different pioneer species
than primary succession
stable stage of ecological
diversity and balance
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diagram or examples
Biome Notes 2013-2014
biomes
large areas with similar
climates (temperature and
precipitation) and ecosystems
Types of Biomes---- http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org; http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes;
http://www.mbgnet.net/index.html
biome
characteristics
plant/animal examples (flora/fauna)
Tundra
 cold, dry, and treeless
 mosses, grasses, small shrubs, lichens
(arctic and
(cold desert or polar)
 insects, ducks, geese, other birds, mice, arctic
alpine)
hares, reindeer, polar bears, caribou, snowy owls
 plants that grow low to
the ground with short
growing season
 permanently frozen soil
called permafrost
Arctic Tundra
North America  low biotic diversity
Northern Alaska,
 energy and nutrients in the
Canada,
form of dead organic
Greenland
material
Northern Europe
- Scandinavia
 large population
Northern Asia oscillations
Siberia
 average winter
temperature -34° C (-30°
Alpine Tundra
F)
North America Alaska, Canada
 average summer
Northern Europe
temperature 3-12° C (37- Finland,
54° F)
Norway, Russia,
 average precipitation
and Sweden
15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches)
Asia - Southern
Asia (Himalayan per year
Mountains), and
Japan (Mt. Fuji)
Africa - Mt.
Kilimanjaro
South America Andes Mountains
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Biome Notes 2013-2014
Taiga
 cold forest with long
(Coniferous
winters
Forest or
 world’s largest biome
Boreal)
 Soil thaws in the short
summer
 Precipitation is mostly
snow, 35cm-100cm per
year (12 to 33 inches)
 Summers -7° C to 21° C
(20° to 70° F)
 Winters -54 to -1° C (-65
to 30° F)
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evergreen trees
cone-bearing (coniferous)
grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, lynx
Temperate
deciduous
forest
 four distinct seasons, with
wide range of
temperatures; more rain
than grasslands
 temperatures range from
below freezing in winter
to 30°C (86 ºF) or more in
summer
 Precipitation throughout
the year, 75cm-150cm per
year
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populated mostly by trees that lose their leaves in fall
oak, maple, beech, walnut, hickory, chestnut, elm
Temperate
rain forest
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Tall trees with needlelike leaves
Mosses, ferns, Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, Western Red
Cedar, epiphytes,
black bear, cougar, bobcat, and endangered northern
spotted owl
Average temperature: 9°C
to 12°C
(48.2 ºF to 53.6 ºF)
 Precipitation: 200cm400cm per year or about
100 inches per year

Biome Notes 2013-2014
Tropical rain
 the most biologically
forest
diverse of all biomes
 warm temperatures and
wet weather year-round
 located near the equator
 Average temperature:
25°C or 77° F
 Precipitation: 200cm600cm per year
 Four zones: forest floor,
understory, canopy,
emergents
 Human impact: habitats
being destroyed by
farmers and loggers
Desert
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very hot; large
temperature variation
Plants that can store water
or live with little water;
roots extend great
distances to reach water
driest biome; supports
little plant life; arid
Precipitation: less than
25cm per year
Soil: thin, sandy or
gravelly
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lush plant life, large variety of animals
vines, lianas, rattan vine, strangler fig
toucans, sloth, howler monkey, spider monkey, poison
dart frog, anaconda
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cactus, short grasses, sagebrush
kangaroo rat, reptiles, Gila monster, iguana, scorpion
Biome Notes 2013-2014
Grassland
 Temperate or tropical
(savanna,
regions that get limited
plains,
precipitation
steppes,
 dominated by grasses
prairies)
(provide food for wildlife,
livestock, and humans)
 Temperature: temperate or
tropical
 Precipitation: 25cm-75cm
per year; have a dry
season
Aquatic
Marine
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Populated mostly by grasses and nonwoody plants
Animals---based on location in world
giraffe, zebra, African elephant, kangaroo, lion,
gazelle, bison, prairie dog, ostrich, rhinoceros,
wildebeest
North American Prairie----prairie dog, bison (buffalo),
elk, deer, rabbits, Indian grass
characteristics or information
 Saltwater---95% of Earth’s water
contains high concentration of salt or
high salinity
 examples---oceans, bays, estuaries
 large variety of plants and animals
 Saltwater ecosystems—
 open oceans—divided into lighted
and dark life zones
a) lighted—upper 200m and
home of plankton (plankton
makeup the foundation of
the food chain)
b) dark—below 200m where
animals feed on material
that floats down or prey on
each other
 coral reefs—diverse and fragile
ecosystems formed from coral
shells of calcium carbonate
diagrams
Biome Notes 2013-2014
 seashores—along coastlines
a) intertidal zone—covered
with water at high tide
and exposed to air at low
tide
b) drastic changes in
temperature, moisture,
salinity, and wave action
 estuaries—where a river meets and
ocean (brackish); mangroves, bays,
lagoons, harbors, inlets, sounds
a) Rich in nutrients
b) Changing mixture of salt water and
freshwater
c) Nurseries for many species of ocean
fish
Freshwater

examples---streams, rivers, springs,
ponds, bayous and most marshes and
lakes
 include flowing or standing water; low
or no salt
 large variety of plants and animals
 rivers and streams---flowing water
a. Most nutrients washed into water
from land
b. The faster the flow the greater the
oxygen content
 lakes and ponds---very little flow
c. Sunlight warms and lights pond
bottom supporting pant and animal life
d. Deeper lakes support life along
shallow shoreline or surface
 wetlands---regions wet all or most of the
year
a. Between solid land and water
b. Very fertile
 water pollution---a problem caused by
fertilizer-filled runoff and sewage
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Biome Notes 2013-2014
Adaptations and Evolution—
term
definition or information
adaptation
---any characteristic of an
organism that helps it survive in a
certain environment
--- structural---body size, shape,
color
mimicry
resemblance of one organism to
another or to an object in its
surroundings for concealment and
protection from predators
hibernation
state of moderate to complete
inactivity during winter to escape
food shortage or colder weather
migration
---animal’s movement to a new
location on a regular schedule such
as when seasons change
---mating
aestivation
(estivation)
predatorprey
behaviors
dormancy in response to very hot
or dry conditions
Safety in numbers
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examples
 polar bear---fur and blubber
 reptiles---scales help keep water from escaping
through the skin
 birds---beaks with shapes that help get to food or
type of food they eat
 trees in rainforests---tolerate shade; wide flat leaves
to absorb sunlight
 Arctic hare---fur blends with landscape based on
season
 Ability to eat certain chemicals without being
poisoned
 protection-- hedgehogs and sea urchins---sharp spines
 cacti and roses---thorns
 turtles and snails---shells
 to sting predators or spray with foul-smelling
substance
 appearance, behavior, sound, scent
 Eastern King snake is harmless but its scales are
colored like those of the dangerous coral snake
 Mimic octopus
 Viceroy butterfly mimics the Monarch’s wings so
that birds will leave it alone. Monarch butterflies
taste bad to birds.
 animal’s temp drops to near the temp of its
surroundings
 breathing and heart rate slow down
 needed energy comes from stored body fat
 ground squirrels, black bears, bats, lemurs,
marsupials
 monarch butterflies, humpback whales, American
bison (buffalo)
 mammals and birds migrate to warm places in fall
and return in spring
 Arctic tern travels from the Arctic to the Antarctic
and back each year (approx. 35,000 km)
 Red Christmas Crab
 Worm, lungfish, garden snail
 Cane toad, lady beetles, desert tortoise
 Wolves hunt in packs
 Musk oxen live in herds and protect each other by
forming a circle with their horns pointing out
 Birds stay together in flocks as they migrate
 Baboons form troops for both defense and
cooperative living
Biome Notes 2013-2014
Organism
giraffe
Arctic Hare
monkey
Habitat
savanna
Arctic
rainforest
cacti
robin (bird)
black bear
desert
forest
forest
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Organisms and Their Adaptations
Adaptation
Function
long neck
helps to reach leaves on trees for food
white fur in winter
provides camouflage from predators
grasping tail
acts as an extra hand, freeing hands and feet for
other uses
waxy skin
reduces water loss from evaporation
migration
adapts to seasonal changes
hibernation
adapts to seasonal changes
Natural Selection---term
definition or information
Charles
 visited Galapagos
Darwin
Islands
 studied diversity of
living things
 Theory of Evolution by
Natural Selection
natural
selection
 organisms that are
better adapted to an
environment survive
and reproduce at a
greater rate than
organisms that are not
 over time several
factors can act together
to result in a new
species
 adapted organisms are
selected naturally to
survive and increase in
number
diagram or example
Biome Notes 2013-2014
variations
 differences in traits
among members of a
species
 good for the overall
success of a species
 useful traits are likely to
live longer
 likely to have more
offspring and pass on
their helpful traits
 Through natural
selection, variations can
lead to the formation of
new species from
existing species.
geographic
 When a part of a
isolation
population of the same
species become
separated by a physical
barrier (body of water,
mountains, etc.) and
divide into two different
species.
extinction
 the permanent dying
out of an entire species
of organisms
 Sometimes, when
conditions change, a
species does not change.
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Biome Notes 2013-2014
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