What are Biomes

1

What are Biomes?
Mrs. Kirchner 2007-08 5th grade
2
BIOMES
There are places on earth that are unlike others.
Each type of place is called a biome. A biome is
a large area having a different climate and
particular types of plant and animal life. There
are several different types of biomes. There are
deserts where there is little rainfall. There
are rainforests where it rains up to one hundred
fifty inches per year. The plants and animals
that live in these places are very different from
each other.
3
Climate
Physical things such as climate and geography
determine what things can live in an area.
Climate is the general weather of an area over a
long period of time, including its seasonal
changes. The climate of an area largely depends
on its location on Earth.
Areas close to the equator receive more direct
sunlight than areas close to the poles.
Therefore, areas closer to the equator are warmer
year-round. Areas nearer the poles have warm,
short summers and cold winters. Sometimes
geography determines how much or how little
rainfall an area will receive
4
Plants Animals
Biomes also have certain kinds of plants and
animals that live there. That's because the
climate mostly determines what plants can grow in
an area. Certain animals who like to eat those
kinds of plants will live in that area. The
plants and animals that live in a certain type of
biome are suited to living in that environment
5
Every biome is also home to a special group of
animals. In one way or another, the animals
depend on the plants to survive. All the plants
and animals in a biome form a community. In that
community, every living thing depends on other
community members to survive. A biome's climate,
soil, plants, and animals are all connected this
way.
6
Desert Biomes
Deserts are places on earth that are
characterized by little vegetation and rain. They
are made up of sand or rocks and gravel. Deserts
cover about one-fifth of all the land in the
world.
Animals in the desert eat plants and each other
to survive. Many feed on the roots, stems,
leaves, and seeds of plants. These animals are
then eaten by bigger animals. Some animals get
enough water from their food, but others must
travel to water holes.
7
Did you know there are two types of Rainforest --
the temperate and the tropical? Tropical
rainforests are found close to the equator.
Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in
the temperate zone, such as the Pacific Northwest
of the USA. Both are endangered!
Animals and insects live in all the layers of the
rainforest. Some prefer the emergent layer, some
the canopy. Others thrive in the under story, or
the forest floor.
Rainforest
8
How cold is cold? The tundra biome is at the top
of the world -- around the North Pole! Below a
thin layer of tundra soil is its permafrost, a
permanently frozen layer of ground. During the
brief summers, the top section of the soil may
thaw just long enough to allow plants and
microorganisms to grow and reproduce.
Tundra
9
Grasslands receive about 10 to 30 inches of rain
per year. If they received more rain, the
grasslands would become a forest
10
The Taiga biome stretches across a large portion
of Canada, Europe and Asia. It is the largest
biome in the world. Winters are cold. Summers are
warm. Lots of conifers grow here.
The taiga is the largest biome
The taiga is very, very cold in the winter. But
when the warm summer comes, the ice and snow
melt. The sun shines for days in the summer,
because the taiga is near the top of the world.
11
The animals adapt to the climate by hibernating
in the winter and living off the land in the
other three seasons.
The Temperate Deciduous Forest biome has four
seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Animals and plants have special adaptations to
cope with these yearly changes.
12
Quick Check . . .
What is a biome? How does climate and location
effect a biome? What lives in a biome? What are
the names of each biome?
13
Fun Links and Resources
http//www.mrnussbaum.com/biomes.htm
http//www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/Environments/ind
ex.html