BIOMES

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BIOMES

• Summary of the 8 Terrestrial Biomes

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BOREAL FOREST (Largest Biome in the World)
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BOREAL FOREST
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BOREAL FOREST

• WHERE?
• Northern Hemisphere
• (45 65 N)
• FEATURES
• Very cold winters
• Rainy, humid summers (short)
• Rough terrain
• CLIMATE
• Precipitation 30 to 85 cm/yr (snow)
• Temp freezing ½ the year (lows -40C)

Russian Boreal Forest
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BOREAL FOREST

• WHO LIVES HERE? Animals are able to adapt for
  warm summers and cool winters thick fur, change
  from brown to winter white, reptiles are rare.
• Insect-eating birds (finch), chipmunk, shrew,
  moose, black and grizzly bears, wolverine
• PLANT LIFE
• Coniferous trees (evergreens)
• Waxy needles
• (resist water loss,
• snow slides off).

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TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST
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TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST
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TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

• WHERE?
• Eastern Canada/US,
• Western Europe
• FEATURES
• 4 distinct seasons
• Long growing season
• Rich soil (fallen leaves)
• CLIMATE
• Precipitation even throughout
• year (75 -180 cm)
• Temp -30 to 30C

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TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

• WHO LIVES HERE? A large variety due to the
  abundance of various habitats. Some hibernate,
  others migrate during winter.
• Rabbits, squirrels, skunks, cougars, deer,
  wolves, bears...
• PLANT LIFE
• Four to five layers (mosses -gt berries -gt shrubs
  -gt short trees -gt deciduous trees)
• Deciduous trees
• (Maple, Oak, Birch)
• lose leaves in fall.

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TEMPERATE RAINFOREST
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TEMPERATE RAINFOREST
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Temperate Rainforest

• WHERE?
• Coastal BC, New Zealand,
• Australia, coast of Chile
• FEATURES
• Along coastlines, backed by
• mountains
• Very tall trees (up to 60m)
• CLIMATE
• Heavy rainfall (gt200 cm/yr)
• Coastal fog
• Temp 5 to 25C

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Temperate Rainforest

• WHO LIVES HERE? Many animals live on forest floor
  where they are protected from wind and rain. Eat
  seeds and insects.
• Small mammals (chipmunks), birds (eagle),
  amphibians, bears...
• PLANT LIFE
• Tall, large evergreens (due to rain)
• Mosses and lichens on tree trunks to
• reach light. Mosses, fungi on forest
• floor

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TROPICAL RAINFOREST
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TROPICAL RAINFOREST
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Tropical Rainforest

• WHERE?
• Along the equator Northern
• South America, Central Africa,
• Southeast Asia, Central America
• FEATURES
• Poor soil (heavy rains wash nutrients away)
• Dark forest floor
• CLIMATE
• Heavy rainfall (gt250 cm/yr)
• Warm temp 20 to 25 C

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Tropical Rainforest

• WHO LIVES HERE? Large diversity but not many
  large mammals. Most animals live in trees as
  little vegetation on ground. Most are
  specialists to decrease competition. Some
  secrete poison.
• Small animals, few large mammals, birds (toucan,
  parrots), insects...
• Poison arrow frog
• This biome has the greatest
• diversity of animals on Earth

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Tropical Rainforest

• PLANT LIFE
• This biome also has the greatest plant diversity
• Leaves have narrow tips so rain runs off
• Tall trees form a canopy and block the light
• Some plants grow on the tall trees to reach the
  sunlight (vines and orchids)
• Shrubs adapted to low light can grow in the
  forest floor

Jambu
Bengal Bamboo
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GRASSLANDS
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GRASSLANDS
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GRASSLANDS

• WHERE?
• Temperate (Prairies, Russia)
• Tropical (Africa, S America, N Australia)
• FEATURES
• Flat, rich fertile soil
• Rain followed by long dry periods
• Grass fires can occur
• CLIMATE
• Rainfall 25 to 100 cm/yr (Temp)
• 50 to 130 cm/yr (Trop)
• Temp -10 to 30C (Temp)
• 20 to 30C (Trop)

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GRASSLANDS

• WHO LIVES HERE? Grazing and scavenging animals
  lots of grass
• Large grazing animals (antelope, giraffes,
  zebras, wolves, coyotes, rabbits, snakes, lions,
  cheetahs...)
• PLANT LIFE
• Grasses (adapted for drought well developed
  roots collect water, grow after fire) flexible
  stalks dont break in wind). Some grasses are
  sharp taste bad.
• Few trees

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DESERT
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DESERT
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DESERT

• WHERE?
• Kalahari and Sahara of Africa,
• Simpson of Australia...Cold deserts in North
  America (Great Basin Desert), Argentina
  (Patagonian Desert)
• FEATURES
• Hot, dry
• Salty soil (minerals dont get washed away)
• CLIMATE
• Rainfall lt 25 cm/yr
• Temp hot days, cold nights

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DESERT

• WHO LIVES HERE? Thick skin and scales to prevent
  water loss. Large adapted excretory systems (to
  preserve water). Large extremities. Not active
  during day (heat) , busy at night (cold) -- some
  burrow.
• Reptiles, scorpions, desert spadefoot toads,
  lizards, foxes, coyotes, jackrabbits...
• PLANT LIFE few species
• Cacti, sagebrush
• Long roots help absorb water
• Spines/ chemicals help protect
• from being eaten

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THE TUNDRA
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TUNDRA
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TUNDRA

• WHERE?
• Upper Northern Hemisphere (60 70 N)
• FEATURES
• Cold and dark
• Short Summers (24 hrs of daylight)
• Layer of permanently frozen soil (permafrost)
• CLIMATE
• Precipitation less than 25 cm/yr
• Summer temp 3 to 12 C
• Winter temp -20 to - 30 C

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TUNDRA

• WHO LIVES HERE? For animals to prevent heat
  loss, they have small bodies and shorter legs
  and ears (less space to lose heat from the body).
  They grow slowly and reproduce infrequently
  (less energy). Some turn white for camoflauge.
  Lots migrate away during winter.
• Foxes, caribou, snowy owl, seals, walrus, polar
  bear, walrus, beluga whale...
• PLANT LIFE
• No trees (short summer, permafrost)
• Plants grow close to
• ground
• mosses, lichens, grasses.

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• Teachers' Domain Arctic Tundra

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PERMANENT ICE (POLAR)
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PERMANENT ICE (POLAR)
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Permanent Ice

• WHERE?
• Polar ice caps of Arctic, Greenland, Antarctica
• FEATURES
• Strong winds, little soil
• Most freshwater is frozen in ice
• CLIMATE
• Precipitation lt50 cm/yr (snow)
• Summer temp up to 14 C
• (Arctic summer)
• Winter temp down to -30 C
• (As low as -89 C in Antarctica)

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Permanent Ice

• WHO LIVES HERE? Large terrestrial and marine
  mammals with lots of fat layers and tightly
  packed feathers to prevent heat loss. Some have
  fur and some lie close together (walrus/seal)
• Polar bears, walruses, seals, arctic foxes,
  penguins, leopard seals.
• PLANT LIFE
• Lichens (fungi algae)
• Moss
• 100 species of flowering plants
• in Arctic