Biomes A biome is a large group of ecosystems that share similar climates, rain fall, soil types, and

organisms.

There are seven major land biomes and two major water biomes in the biosphere.

marine biome freshwater biome tundra biome - alpine and arctic coniferous forest biome – Taiga/Boreal temperate grassland biome temperate deciduous forest biome desert biome savanna grassland biome tropical rainforest biome

Biomes - 2

tropics: hot and rainy

seasons – hot and cold

arctic: cold and dry

seasons – hot and cold

arctic: cold and dry

salt water12

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temperate means there are seasons

8? Chaparral Biome: Mediterranean – shrubby coastal area; hot dry summer, mild wet winter; California, Chile, Italy

sunlight amount (latitude) + earth’s tilt = seasons/climateclimate = temperature and precipitationclimate + vegetation = world biomes

tundrataiga

temperature deciduous and temperate grasslanddesert

savannah and rainforest

Biomes - 3tundra biome:

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

Tundra Deciduous Forest Savanna

Taiga Chaparral RainforestGrasslands Desert Alpine

Desert-scrub

There are two types of tundra. Arctic tundra is near the poles. Alpine tundra is above the tree line of tall mountains.

12-20 inches of rainfall each year. 54°F in the summer and - 14°F in the winter perpetually cold

and windy.Biomes - 4

The tundra biome:

soil is poor and allows only for shallow rooted plants

flat sloped land plateaus

mountain – steep sloped

Glaciers - flat

High latitudes – Siberia, YukonBelow 67° latitude; right below the arctic circle

to grow such as mosses, grasses, and small shrubs – no trees.

Permafrost is the soil below the surface. It stays frozen year round.

Animals include polar bears, caribou, fox, owls.

Biomes – 5There are three

types of forest biomes: Coniferous – also called Taiga or BorealTemperate deciduous Tropical rain

Taiga biome:

The ground is frozen 2-3 inches below the surface year round, so it cannot support deep rooted plants.

Soggy/marshy – when it rains, there is nowhere for the water to go.

evergreen trees – higher latitudes

trees that lose their leaves because of the seasons – middle latitudes

tropical latitudes - hot and wet

just below the tundra 45° – 60° latitude

The coniferous forest biome:also called the Taiga or Boreal.14-30 inches of rainfall each year.

average temperatures are 57°F in the summer and 14°F in the winter; long cold winters

and short cool summers

Biomes – 6The Taiga:

areas consist mainly of thick forests of cone bearing

evergreen trees.animals include squirrels, bears, wolves, mountain lions, and

moose.

short growing season

mountains – northern temperate areas

temperate deciduous forest biome:

Biomes – 7Temperate deciduous forest biome:30-49 inches of rainfall each year.

average temperatures are 83°F in the summer and 43°F in the winter.

forests lose their leaves every Fall season which contributes to

Angiosperms – flowers, fruits, leaves fall off each year - litter

middle latitudes 30° – 50° seasonal

good soil.variety of animal life.

tropical rain forest biome:

Biomes – 8The tropical rain forest biome:

contains more species than any other biome on the planet.

up to 160 inches of rainfall each year. no seasons here.average temperatures are 93°F in the day and

68°F at night.top soil is very thin and poor for growing and

thick soil for treesEastern Ohio

4-5 times the rain amount in Ohio

tropics: 0° – 25° latitude

farming because the rain washes the nutrients away – leaching; once trees are cut down, they do not grow back.

most species live up in the tree tops or canopy

Biomes – 9desert biome:

Is the rainforest the lungs of the world? Oxygen? Plankton?

130 feet tall

65 feet tall

270 feet tall

subtropical high pressure - 30° Horse latitude25° - 35° latitudeall the world’s desert are found at this latitude

The desert biome:less than 10 inches of rainfall each year. 100°F in the summer and 45°F in the

night. soil is very poor.

plants include cacti and wild-flowers.most animals are nocturnal and include snakes,

lizards, small rodents, bats, and foxes.

Biomes – 10Grassland biomes:

found between forests and deserts generally flat - plains two types - temperate and savannah

temperate grassland biome:

cold at night nocturnal or diurnal

Bread basket of the world: The majority of the world’s food/grain is grown here!

The temperate grassland biome:20-35 inches of rainfall each year average. temperatures 86°F in the summer and

32°F in the winter. soil is rich and good for many plants animals include prairie dogs, mice, and large grazing animals such as bison.

Biomes – 11savanna grassland biome:

The savanna grassland biome:60 inches of rainfall each year.average temperatures are 93°F in the

summer and 61°F in the winter.

tropics to subtropics 0° to 30°

farmland - corn belt:North America has the best soil for growing crops in the world! Why? Climate and seasons – cycles of life and death that build the soil, plus lots of water and sunlight

middle latitudes – 30° to 50°

western Ohio – 38 inches of rain each year

no seasons

tropical grassland with scattered clumps of trees. savannas of Africa are inhabited by some of the most diverse groups of

large herbivores in the world such as zebras, giraffes, and elephants.

Biomes – 12The largest biome in the world is the marine biome. It based on salt

water and contains all oceans and seas. Marine biomes can be divided into three zones depending on the biotic factors.

planktic - floaters or drifters

nektic - swimmers

benthic - bottom

dwellers

Water absorbs

top - surface

bottom

middle

small trees – shallow dirt

Lots of rain (leaching/erosion) washes away the nutrients in the dirt and causes it to be bad for growing.

light, so sunlight can penetrate only about 200 m below the ocean’s surface. Because photosynthesis requires light, most marine producers are found near the surface.

Biomes – 13Marine organisms that float or drift with the currents are called plankton. They are the most

abundant form of life in the marine biome. Plankton range from microscopic algae to animals and organisms as large as jellyfish. Microscopic producers called phytoplankton produce the majority of oxygen in the atmosphere. Microscopic consumers are called zooplankton.

Animals that actively swim, rather than drift with the currents are called nekton. Nekton include all

swimming forms of fish, whales, and squid. All nektons are predators.

Most zooplankton are immature or larval forms of much larger animals.

Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web. They are one of the most important life forms on planet earth!!!

Biomes – 14Plants and animals living in or on the sea floor are called benthic. These include kelp

(tall algae plants) crabs, snails, sea urchins, star fish, and flounders. Benthic organisms may either be:

Or

Or

Or

sessile - stationary their whole life like corals and clams

motile - move around on the bottom like snails, worms, and crabs

infauna - live in the sediments like clams and worms

epifauna - lives on the sediments at the bottom like crabs and corals

suspension feeders - food comes to it, eats food that falls to the bottom, often generates currents so the food moves to it

deposit feeders - moves to decaying organic stuff on the bottom detritus feeders

Biomes - 15Marine biomes can be also be divided into

variouszones depending on the abiotic factors.

intertidal zone - where the ocean meets the land;

may be above water part of the day when the tide is out; includes rocky shores, mud flats, and sandy beaches

neritic - water gradually deeper up to 200 m deep on the continental shelf; lots of sunlight with diverse and colorful life

oceanic zone - past the continental shelf to the

deep water of the open ocean; includes gyres and the Sargasso Sea

benthic - sea floor;from the upper edge of the intertidal zone to the

manatees, seals, sea lions

Brackish water – salt water mixing with fresh water650 ft

pelagic zone – open waterbarrier reefs

middle of the ocean – no current, no life, like a desert

bottom of the deepest ocean waters

Freshwater zones: (biotic and abiotic areas)phototrophic zone –

light, photosynthesisabyssal zone - dark

Littoral Zone – shallow bank area

Limnetic Zone – open water