Biome Notes

•Tropical Rain Forest• Located in warm areas near the equator.• Rains between 50-260 inches a year.• Average Temperature is 77 with about 80% humidity all year long.• Divided into horizontal sections called the canopy, understory, and forest floor.

•Desert• Less than 25 cm or 10 inches a year. • Temperatures average 75 but can go much higher in the day• Plants have adaptations to store water.• Most of the deserts are located in Africa. • Only the hardy animals can survive in the desert due to the lack of rain.

•Grassland• Located on the interior of continents• Rolling plains characterized by few trees.• 25-75 cm of rainfall a year is typical. • Usually have a predominate dry season and a wet season. • Home to some of the largest animals and herds.

•Deciduous Forest • Located in eastern US, Europe, and Asia.• Trees turn color and shed their leaves in winter.• Rainfall: at least 50 cm a year, which is enough for large plants and trees• Temperature: vary from very cold in winter to warm summer• Only biome with four distinct seasons

•Tundra• Permafrost: the soil is frozen all year• Very little rain, less than 15 cm• Temperatures are very cold and barely get above freezing in summer• Lichen and ferns are the few plants because they need little or no dirt• Caribou, foxes, wolves, and hares are some examples mammals that live here

•Freshwater• Almost no salt in the water• Located all over the world as lakes, ponds, swamps, and rivers• Many of the animals that live here are adapted to live on land and water.

•Ocean• Divided into different zones including intertidal, neritic, surface, and deep zones• All the water has salt in it.• Tides occur when the moon’s gravity pulls on the water causing the water level to go up or down• Temperatures vary because they cover the entire world

•Boreal Forest• North of most deciduous forests in America, Europe, and Asia• Trees are coniferous meaning they have pines or cones • Temperature is very cold, but warm enough to melt snow in the summer. • Rainfall is about the same as deciduous • Also called the Taiga

•Go to page 572 and look at the maps in this section•Glue onto page 46 and 47 in journal