BIOMES

By: Camila Kos , Tomas Paladino and Juan kos

Biomes location

ChaparralAlpineTaigaGrasslands Tundra

RainforestDecidous forestDeserts

Savanna

Desert-scrub

GRASSLANDS

Grasslands location

Grassland biomes can be found in the middle latitudes, in the interiors of continents. They can have either moist continental climates or dry subtropical climates. In Argentina, South America, the grasslands are known as pampas. The climate there is humid and moist. Grasslands in the southern hemisphere tend to get more precipitation than those in the northern hemisphere, and the grass tends to be the tall-grass variety.

There is a large area of grassland that stretch from the Ukraine of Russia all the way to Siberia. This is a very cold and dry climate because there is no nearby ocean to get moisture from. Winds from the arctic aren't blocked by any mountains either. These are known as the Russian and Asian steppes.

Grasslands characteristics

• Grassland biomes are large, rolling terrains of grasses, flowers and herbs. Latitude, soil and local climates for the most part determine what kinds of plants grow in a particular grassland. A grassland is a region where the average annual precipitation is great enough to support grasses, and in some areas a few trees. The precipitation is so eratic that drought and fire prevent large forests from growing. Grasses can survive fires because they grow from the bottom instead of the top. Their stems can grow again after being burned off. The soil of most grasslands is also too thin and dry for trees to survive.

• There are two different types of grasslands; tall-grass, which are humid and very wet, and short-grass, which are dry, with hotter summers and colder winters than the tall-grass prairie.

• In the winter, grassland temperatures can be as low as -40° F, and in the summer it can be as high 70° F. There are two real seasons: a growing season and a dormant season. The growing season is when there is no frost and plants can grow . During the dormant season nothing can grow because its too cold.

• In tropical and subtropical grasslands the length of the growing season is determined by how long the rainy season lasts. But in the temperate grasslands the length of the growing season is determined by temperature. Plants usually start growing when the daily temperature reached about 50° F.

• In temperate grasslands the average rainfall per year ranges from 10-30 inches

Grasslands fauna

• The prairies contained more than 80 species of animals.• There are 300 species of birds.• In the grasslands are Coyotes, Eagles, Bobcats, the Gray Wolf, Wild Turkey, Fly Catcher, Canadian Geese, Crickets, Dung

Beetle, Bison, and Prairie Chicken.

Grasslands flora• In grasslands there are hundreds of species of plants.• The most common types of plant life on the North American prairie are Buffalo Grass,

Sunflower, Crazy Weed, Asters, Blazing Stars, Coneflowers, Goldenrods, Clover, and Wild Indigos.

Tundra

Tundra location

Tundra biome is in: North America, Europe and Russia.

Tundra characteristics

• it is usually very cold, and the land is pretty stark. Almost all tundras are located in the Northern Hemisphere. Small tundra-like areas do exist in Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere, but because it is much colder than the Arctic, the ground is always covered with snow and ice. Conditions are not right for a true tundra to form. Average annual temperatures are -70°F (-56°C).

Tundra fauna• The most common animals in tundra are: • Arctic Fox• Caribou• Ermine• Grizzly Bear• Harlequin Duck • Musk Ox• Polar Bear• Snowy Owl

Tundra flora

• Arctic Moss• Arctic Willow• Bearberry• Caribou Moss• Diamond-leaf Willow• Labrador Tea• Pasque Flower• Tufted Saxifrage

Tropical rainforest

Tropical rainforest location

Tropical rainforests are located in Africa, America and Asia.

Tropical rainforest characteristics• The tropical rain forest is a forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth. An average of 50 to 260

inches (125 to 660 cm.) of rain falls yearly.

• Rain forests belong to the tropical wet climate group. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 93 °F (34 °C) or drops below 68 °F (20 °C); average humidity is between 77 and 88%; rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. There is usually a brief season of less rain. In monsoonal areas, there is a real dry season. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator.

• Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests. Tropical rainforests produce 40% of Earth's oxygen.

Tropical rainforest faunaThe most common animals in tropical rainforest are: • Africa Forest Elephant• Bengal Tiger• Chimpanzee• Common Palm Civet or Musang• Dawn Bat• Golden Lion Tamarin• Harpy Eagle• Jambu Fruit Dove• King Cobra• Kinkajou• Linn's Sloth• Orangutan• Proboscis Monkey• Red-shanked Douc Langur• Silvery Gibbon• Slender Loris• Sumatran Rhinoceros• Toco Toucan• Vampire Bat• Wagler's Pit Viper

Tropical rainforest flora• The most common plants in tropical rainforest are:• Bengal Bamboo• Bougainvillea• Curare• Coconut Tree• Durian• Jambu• Kapok Tree• Mangrove Forests• Strangler Figs• Tualang

Savanna

Savanna location

Northern Australia, South America (Brazil cerrado, Colombia and Venezuela)Eastern Africa, Tanzania, Asia (India and China)

Savanna characteristics• A savanna is a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a

tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough rain falls on a savanna to support forests. Savannas are also known as tropical grasslands. They are found in a wide band on either side of the equator on the edges of tropical rainforests.

• Savannas have warm temperature year round. There are actually two very different seasons in a savanna; a very long dry season (winter), and a very wet season (summer). In the dry season only an average of about 4 inches of rain falls. Between December and February no rain will fall at all. Oddly enough, it is actually a little cooler during this dry season. But don't expect sweater weather; it is still around 70° F.

Savanna fauna

• The most common animals in savanna are:• African Elephant• African Wild Dog• Black Mamba• Caracal• Chacma Baboon• Egyptian Mongoose• Emu• Grant's Zebra• Koala Bear• Lion• Nigriceps Ants• Nile Crocodile

Savanna floraThe most common plants in savanna are:

• Acacia Senegal• Baobab• Bermuda Grass• Candelabra Tree• Elephant Grass• Gum Tree Eucalyptus• Jackalberry Tree• Jarrah tree• Kangaroo Paw• Manketti Tree• River Bushwillow• Umbrella Thorn Acacia• Whistling Thorn

Decidous forest

Decidous forest location

North America, and the middle of Europe

Decidous forest characteristics• The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year.• In deciduous forests there are five different zones. The first zone is the Tree Stratum zone. The Tree Stratum zone contains

such trees as oak, beech, maple, chestnut hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, and sweet gum trees. This zone has height ranges between 60 feet and 100 feet.

• The small tree and sapling zone is the second zone. This zone has young, and short trees. The third zone is called the shrub zone. Some of the shrubs in this zone are rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberries. The Herb zone is the fourth zone. It contains short plants such as herbal plants. The final zone is the Ground zone. It contains lichen, club mosses, and true mosses.

• The deciduous forest has four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In the autumn the leaves change color. During the winter months the trees lose their leaves.

Decidous forest fauna• The most common animals in decidous forest are:

• American Bald Eagle• American Black Bear• Coyote• Duckbill Platypus• Eastern Chipmunk• European Red Squirrel• Fat Dormouse• Least Weasel• White-tailed Deer

Decidous forest flora• The most common plants in decidous forest are:

• American Beech• Carpet Moss• Common Lime• Guelder Rose• Lady Fern• Northern Arrowwood• Pecan• Shagbark Hickory• Tawny Milksap Mushroom• White Birch• White Oak

Deserts

Deserts location

Deserts are located in North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Deserts characteristics • In this report you will learn about Hot and Dry Deserts and Cold Deserts. I hope you enjoy!

• A Hot and Dry Desert is, as you can tell from the name, hot and dry. Most Hot and Dry Deserts don't have very many plants. They do have some low down plants though. The only animals they have that can survive have the ability to burrow under ground. This is because they would not be able to live in the hot sun and heat. They only come out in the night when it is a little cooler.

• A cold desert is a desert that has snow in the winter instead of just dropping a few degrees in temperature like they would in a Hot and Dry Desert.

• Hot and Dry Deserts temperature ranges from 20 to 25° C. The extreme maximum temperature for Hot Desert ranges from 43.5 to 49° C. Cold Deserts temperature in winter ranges from -2 to 4° C and in the summer 21 to 26° C a year

Desert fauna• The most common animals in desert are:

• Armadillo Lizard• Banded Gila Monster• Bobcat• Cactus Wren• Coyote• Desert Bighorn Sheep• Desert Kangaroo Rat• Desert Tortoise• Javelina• Cactus Ferruginoug Pygmy Owl• Sonoran Desert Toad• Sonoran Pronghorn Antelope• Thorny Devil

Desert flora• The most common plants in desert are:• Barrel Cactus• Brittle Bush• Chainfruit Cholla• Creosote Bush• Crimson Hedgehog Cactus• Desert Ironwood• Joshua Tree• Jumping Cholla• Mojave Aster• Ocotillo• Palo Verde• Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus• Saguaro Cactus• Soaptree Yucca• Triangle-leaf Bursagemost

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