biosphere: biome
DESCRIPTION
Created by María Jesús Campos, teacher of Social Studies, Geoography and History in a bilingual section in Madrid. learningfromgeography.wikispaces.com learningfromhistory.wikispaces.comTRANSCRIPT
BIOSPHERE: BIOMES
María Jesús Camposlearningfromgeography.wikispaces.com
Biosphere It comes from the ancient Greek “bio” which means life and “sphaira” which means sphere.
It is formed by all living organisms: animals, plants and microbes. It is the global sum of the ecosystems.
Ecosystem or Biome
An ecosystem or a biome is a community of living organisms interacting with their environment (air, water, soil…).
It is the interaction of: The Lithosphere The Hydrosphere The Atmosphere The living organisms
(biosphere)
Ecosystems / Biomes
Ecosystem / Biome
Soil, Relief…(Lithosphere)
Water on, under and over the surface (Hydrosphere)
Climate (Atmosphere)
Living organisms: plants, animals, fungi…
(Biosphere)
Climate zones
The earth’s has different types of climate distributed according to latitude and altitude:
Warm zone: located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. All of its climates have an average annual temperature above 18ºC.
Temperate zones: there are 2 temperate zones located between the Tropics and the Polar Circles. Its climate has four seasons.
Cold zones: there are 2 cold zones located within the polar circles and in mountains higher than 2,500 metres. The temperature is very cold and there is no summer.
Tropical or Hot
Climates
Equatorial Climate
Humid Tropical Climate
Dry Tropical Climate
Temperate or Moderate
Climates
Humid Subtropical
Climate
Mediterranean Climate
Maritime/Oceanic Climate
Continental Climate
Cold Climates
Polar Climate
Tundra Climate
Alpine Climate
Dry Climates
Arid or Hot Dessert
Semiarid
Biomes•E
quatorial rainforest
•Tropical rainforest
•Savannah
Warm Climates
•Humid subtropical forest
•Mediterranean forest and scrubland
•Decidious forest
•Coniferous forest or taiga
Temperate Climates
•Perpetual Ice
•Alpine Climate
•Tundra
Cold Climates
•Hot desert
Dry Climates
Hot climates
Equatorial Climate
Equatorial rainforest
Humid/Dry Tropical Climate
Tropical rainforest Savannah
Equatorial RainforestVegetation Fauna
• Varied vegetation that competes for sunlight. Very high and mid-height trees block the light from reaching the forest floor. Moss, orchids and vines grow on them. •Dense forests of evergreen trees.•Tropical rainforests cover only 6% of the Earth’s surface but they produce 40% of the oxygen in the atmosphere and support nearly half of all plant and animal species known to Earth.
• The rainforest is so packed full of trees that big animals do not live on them. • Monkeys, snakes, frogs, birds, small mammals (jaguars), reptiles (alligators and snakes), and lots of insects.
Tropical RainforestVegetation Fauna
• Less variety of vegetation than in the equatorial rainforest. The trees are not so tall or so closely packed together. •Mixed species: tropical trees + temperate trees
• Similar to the equatorial rainforest but less varied.
•Monkeys, lizards, pumas, anteaters…
SavannahVegetation Temperature
• Savanna: large grassland with a few scattered trees (baobabs, acacias).•Thick grass up to 4 m high during the rainy season that dry up during the dry season.• The lack of regular rainfall prevents most trees from surviving.
• Many herbivores who graze in the grasses. They usually migrate to find water and grass.•Elephants, zebras, gazelles, giraffes…•Many carnivores also who hunt the herbivores: lions, cheetahs, hyenas.
Temperate Climates
Humid Subtropical
Climate
Humid subtropical forest
Mediterranean Climate
Mediterranean forest and scrubland
Oceanic Climate
Deciduous forest
Continental Climate
Coniferous forest (taiga)
Humid subtropical forestVegetation Fauna
• Species from both tropical and temperate latitude (bamboo, oak, pine…)
•Deer, foxes, birds
Mediterranean forest and scrubland
Vegetation Fauna
•Perennial trees (holm oaks, cork oaks, pine trees).•Scrubland: instead of trees we find plants such as thyme and rosemary. •Very eroded and in danger because of human activity.
•Deer, rabbits and birds of prey.
Decidious forestVegetation Fauna
•Deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the autumn (oak, beech, maple…).•Bushes and low grass grow in areas where the forest deteriorate.•Very eroded and in danger because of human activity.
•Deer, rabbits, many species of birds.
Coniferous forest or taigaVegetation Fauna
•Conifers that resist cold winters and do not lose their leaves (pine and fir trees)•Deforestation threatens the ecosystems. •Steppe: grasslands with no trees, usually close to the taiga.
•Deer, bears, lynxes, foxes, moles
Cold Climates
Polar Climate
Perpetual ice
Tundra Climate
Tundra
Alpine Climate
Alpine landscapes
(tiers)
Perpetual IceVegetation Fauna
•No vegetation as the ground is frozen all the year round.
• Few species are able to adapt to these climate and the lack of vegetation. •Seals, polar bears…•Southern hemisphere: penguins
Alpine landscapesVegetation Fauna
•The vegetaion is in tiers. The higher up you go, the poorer the vegetation gets: forests are replaced by bushes, grassland and in the highest areas, moss. •Above certain altitude the vegetation dissappears as the peaks are covered with snow or ice thorughout the year.
• Mountain goats, chamois and variety of birds
TundraVegetation Fauna
• Plain coveredby lichens, moss, shrubs and bushes because of permafrost.
• Arctic hares, arctic foxes, lemmings, moose and reindeers that may migrate from higher latitude. • A lot of insects.
Dry Climates
Arid Hot Desert Climate
Hot desert
Hot desertVegetation Fauna
• Very sparse vegetation: grass, small prickly bushes and plants such as the cactus that resist the scarce precipitation and the differences in temperature between the day and the night. •In oasis, there is enough water for palms and fruit trees to grow.
•Snakes, lizards, beetles, scorpions, doves, falcons, camels, dromedaries, etc… that can resist the lack of water.
Biomes•E
quatorial rainforest
•Tropical rainforest
•Savannah
Warm Climates
•Humid subtropical forest
•Mediterranean forest and scrubland
•Decidious forest
•Coniferous forest or taiga
Temperate Climates
•Perpetual Ice
•Alpine Climate
•Tundra
Cold Climates
•Hot desert
Dry Climates
Developed by María Jesús CamposChusteacherWikiteacher
Thanks to «Climate Types for Kids»