Tundra

Deciduous Forest

    

Taiga

Rainforest

    

Grasslands

Desert

    

PrecipitationRain, snow, or hail, all of which are formed by condensation of moisture in the atmosphere and fall to the ground

ClimateThe typical weather pattern in a place over a long period, including the precipitation, temperature, and seasonal patterns

Biomea stable community of plants and animals in a particular geographic area with a distinct climate

Abiotic: non living factors in an environmentBiotic: living factors in an environment

The climate of the region depends partly on where on Earth the region is. *remember: Climate includes a region’s precipitation,

temperature, and seasonal patterns.

When climates stay the same over long periods of time, the living parts of an ecosystem tend to become stable.

Therefore, Biomes are stable communities of plants and animals in certain locations that have distinct climates.

There are SIX different land biomes: starting at the poles and moving toward the equator, biomes occur in the following order:

• Located in the far Northern parts of the world at the tops of very high mountains

• Most of the ground remains frozen for several inches making it impossible for deep-rooted plants to grow

• A lot of lichen and moss on the rocks• Long winters and short summers• In the winter it is dark all of the time, while in the summer the sun

barley sets• Precipitation is roughly 10 inches annually• In North America the tundra is limited to northern Alaska and Canada,

and to the higher peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

• Located South of the northern tundra• Taiga is the Russian word for forest and is

the largest biome in the world. • The average temperature is below

freezing for six months out of the year. The winter temperature ranges from -65 to 30° F. Temperatures in the summer get as low as 20° F. The high in summer can be 70° F.

• Precipitation is roughly 8-24 inches annually.

• The taiga in North America stretches from Alaska across central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.

• "Deciduous" means to fall off, or shed, seasonally.• Four distinct seasons each year• Approximately 30-100 inches of rainfall annually• Soil is very rich in nutrients• Many types of plants grow there• Therefore, many types of consumers live in these forests• In North America occur mostly from southeastern Canada through the

mountains of northern Georgia and west to the Mississippi River.

• Located in the interiors of continents

• Rainfall is irregular: approximately 4-16 inches annually

• Wind blows constantly

• Most of the world’s wheat, corn, and soybeans are grown here

• North American grasslands stretch from central Canada through Texas and into Mexico.

Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya

• Deserts can be either hot such as the Australian Desert or cold such as the Gobi Desert.

• Very little rainfall from year-to-year: approximately 4 inches annually

• Some have warm to hot temperatures all year round

• No trees and a few dried up bushes• Others have a wider range of

temperature from winter to summer• Much warmer during the day than it

is at night• In North America, desert reach from

the interior of southwestern Canada through northern Mexico

• Nearest to the equator• **NO “normal” season**because it is the same temperature

all year long• There are two seasons-rainy and dry (which just means

there is less rain than in the rainy season)• Approximately 100 inches of rainfall annually• Lots of birds, some mammals and a lot of insects. • In North America, Tropical Rain Forest occur from southern

Mexico through Panama, on many of the islands in the Caribbean and in Hawaii.

The Six Major Land Biomes are: The Tundra, Taiga, Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest, Grassland, and Desert.

The climate of each Biome is unlike the other biomes

Climate is affected by the temperature, precipitation, and seasonal patterns

The coldest climate zones are near the poles

The warmest climate zones are near the equator

Plants and animals will demonstrate their adaptation to the climate of a particular biome.