What are biomes?

Small units of the biosphere Areas that have plants and animals that are

well adapted to the region's physical environment

Two distinction groups: Terrestrial Aquatic

Terrestrial Biomes

The areas of land in the world. The plants and animals living in these areas

are determined by the conditions of each biome.

Terrestrial biomes are land regions with similar: Climate

temperature,precipitation and sunlight

Terrestrial vs. Aquatic

Aquatic Biomes

The areas of water in the world. The plants and animals living in these areas

are determined by the conditions of each biome.

Aquatic biomes are areas of water with similar: Salinity levels Light penetration Nutrients present

Terrestrial vs. Aquatic

How many biomes are there?

There is no completely correct answer.

We will study five:1. Desert

2. Forest

3. Grassland

4. Tundra

5. Aquatic

There are 4 types of terrestrial biomes:1. Desert

2. Forest

3. Grassland

4. Tundra

1. Desert (Terrestrial)

Less than 50cm of rain per year

Covers about 20% of the earth’s surface

Types: Hot and dry Also: semiarid, coastal and

cold deserts

2. Forest (Terrestrial)

Dominated by trees Covers about 65% of

the earth’s surface

Types: Tropical/Rainforest Temperate/Deciduous

trees with leaves Boreal/Coniferous

tress with needles

3. Grassland(Terrestrial)

Dominated by grass

Types: Savannah/Tropical

some scattered trees and shrubs

Temperate only grass (no trees

or shrubs)

4. Tundra (Terrestrial)

Treeless plains The coldest of all biomes

Types: Arctic

Located near the Arctic Circle and places of Antarctica.

Alpine Located on mountains

5. Aquatic

The aquatic biome is divided into two groups:A. Marine (saltwater)

B. Freshwater

A. Marine (Aquatic) Largest biome in the world

Types: Oceans

E.g.: Atlantic Ocean Coral Reef

E.g.: Great Barrier Reef Shoreline

E.g.: rocky shore, sandy beach, estuary

B. Freshwater (Aquatic)

Types: Rivers/Streams

E.g.: St. Lawrence River Lakes/Ponds

E.g.: Lake Erie Wetlands

E.g.: swamps, marshes and bogs

The 5 Biomes – Recap1. Desert

2. Forest

3. Grassland

4. Tundra

5. Aquatic