Biomes

1. Biomes

2. Vocabulary Words-- Write these down and leave room for definitions and examples Biome Climate Temperature Estuaries Salt Marshes Deciduous Coniferous Permafrost Niche Marine Freshwater Taiga or coniferous forest Temperate deciduous forest Arctic Tundra Tropical Rainforest Savannah Temperate grassland Desert

3. What is a biome? • Definition: the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.

4. So what? What does this mean and why do we care about biomes?

5. Characteristics of Every Biome • Breakdown: • Major world community • Certain climate- temperature and precipitation in an area or region • Organisms have adapted to the climate • Many ecosystems • Have changed over the history of the Earth • Every square inch of the planet is located in a biome

6. Types of Biomes • Freshwater • Marine • Temperate Deciduous Forest • Coniferous & Boreal Forest (Taiga) • Arctic Tundra • Tropical Rainforest • Savannah • Temperate Grassland • Desert

8. Freshwater • 3% of the world’s water • 99% of freshwater is located in glaciers, pack ice, & aquifers (underground water) • The other 1% • Lakes and ponds • Rivers and streams

11. Bodies of salt water Covers 70% of the Earth’s surface Oceans Estuaries- where the mouth of the river meets the sea tides Salt Marshes- low, flat, poorly drained ground that becomes flooded by oceans and/or seas Coral Reefs Coastal areas Marine

14. Temperate Deciduous Forest • Where you live • ~30˚C on average • 75-150 cm (30-60 inches) of rainfall a year • Deciduous trees- the leaves fall off of the trees during the fall and winter months

16. Animals Found Here

17. Coniferous and Boreal Forest (Taiga) • Northern part of North America and Eurasia • Contains conifer- trees that have leaves shaped like needles instead of flat leaves. These trees do not lose their leaves in the fall and winter. • ~40˚C to 20˚ • 30-90 cm (12-33 inches) of rain a year • Warm and rainy summers • Cold cold winters! Temperatures can reach a low of 65° F BELOW zero! Brrrr….

19. Animals in the Coniferous and Boreal Forests

20. Plants in the Coniferous and Boreal Forest

21. Arctic Tundra • North Pole, Arctic Circle, and Greenland • Covered in snow for most of the year • Permafrost- The layer of earth located below the tundra is frozen all year long • Less than 10 inches of precipitation a year • ~40˚C to 18˚ • Strong winds!! Create “white outs”, which occurs when the winds blow snow so much that it is hard to see.

23. Animals in the Tundra

24. Plants in the Tundra

25. Tropical Rainforest • ~20°C to 25˚ • 200-1000 cm (100-400 inches) of rain a year • Basically, a lot of heat and a lot of moisture! • The seasons do not change and the rainforests have rarely changed over the history of the Earth

27. Animals in the Tropical Rainforest

28. Plants in the Tropical Rainforest

29. Temperate Grassland • South America, South Africa, Eurasia, and mid-west United States • ~20˚C to 30˚ • 50-90 cm of rainfall a year • Tall grasses but no trees • There are a lot of fires in this biome!

32. Animals of the Temperate Grassland

33. Plants of the Temperate Grasslands

34. Africa and South America 50-130 cm (30-50 inches) of rain a year ~16˚ C to 34˚ Rains for 6-8 months out of the year followed by a drought Tall grasses and trees with high branches Savanna

37. Animals of the Savanna

38. Plants of the Savanna

39. Western United States, South America, Africa, Eurasia, and Australia ~4˚C to 38˚ Less than 25 cm of rain a year Very few plants and animals live in this dry biome Desert

42. Animals of the Desert

43. Plants of the Desert