1. World Biomes By: D. Buyarski: dbuyarsk@nmu.edu April 18, 2004

2. Biome Classification • 9 Types • Tundra • Taiga • Grassland Deciduous Forest • Chaparral • Desert • Savanna • Rainforest • Alpine

3. Tundra • Location: 55 to 70 degrees N. Latitude • Almost Entirely Treeless • Almost Entirely Located in the Northern Hemisphere • Average Annual Temp. -70 Degrees F • Very Cold

4. Taiga • Located Below the Tundra Biome • Made Up of Needleleaf Forest with lots of Coniferous Trees • Winters: Very Cold with lots of Snowfall • Temp. Range: -65 to 30 Degrees F • Summers: Warn, Rainy, and Humid • Temp. Range: 20 to 70 Degrees F • Total Precipitation: 30 to 85 cm

5. Grassland • Made of rolling terrains of grasses, flowers, and herbs. • Grasslands have over 80 species of animals and 300 species of birds. • Grassland soils are too thin and too dry for trees to survive. • Temps. range between -40 degrees F in the winter and 70 degrees F in the summer. • Average Rainfall: 10 to 30 inches per year.

6. Deciduous Forest • Average annual temp. 50 degrees F • Average annual rainfall is 30 to 60 inches per year • Four distinct seasons • Spring • Summer • Autumn • Leaves Change Color • Winter • Trees Lose Their Leaves

7. Deciduous Forest Cont. • 5 Zones • Trees Stratum Zone • Oak, beech, maple, chestnut hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, and sweet gum trees are found in this zone. • This zone has a height range on 60 to 100 feet. • Small tree and Sapling Zone • Made up of young and short trees • Shrub Zone • Made up of rhododendons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberry shrubs • Herb Zone • Made up of plants and herbal plants • Ground Zone • Lichen, club mosses, and tree mosses make up this zone

8. Chaparral • Winter: Very Mild • Temp. around 50 degrees F • Summer: Very hot and dry • Temp. around 104 degrees F • Fires and drought are very common • Plants have small, hard leaves which hold moisture

9. Deserts • Hot and dry desert • Very little plant life • Only animals that can burrow can survive the heat • Temp. range 68 to 120 degrees F • Annual precipitation is 15 cm • Cold desert • Never warm enough for plant growth • Animals also burrow, but this is to get warm • Temp. range 28 to 77 degrees F • Get lots of snow, but only 15 to 26 cm of rain

10. Savanna • Rolling grassland with shrubs and isolated trees • Not enough rainfall to support forests • Also known as tropical grassland • Temp. is warm all year round

11. Tropical Rainforest • Average rainfall is 50 to 260 inches • Temp. range is 68 to 93 degrees F • Average humidity is 77 to 88% • Covers less than 6% of Earth • Produces 40% of Earth’s Oxygen

12. Alpine • Cold, snowy, and windy • Located at an altitude of 10,000 feet or more • Summer average temp. 50 to 59 degrees F • Winter lasts from October until May

13. Links to more information • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/alpine.htm