Biomes, Part 1

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Biomes, Part 1

• Introduction, Forest Biomes

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Biome

• Large region characterized by a specific type of
  climate and certain types of animal and plant
  communities.
• Made up of many individual ecosystems.
• Organisms evolve adaptations specific to their
  biome.

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Biomes and Vegetation

• Biomes are described by their vegetation.
• Plants determine what other organisms can live
  there.
• Like animals, plants have adaptations for their
  specific biomes.

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Climate vs. Weather

• Weather short-term state of atmosphere.
• Climate Refers to long-term weather conditions
  such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and
  winds.

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Biomes and Climate

• Average temperature and precipitation determine
  the climate of a biome.
• See figure 3, pg 144

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Latitude and Altitude

• Latitude is the distance north or south of the
  equator. Measured in degrees.
• Altitude is the height an object is from sea
  level.
• Between 30-60 N, and 30-60 S is where most
  food is grown.
• Figure 4, pg 145

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Forest Biomes

• Tropical Rain Forest
• Temperate Deciduous Forests
• Taiga

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Tropical Rain Forest

• Near equator
• Very wet, always warm (200-450 cm rain per year)
• Greatest amount of species diversity on earth.
• Help regulate world climate and play vital roles
  in nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon cycles.

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Nutrients in Rain Forest

• Poor, thin soil
• Nutrients are held within plants, not soil
• Nutrients from dead/decayed organisms are quickly
  broken down and absorbed into plants.
• Some fungi attach to trees and directly transfer
  nutrients.
• Forest runoff is almost as pure as distilled
  water.

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Forest Clearing

• Every 45 seconds, 97 acres are destroyed by slash
  and burn techniques (about one football field
  every second).
• Soils lack nutrients, and cannot support crops
  for more than a few years.

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Layers of the Rain Forest

• Emergent
• Canopy
• Understory

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Emergent Layer

• Top layer
• Tallest trees (60 -70 m)
• Trees emerge into direct sunlight
• Bats, eagles, monkeys, and snakes

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Canopy

• Upper and lower layers
• Trees 30 m tall, absorb 95 of sunlight
• Epiphytes use surface of tree to grow on
• Most animals in rainforest live in canopy

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Understory

• Lowest layer
• Very little light
• Trees and shrubs adapted to shade (no more than
  3.5 m)

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Species Diversity in Rainforest

• Most diverse areas on planet
• Covers less than 7 of earths land surface, but
  contain 50 of all plant and animal species.

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Threats to Rainforest

• Once covered 20, now less than 7
• Habitat destruction due to logging, agriculture,
  oil

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Temperate Forests

• North America, Australia, and New Zealand
• Large amounts of rain, high humidity, moderate
  temperatures
• Fertile soils
• Deciduous trees, many different types of animals

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Temperate Deciduous Forests

• Trees drop leaves every fall. Winter falls below
  freezing.
• Wide range of temperatures (below freezing -
  35C), 75-125 cm of precipitation annually.
• Located between 30-50 N north latitude.

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Temperate Deciduous

• Plants grow in layers maple, oak, birch, small
  trees and shrubs, ferns, herbs, mosses
• Animals are adapted to use forest for food and
  shelter cold winters
• Grasshoppers, woodpeckers, deer

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Taiga

• Northern coniferous forest
• Long winters (6-10 months)
• Average temperatures are below freezing and often
  below -20C
• Forest floor dark with little vegetation
• Growing season very short (50 days)
• Less than 10 cm precipitation annually

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Taiga

• Conifer tree that has seeds that develop in
  cones.
• Migratory birds, shrews, snow shoe hares, lynxes,
  wolves, foxes

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