Unit 2:Ecology Chapter 6: Biomes

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Unit 2EcologyChapter 6 Biomes

• C/S 6.1 What is a Biome?
• C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes
• C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

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C/S 6.1 What is a Biome?

• Each biome is made up of many individual
  ecosystems.
• World Terrestrial Biomes
• Biomes and Vegetation
• Why are biomes described by their vegetation?
• Plants in a particular biome have specialized
  characteristic, adaptations, and/or structures
• Adaptations include
• Examples
• Tundra
• Desert

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C/S 6.1 What is a Biome?

• Biomes and Climate
• What factors determine which plant can grow in a
  certain area?
• Temperature and Precipitation
• The organisms that live in a particular biome are
  dependant that the biomes environmental factors
  do not fluctuate too much.
• How do we change a biomes climate factors?
• Figure 3 p144
• Temp Precip vs. Height Density

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C/S 6.1 What is a Biome?

• Latitude and Altitude
• Biomes, climate, and vegetation vary with
• Figure 4 p145
• Vegetation vs. Latitude and Altitude
• At what latitudes are most of the worlds
  vegetation grown?
• What biomes are located there?
• Describe the soil and temperatures there.

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Tropical Rain Forests
• Forest Biomes are the most wide spread and
  diverse.
• Characteristics Heavy Rainfall (200-450 cm/yr),
  Sunlight, Constant Temps
• What are the temperatures and precipitation like
  in the forest biomes?
• What are the three main types of forest biomes?
• TRF play a vital role in what cycles?
• TRF contain more species than any other biome

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Nutrients in Tropical Rain Forests
• Where are most of the nutrients found in trfs?
• Decomposers aid in rapid decay of organic matter
  to help feed the plants of the trf.
• How long do crops usually survive in areas of the
  trf that has been cleared for farming? Why?
• Layers of the Rain Forest
• The four layers of the trf are
• Emergent Highest (60-70m), Direct sunlight,
  Animals (Eagles, Bats, Monkeys, and Snakes)
• Upper Canopy Dense layer, 30 m tall, 95
  sunlight
• Lower Canopy Epiphytes (orchids) grow here, Most
  animals live in both the upper and lower
  canopies.
• Understory Plants adapted to shade, 3.5 m tall

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Species Diversity in Rain Forests
• Greatest amount of species diversity
• Explain how animals of the rainforest are
  specialists.
• Threats to Rain Forests
• How much of Earths surface does trf cover today
  as opposed to how much they used to cover?
• Why are trf cleared everyday? How much is
  cleared every minute? Total per day?
• What happens when habitat is destroyed?
• Other than habitat destruction what other
  practices threaten plants and animals of the trf?

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Temperate Forests
• Where do temperate rain forests occur?
• What are the characteristics of temperate rain
  forests?
• Temperate Deciduous Forests

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Trees drop their leaves each fall/winter helps
  to retain water.
• Where are tdf located?
• Range of temps can be extreme.
• What does this mean for the growing season?
• How much precipitation falls in a tdf?
• Plants and Animals of Temperate Deciduous Forests
• Why are there more plants such as mosses, ferns,
  and herbs in tdf as opposed to trf?
• How are plants and animals adapted to survive in
  a tdf?

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Taiga
• A coniferous forest.
• What is a conifer tree?
• Where is the taiga located?

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C/S 6.2 Forest Biomes

• Winters are long and often below freezing.
• How long is the growing season?
• Why is the growing season so good in the summer?
• Plants of the Taiga
• Why is the conifer tree so well adapted to the
  taiga?
• Why are there so few plants on the forest floor?
• Animals of the Taiga
• What do some animals do to adapt to the Taiga?

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Savanna, Grassland, and Chaparral biomes have
  less rainfall then forest biomes.
• This means less species diversity.
• Savannas
• Where are savannas located?

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Plants of the Savanna
• How are plants of the savanna able to survive
  long periods without water?
• What adaptations have trees and shrubs made to
  avoid herbivores eating them?
• Animals of the Savanna
• Many animals are migratory follow the rainy
  season
• Many predators follow these migratory animals
• How do many herbivores avoid competition for food?

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Temperate Grasslands
• Typically located on the interiors of continents
  (30o N/S Latitude)
• Prairies of N. America, Steppes of Russia,
  Pampas of S. America
• 50 88cm of precipitation per year, some places
  as little as 25 cm/yr.

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• What has happened with many temperate grasslands
  since it contains the most fertile soil of any
  biome?
• What do fires do for these and many other biomes?
• Plants of Temperate Grasslands
• The amount of rain is a determinant of plants.
• Why are there not very many trees?
• Animals of the Temperate Grasslands
• What adaptations have animals made for life on a
  grassland.
• Threats to Temperate Grasslands
• Farming and overgrazing
• Improper farming

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Chaparral
• Commonly found in Temperate Woodland Biomes
• Receives enough rainfall to support more plants
  than a desert biome.
• Found around 30o N/S Latitude primarily costal
  areas
• Warm, dry summers and mild,wet winters

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Plants of the Chaparral
• What are some adaptations that plants of the
  chaparral have made?
• Why do these plants leaves contain oils and why
  is that advantageous?
• Animals of the Chaparral
• What are some adaptations that animals of the
  chaparral have made?
• Threats to the Chaparral
• Why is human development the greates threat to
  the chaparral?

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Deserts
• Hot Deserts from the African Saharan Desert to
  the Arizonan Sonoran Desert Closer to Equator.
• Cold Deserts Gobi Desert in China to the Great
  Basin in the United States.
• Receives less that 25 cm of precipitation per
  year.
• Often near large mountain ranges.

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Plants of the Desert
• Most plants of the desert are succulents.
• What adaptations have these plants made to
  survive in the desert?
• Animals of the Desert
• What is an animal doing if it estivates?
• What adaptations have animals of the desert made
  in order to survive?

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Tundra
• Dominated by lichens, grasses, and herbs
• Located Primarily north of the Arctic Circle.
• Short Summers
• Only the top few cm of ground ever thaws The
  rest is permafrost
• Breeding ground for insects and birds.

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C/S 6.3 Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

• Vegetation of the Tundra
• What adaptations have plants made to survive life
  in the Tundra?
• Animals of the Tundra
• What adaptations have animals made to survive
  life in the Tundra?
• Threats to the Tundra
• One of the most fragile biomes in the world
• Simple food chains easy disruption
• Land easily damaged and slow to recover
• Major Threats
• Oil exploration, Pollution, Poison by toxins