Biomes

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Biomes

• The biosphere is divided into region called
  biomes.
• A Biomes is a group of ecosystems that exhibit
  common environmental characteristics .

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Earths Biomes

1. Tropical Rain Forest
2. Desert
3. Temperate Grasslands
4. Savannas
5. Temperate Deciduous Forest
6. Conifer Forest-Taiga
7. Tundra
8. Marine
9. Freshwater

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Earths Biomes
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Tropical Rain Forest

• High temp
• Heavy rainfall
• Tall trees that branch at their tops forming
  canopies
• Very little light reaches the floor
• Epiphytes and vines

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• Equatorial
• 4 of Earths land surface
• Account for 20 of Earths net carbon fixation
• Most diversity of species of any biome
• Animals
• Birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians

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Desert

• Hot dry
• Less than 10 of rainfall per year
• Extreme temperature fluctuations
• Plants
• Cactus, sagebrush
• CAM plants
• Modification for water storage

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• Animals
• Rodents, kangaroo rat, snakes, lizards,
  arachnids, insects, and few birds

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Temperate Grasslands

• Low annual rainfall
• Grazing mammals (bison, antelope), burrowing
  mammals (prairie dogs other rodents)

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Temperate Grasslands

• Warm to hot summers, cold winters, moderate,
  seasonal prec, fertile soils, fires
• Dominant plants lush, perennial grasses and
  herbs, resistant to drought, fire and
• Dominant wildlife predators (coyotes, badgers,
  wolves, grizzly bear) herbivores (deer,
  antelope, rabbits, prairie dogs, bison) birds
  (hawks, owls, bobwhite), insects (ants and
  grasshoppers)
• Geographic distribution central Asia, N.A.,
  Australia, central Europe, upland plateaus of
  S.A.

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Savannas

• Grasslands with scattered trees
• Warm temps, seasonal rainfall, compact soil,
  frequent fires due to lightning
• Tropical, less rainfall than rain forest

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Savannas

• Dominant plants tall, perennial grasses,
  drought- and fire-resistant shrubs and trees
• Dominant wildlife predators (lions, leopards,
  cheetahs, hyenas, jackals), herbivores
  (elephants, giraffes, antelopes, zebras), birds
  (eagles, ostriches, weaver birds, storks),
  insects (termites)
• Geographic distribution large parts of eastern
  Africa, southern Brazil, northern Australia

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Cold to moderate winters, warm summers,
  year-round precip, fertile soil
• 70-150 cm annual precip
• Dominant plants broadleaf deciduous trees, some
  conifers, flowering shrubs, herbs, mosses and
  ferns
• Broad-leaved hardwood trees that shed their
  leaves each year
• Soil has top layer that is rich in humus, deeper
  layer of clay. If minerals are not taken up by
  plants roots, the minerals get into clay and are
  trapped

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Dominant wildlife deer, black bears, bobcats,
  nut and acorn feeders, omnivores (raccoons and
  skunks), songbirds, turkeys
• Geographic distribution eastern U.S.,
  southeastern Canada, most of Europe, parts of
  Japan, China, and Australia

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Conifer Forest-Taiga

• Long, cold winters short, mild summers moderate
  precip high humidity acidic, nutrient-poor soil
• A little warmer and wetter than tundra, but long,
  severe winters and short,mild summers
• NO PERMAFROST layer, but decay of evergreen
  needles makes soil acidic and mineral-poor
• Dominant Plants needleleaf coniferous trees,
  broadleaf deciduous trees small, berry-bearing
  shrubs

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Conifer Forest-Taiga

• Dominant Wildlife predators like lynx and
  timberwolves weasel family herbivorous mammals
  (large and small) beavers migratory songbirds
• Geographic distribution N.A., Asia, Northern
  Europe

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Tundra

• Strong windslow precipshort and soggy summers
  long, cold, dark winters poorly developed soils
• Permafrost present permanently frozen ground
  under the topsoil
• Dominant Plants mosses, lichens, sedges, short
  grasses (ground-hugging)

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Tundra

• Dominant wildlife birds and mammals that can
  withstand harshness migratory waterfowl, shore
  birds, musk ox, Arctic fox, caribou small
  rodents
• Geographic distribution northern N.A., Asia and
  Europe
• Closest to poles

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Aquatic BiomesMarine

• Oceans contain the largest amount of living
  material (biomass) of all of the biomes but
  most of them are microscopic orgs!!!
• Since oceans are huge, studied based on light
  penetration
• --photic zone (shallow, lots of light available)
• --aphotic zone (deep, never receive sunlight)

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Estuaries and Tidal effects

• Estuary found on coast, partially surrounded by
  water here, salt water and fresh water mix.
• see variations in SALINITY salt
  concentration, so what grows/lives here varies
  enormously.

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Intertidal Zone

• Tides gravitational pull of sun and moon causes
  the rise and fall of ocean.
• INTERTIDAL ZONE portion of shoreline between
  high and low tide zones
• high levels of sunlight, nutrients, and oxygen,
  but low PRODUCTIVITY due to waves and movement

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Aquatic BiomesFresh water

• EX. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams
• Light penetration still affects productivity
• photic zone has high productivity,
• aphotic zone has low productivity
• But, bottoms of lakes and ponds have decay taking
  place (dead orgs drift to bottom, bacteria break
  them down and form detritus), so importance in
  CYCLES is enormous

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Earths Biomes