BIOMES OF THE WORLD

Ecosystems• Ecosystems are defined in

terms of natural landscapes, human designated boundaries on maps, water sheds, forests, mountains, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, and estuaries.

• The Biosphere is the thin layer of water and soil where all living things are found.

• Ecosystems are a complex network of living and non-living things!

What makes up an ecosystem?

•Flora: plant life•Fauna: animal life•Abiotic- non living:

temperature, humidity, elevation, precipitation, wind, light, shade, soil, water, sun

•Biotic- living organisms: plants and animals

Biodiversity • Biodiversity is the

number of different plant and animal life living in a defined ecosystem

• Niche refers to the interactions and relationships an organism experience, how it reproduces and where it obtains its food, water and shelter

Symbiosis•Mutualism: A relationship between two

species where both benefit•Commensalism: A relationship between

two organisms where one species benefits and the other is unharmed

•Predation: A relationship between two species with one being the predator and one being the prey

•Competition: involves interactions among affected organisms where limited resources are divided among competitors.

Biomes• The major

ecosystems of the world are classified into unties called biomes.

• Each Biome has a characteristic climate that directly influences its flora and fauna!

Forest Biomes

•Coniferous•Deciduous•Tropical Rain Forest

Limited Water Biomes

•Tundra•Prairies•Deserts•Mountains

Fresh Water Biomes

•Ground water•Standing water (Lakes and Ponds)•Flowing water (Rivers and Streams)

Salt Water Biomes

•Oceans•Sandy Beaches•Intertidal Zone•Barrier Islands•Rocky Shores•Tide Pools•Wetlands•Coral reefs

Videos on Biomes

•http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&source=hp&q=biomes&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

•http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/28110-assignment-discovery-temperate-grassland-biomes-video.htm

•http://animal.discovery.com/videos/natural-world-caribou-journey-through-the-arctic-tundra.html