Ecosystems and Biomes

Module 12

Ecosystems

Ecosystems are the interactions between the living things and the nonliving things in a place. In an ecosystem, the plants, animals, and other organisms rely on each other and on the physical environment – the soil, water, and nutrients, for example.

Even though they are living in the same place, each species in an ecosystem has its own role to play. This role is called a niche. The niche for one species might be to climb trees and eat their fruit, while the niche for another species might be to hunt for small rodents. For a tree, a niche might be to grow tall and make food with the Sun’s energy through the process of photosynthesis. If the niche of two species is very similar, they might compete for food or other resources.

Biomes

A biome is made of many similar ecosystems. An ecosystem is often much smaller than a biome, although the size varies.

Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions.

Biomes

Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions. Explore the links below to learn more about different biomes.

Tundra

Taiga

Temperate forest

Tropical rainforest

Desert

Grassland

Ocean biome

Arctic Moss

Arctic Fox

Temperature never gets above 50 degrees F.

Located near the Poles

Tundra

Extremely cold climate

Low biotic diversity

Simple vegetation structure

Limitation of drainage

Short season of growth and reproduction

Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material

Characteristics of Tundra

Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. The growing season is approximately 180 days. The nighttime temperature is usually below freezing. Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained

Very Cold All Year

High Elevation

Alpine Tundra

Alpine Tundra

Mammals: Arctic fox, mountain goats, sheep, elk

Birds: grouselike birds, snowy owls, Harlequin duck

Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies

Temperate forests occur in eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and western and central Europe.

Well-defined seasons with a distinct winter characterize this forest biome.

Moderate climate and a growing season of 140-200 days during 4-6 frost-free months distinguish temperate forests.

Temperate (Deciduous) Forest

squirrels, rabbits, skunks, birds, deer, mountain lion, bobcat, timber wolf, fox, and black bear.

Temperate (Deciduous) Forest

Bamboo

Hardwood trees

Tropical birds: parrots

Hot, humid and very rainy

Found at 15 to 25 degrees latitude

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical Rainforest

Cactus

Lizards

Snakes

Owls

Little rain

Temperatures can vary widely

Covers 12% of the earth

Desert

There are four major types of deserts:

Hot and Dry

Semiarid

Coastal

Cold

Four Major Types of Desert

LOCATION: Savannas are comprised mostly of grasses and a few scattered trees. They cover half the surface of Africa, large areas of Australia, South America, and India.

Savannas can result from climate changes, soil conditions, animal behavior, or agricultural practices. Humans create savannas by burning grasslands and cutting down trees so they can plant crops. Elephants destroy trees and trample seedlings.

Savanna

Savanna

Grasslands

Grasslands are characterized as lands dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs or trees. There are two main divisions of grasslands:

tropical grasslands, called savannas, and

temperate grasslands.

Grassland

Chaparral

The chaparral biome is found in a little bit of most of the continents -the west coast of the United States, the west coast of South America

Lay of the land: The chaparral biome has many different types of terrain. Some examples are flat plains, rocky hills and mountain slopes. It is sometimes used in movies for the "Wild West".

Chaparral is characterized as being very hot and dry. As for the temperature, the winter is very mild and is usually about 10 °C. Then there is the summer. It is so hot and dry at 40 °C that fires and droughts are very common

Chaparral

Mountains

Piedmont

Coastal Region

Regions of North Carolina

Fir Trees

Spruce Trees

Mammals

Amphibians

Fish

Mountains

Pines

Hardwoods

Reptiles

Mammals

Birds

Fish

Piedmont

Bald cypress

American Alligator

Coastal Plain

Sources

http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/animals/

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/alpine.htm

http://a-z-animals.com/reference/temperate-forest/

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/taiga.html

http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season13/id_ecosystems/grasslands.cfm

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/tundra-profile/

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/ecosystems.html