Tundra BiomeConiferous BiomeBroadleaf Biome

Temperate Grassland Biome

Becky Kalish, Yarden Gavish, Carina Wallack, Xiang Ding

B-Block

Temperate Grassland

Xiang Ding

Temperate Grassland

a) Temperature range: -40 degrees F to 100 degrees Fb) Annual precipitation: 10-30 inches of rainc) Latitude: Located between deserts and forestsd) Description: Big open spaces, deep rich soil, heavy nutrients, “endless ocean of grass.”  

Temperate Grasslande) Plants: 1) The prairie blazingstar plant requires full sun and rich soil with some moisture. Bluestem grasses also depend on full sun exposure and hot climates.f) Animals: 1)  Large grazing mammals like bisons and zebras depend on open grassland for an abundant source of food. Their herds are large, so a wide open space is critical to their community. Both of these species’ ecological niche reside with the grasses.g) Abiotic Factors: A dry climate with few rainfalls prevents a grassland from becoming a forest. Rich soil allows the growth of tall grasses.                                                     Prairie Blazingstar            Bluestem Grass                         Mama Bison with baby :) 

Temperate Grassland

h) Ecological Disturbances: Grasslands stay healthy through fires and animal grazing. When fires take place, some native plants could be removed, but a few new species may start growing because their seeds were blown to this new habitat. While the fire destroys most of the grasses, their roots are actually protected by the soil. So they grow new fresh leaves after fires. New growth provides better food source for grazing animals. *Great video of grassland burning!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeX_Jr1t3YQ  SOURCES:  http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htmhttp://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/pr_blazingstarx.htmhttp://www.answers.com/topic/bluestem-grass Pictures were found on google.com

Tundra Biome

Becky Kalish

Temperature Range

In the summer, temperatures can go as high as 54 degrees Fahrenheit andas low as 37 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, it doesn’t get above 20 degrees Fahrenheit andgets as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Annual Precipitation

Precipitation totals 6-10 inches of rain a year, which includes melted snow   

Latitude

The Tundra spans from most of Greenland to parts of Alaska, northern Canada, and parts of Russia. 75 degrees North to 60 degrees North. 

Impressions of Tundra

Tundra seems like a pretty cold place most of the time, andbleak/empty. Summer seems like it lasts for only a brief period and even then does not get sowarm. The sun doesn’t rise very high and barely comes out during the winter. It also seems like awindy climate. Because of the permafrost the land is treeless and barren.

2 Tundra Plant Species

• One plant is the Calliergon giganteum,which is a very slow-growing aquatic plant. It does well in the tundra because it grows on thebottom of tundra lake beds underneath the permafrost. It has adapted well to its cold climate.• Another plant that grows in the Tundra is the Bearberry

plant. Since it is a low growing plant itcan stay out of the wind chill. Its leathery leaves are also an adaption to the cold Tundra climate.

2 Tundra Animal Species

• The arctic fox is one prime example of an animal that lives in the tundra. It has thick fur for the

cold and short ears. It makes its home in frost-free areas, and often follows polar bears to eat offthe remains they left behind.• The caribou is another animal that lives here. They were

originallya part of the deer family and were brought to Alaska beforehand because they were thought of asgood sled-drivers. Their large hooves support them on the snow in the winter and they are alsogreat swimmers as well. (in the icy cold water)  

Arctic Fox and Caribou

   

2 Abiotic Factors that Affect Tundra

WIND

Wind is one major abioticfeature that characterizes tundra because harsh strong winds are constantly blowing making ithard for its inhabitants to live at all times of the year. In the winter however, the strong windcauses many animals to go into hibernation.

CLIMATE

The climate is another major abiotic factor thatcontributes to the tundra. The temperature is colder at night due to no cloud cover, and winterhas its freezing cold temperatures that last for 6 months. Summer is warmer, short and rainy.Spring brings some flowers, frozen ponds as well as melted lakes.

ECOLOGICAL DISTURBANCES

One example of an ecological disturbance in the Tundra is fire caused by lightning. First theplants would grow on the newly disturbed ground. (However, cottongrass tussocks take a longtime to establish and don’t grow on recently disturbed sites) The most common succession aremosses. Voles are some of the first mammals to re-establish homes in an area after a fire. Treesand shrubs with thick, gnarled lichen covered stems are found in the later successional stagesas well. Because little research has been done regarding tundra succession, little information isknown about its effects on plants or animal communities.

Tundra Sources

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htmhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate.htmhttp://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.phphttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_plant_page.htmhttp://www.tundraanimals.net/http://alaska.fws.gov/fire/role/unit1/background.cfm

Coniferous Biome

Yarden Gavish

What is the Coniferous Biome?

  The coniferous biome is a biome consisting of many evergreen trees, which has long cold winters, but also summers.

Where are they located?

Coniferous forests, also called Boreal or Taiga, are found in several places around the world including    -Europe    -Asia    -Siberia    -North America Most of these places are between 86 and 98 North latitude

Source: http://www.map-world.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/world-biomes-map.jpg

Annual precipitation

The annual precipitation of a this Biome is between 14-29.5 inches

source: http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/temp/rainfall.gif Notice that the Taiga (or Coniferous forest) is in a

tannish color

The Temperature Range

The temperature range of this biome is:in the summer:    - -7 to 21 degrees celsius (20-70 degrees F)in the winter    - -64 to -1 degrees celcius (-65 to 30 degrees F) 

source: http://biomef.wikispaces.com/file/view/temperature_

graph.gif/32753439/temperature_graph.gifNotice the Taiga or Coniferous forest is in pink

2 Plant species that live here

1) Blue Spruce                            2) Scotch Pine        Both of these trees are able to grow in these areas because they are very resilient to cold weather, by not losing their leaves, and are able to live through the long and harsh winters.

2 animals that live here

1) Grey wolf                                    2) Reindeer    The Grey wolf has thick fur to endure the long and cold winters and is a carnivore eating hoofed animals like reindeer, elk, moose and sheep, that also live in this biome The Reindeer also has thick fur in the winter, but thin fur in the summers which can grow warm in this region. The reindeer has adapted to eating lichen and moss in the winter, which are found here, and expands its diet in the summer to plants and herbs.

2 Abiotic factors

1) Temperature The temperature has a significant affect on this biome because it allows only a few select plant and animal species to survive because the temperatures get so cold in the winter. 2) Sunlight There is very minimal sunlight reaching the forest bottom, because of the tall evergreen trees taking up all the sunlight, and therefore there is not a lot of vegetation on the ground of the forest.

Ecological Disturbances

Coniferous forests are suscetible to many forest fires. The trees have adapted to growing thick bark so as not to burn. The fires burn off the canopies of the trees, letting sunlight escape to the bottom of the forest. Then, new plant species grow on the ground of the forest, and allow animals that usually cannot survive here, to live here at least for a little while, until the evergreen trees grow back again.

Sources for information

http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_forest.htm http://www.idiotica.com/cranium/encyclopedia/content/coniferous.htm http://rrms-biomes.tripod.com/id3.html http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/taiga/taiga.shtml http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm 

 

Other sources for images

http://scienceblogs.com/clock/upload/2006/10/a1%20reindeer.jpg http://www.hmongamericansportsmenclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/graywolf.jpg http://www.glogster.com/media/5/26/40/23/26402345.jpg http://bellsouthpwp2.net/s/o/songerma/images/sprucepine.JPG 

Temperate Broadleaf Biome

Carina Wallack

Temperate Broadleaf Biome

Temperature Range: -30°C to 30°C  Annual Precipitation: 750 to 1,500 mm Latitudes: 25°- 50°Description: The forests in this part of the country and in places of similar latitudes are temperate broadleaf forests.  These forests receive a significant amount of annual precipitation.  Temperate broadleaf forests are composed mostly of deciduous trees and have obvious changes in seasons.

Locations of Temperate Broadleaf Forests

 

Plant SpeciesOne plant species that grows in this biome is American Beech tree.  This tree is well suited for temperate broadleaf forests because it grows best in deep, rich, moist, well-drained soils.  Another plant that grows in temperate broadleaf forests is the Shagbark hickory tree. This tree is grows well in this biome because it usually grows among oak trees, which are abundant in this biome and it can grow in both wet and dry areas.   

Plant Species

American Beech Tree                      Shagbark Hickory Tree

Animal Species

One animal that lives in this biome is the white-tailed deer.  Temperate broadleaf forests are an appropriate habitat for white-tailed deer because they live in brushy and forested areas and graze on green plants in the summer and nuts and acorns during the winter.  Another animal that lives in this biome is the coyote.  Coyotes live in temperate broadleaf forests because they can live almost anywhere and they feed on small animals such as rabbits, mice, and reptiles that are found in this biome.

Animal Species

White-tailed deer                                           Coyote

Abiotic Factors

This biome is characterized by the changing of seasons that causes deciduous trees to loose their leaves in order to preserve energy during cold winter months.  Additionally, temperate broadleaf forests are characterized by the substantial amount of precipitation that they receive with is essential for the variety of deciduous trees and other plant species that thrive there

Ecological Disturbances

  If widespread forest fires were to occur in this biome secondary succession would occur.  All the trees and smaller plants would be obliterated from the area, however, the soil would still remain intact.  In this soil new plants would slowly begin to replace the plants that had been wiped out in the fire.  The plants that would grow after the forest would likely be similar to the plants that had originally inhabited the area.  The first plants to grow in such an area would likely be herbaceous species that grow from windblown or animal-born seeds.

Temperate Broadleaf Sources

Images:http://www.roebuckclasses.com/105/physical/biomes/deciduous/tbdf.htm

http://www.howstuffworks.com/define-beech-american.htm

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/slideshow/gallery.php

http://true-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/coyote.html Information: http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_forest.htm

ttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biotemperate.php

http://www.svincent.com/CrystalObelisk/Biomes/TemperateForest.html