what is a biome? the major terrestrial ecosystems are classified into units called biomes a biome is...
TRANSCRIPT
What is a Biome?
• The major terrestrial ecosystems are classified into units called biomes
• A biome is a large region characterized by certain conditions, including a range of climate, precipitation, and plants and animals that have adapted to those conditions.
• Every place on earth is part of one biome or another.
• Driest biome on Earth• Precipitation: less then 25 cm a year
– When it does rain it evaporates rapidly, so the soil retains very little moisture
– Because there is little water, plants are spread widely apart and the ground is mostly bare
• Few large animals are found because there is not enough food or water to support them.
• The desert supports little plant life• Plant adaptations:
– Cactus plants, spiny leaves,• large, shallow roots that quickly absorb water
• Animals and adaptations: – Owl, iguanas, fox, lizards – Kangaroo rat
• Never need to drink water; they get moisture from the food they eat
• They are only active in the early morning or late afternoon when the temperatures are less extreme
• Precipitation: 200 cm to 225 cm each year
• Temperatures are warm and stable
• Tropical rain forests are lush, productive ecosystems containing more then half of all the species that exist on Earth.
• Plants:– Over 700 species of trees – Over 1,000 species of flowering plants
Plants: Vines, orchids, moss, ferns Adaptations: orchids grow on trees to get more
sun light- many plants have large leaves to catch
more sunlight
• Animals– 150 different types of butterflies– Snakes, Lizards, Salamanders, Monkeys,
Bats, Jaguars– Birds: toucans, cockatoos, hummingbirds
• Found in northern and southern hemispheres
• Regions usually have 4 seasons a year
• Precipitation: 75 cm to 150 cm yearly
• When the weather gets colder and trees lose their leaves some animals migrate to warmer regions– Other animals hibernate
• Plants– Coniferous trees ( pines)– Deciduous trees (oak, maple, hickory)
• Animals – Raccoon , Bald eagle, White tail deer , Red
Fox
• There are grasslands on almost ever continent
• Precipitation: 25 cm to 75 cm yearly– They have a dry season with little to no rain– This prevents larger plant from growing here
• Main plant is grass
• Plants: Grass such as:– Wheat, Oats, Barley, Corn – Grasses have extensive root systems that can
absorb water when it rains and can withstand drought during long dry spells
• Animals– Kangaroos, Wildebeests, Zebras, Prairie Dogs
• They eat the stems, leaves, and seeds of grass plants
• Is located near the north pole
• Cold, dry, treeless region and is covered with ice most of the year
• Winters are 6 to 9 months long
• Precipitation ~ less then 25cm a year
• Plants:– lichens (reindeer moss) , True mosses,
Grasses, Small shrubs
• Animals - in the summer – Mosquitoes– Birds (Geese, ducks, snowy owls)– Mice, voles, lemmings, artic hares, caribou,
musk oxen
• Which biome gets the least amount of precipitation?
• What is the difference between a ecosystem and a biome?