an abundance of biomes

An Abundance of

Biomes

Created by:

Looghermine Claude

and Nicole Fairfoot

(Period 2)

To Ziggy for feeding Loogee To Ziggy for feeding Loogee To Ziggy for feeding Loogee To Ziggy for feeding Loogee

& for putting up with Nicole’s tormenting& for putting up with Nicole’s tormenting& for putting up with Nicole’s tormenting& for putting up with Nicole’s tormenting

To Loogee’s parents for being so helpfulTo Loogee’s parents for being so helpfulTo Loogee’s parents for being so helpfulTo Loogee’s parents for being so helpful

& understanding& understanding& understanding& understanding

To Brianna for being BriannaTo Brianna for being BriannaTo Brianna for being BriannaTo Brianna for being Brianna

BIOMES

Once upon a time, there was a boy named

Brian Biome. Brian lived in a world where every-

one was a biome. Some were terrestrial, others

were freshwater, and others were saltwater. Brian

was the only one who wasn’t a biome. He was

sad because of this, so Brian decided to go on an

adventure to find his perfect biome.

What’s a biome, you say? A biome, according

to Biology-Online.org, is a major ecological

community of organisms adapted to a particular

climatic or environmental condition on large

geographic area in which they occur.

TERRESTRIAL BIOMES

Brian thought that out of all the different

kinds, he would like terrestrial biomes.

“Hmm,” he thought, “I’ll just visit them all!”

His list consisted of:

◊ Tundra

◊ Taiga

◊ Desert

◊ Grassland

◊ Temperate Deciduous Forest

◊ Tropical Rain Forest

TUNDRA

First, Brian visited the Tundra biome. It was

colder than any place he had ever seen but he

hoped he could adjust quickly. He looked to the

left and saw little vegetation on the gravelly per-

mafrost, including caribou moss and liverworts.

He looked to the right and there was a very large

caribou! “There you are!” exclaimed Tonks Tun-

dra running to the caribou, before she turned to

Brian and thanked him for finding her pet. “Have

you seen my other pet? She’s an arctic fox”.

TUNDRA

DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?DID YOU KNOW?

Caribou Mosses dry

out, going dormant

when little sunlight or

water is available, and

Arctic Foxes have fur

that, for camouflage

purposes, changes hue

with the seasons.

The average temperature range is -34° C to 12° C.

Brian shook his head, and decided to leave.

150-250 mm of precipitation

TAIGA

The super-cold taiga is where he met Tessa Taiga,

the local news reporter. "My soil doesn't have

much nutrients and it’s thin and acidic," she said,

but Brian didn't mind. He liked the river otters

that swam around. He liked the Jack Pine and the

Black Spruce trees that grew up to the sky. He

even liked the Northern Lynx who prowled

through the trees.

TAIGA

"I think this is the biome for me!" Brian said.

Then in the distance he saw a much warmer

place....



To protect itself

from the harsh

Taiga weather, the

Jack pine has wax

coated pine needs,

and the River Ot-

ters’ noses shut

while diving.


DESERT

It was the desert biome! Day Desert was outside

playing with his kangaroo rat and armadillo liz-

ard. He looked like he was having fun but he also

looked hot and tired. “There is very little water

and precipitation in my biome,” he said. “Even

though there isn't much water, there are still

plants like the pancake prickly pear cactus and

agaves. They survive in the rocky and gravely soil

that has little to no subsurface water.”


The spines of the pan-

cake prickly pear reduce

water loss and also pro-

tect the cactus. Simi-

larly, the spiny scales of

the Armadillo Lizard

protect it from preda-

Brian didn't think he wanted to be this biome.

He wandered on and on disappointed that he

still didn't have a biome. Then, he had an idea!

The average temperature range is 20° C to 25° C.

DESERT

2.5 mm of precipitation

GRASSLAND

Brian then found himself next to a puzzling,

wide tree when his friend Gale Grassland ap-

peared from behind it. Gale saw his confusion

and explained, “This is a Baobab tree. It has

adapted to thrive even though my soil is porous

and the water is drained rapidly. Other plants and

animals have had to adapt too, like the Mountain

Aloe, giraffes, as well as the herems of zebras.”

Brian thought that was really nifty.

GRASSLAND


To collect the most

amount of water it can

the Baobab tree has a wide

trunk and gnarled roots,

and giraffes have really

strong tongues that allow

them to eat plants that are

inedible to other animals.

The average temperature range is 20° - 30° C.

Maybe this was where he was meant to be! Then

he saw his best friend waving at him in the hori-

zon.

50.8-1270 mm of precipitation

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST

He turned to his best friend Tobias Temperate

Deciduous Forest. Brian thought that since To-

bias was his best friend, Tobias's biome should be

the one he chose. It was perfect. The soil had de-

caying matter which enriched the soil making it

very fertile. There were Buckbill Platypuses that

swam and walked and Fat Dormice that scurried

around. Lady Fern and Guelder Rose that swayed

in the wind. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too

cold.

TEMPERATE DECIDUOUS FOREST


The Guelder Rose

will invade another

plant’s area to re-

ceive more re-

sources, and the

tails of platypuses

can be used for en-

ergy storage.


He could stay and play with Tobias forever. It

seemed to be the perfect place.


TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

Ron Rainforest was in the middle of his teaching

lesson when Brian got to the rainforest. “My

soil,” he said, “is acidic, lacks many essential nu-

trients, and is subject to heavy leaching. The de-

composition rate is also very quick, but beautiful

flora is found here such as bromeliad and bou-

gainvillea species. Class, pay attention!” Brian

didn’t have the heart to tell Ron that his students

were not actually students and were instead Toco

toucans and kinkajous.


The bougainvillea

plant has hooks that

allow it to anchor

onto other plants

for support, and the

kinkajou has sharp

claws and a strong

tail to assist them

when climbing trees.

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST

The average temperature range is 20° C to 25° C.

Then Brian, unsure of his feelings toward the

rainforest, left in search of a better suiting biome.

2000 mm of precipitation

CONCLUSION

In the end, Brian Biome decided he didn’t want

to be a biome. He loved some biomes, and he

didn’t like some others, but he didn’t want to

choose. Suddenly, he got a brilliant idea. “I don’t

have to choose between the biomes! I don’t have

to be just one biome, I can be all of them!” he

said. “I am going to be a biosphere!” That’s the

story of how Brian Biome became Brian Bio-

sphere.

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

◊ Webber, Charles. "The Grassland Biome." University Of

California Museum of Paleontology. California Academy

of Sciences, 2002. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. <http://

www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/

grasslands.php>.

◊ K, Andy. "Guelder Rose - Viburnum Opulus." Blue Planet

Biomes. West Tisbury School, 2002. Web. 06 Apr. 2013.

<http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/guelder_rose.htm>.

◊ Biomes Group, Biology 1B Class, Section 115. "The

World's Biomes." University Of California Museum of

Paleontology. Ed. Marguerite Gregory. California Academy

of Sciences, Fall 1996. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. <http://

www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php>.

◊ Sunrise Over Earth. N.d. Photograph. The Stock Solution,

West Jordan, UT. TSS Stock Photo. The Stock Solution.

Web. 6 Apr. 2013. <http://www.tssphoto.com/abstract/

DEAR0049.html>.

◊ "Biome." Biology Online Dictionary. Biology-Online, 28

July 2008. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. <http://www.biology-

online.org/dictionary/Biome>.

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