bio = life

BIOLOGY UNIT

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ology = the study of

Biology = the study of life

Objectives

• Define Biome• Identify distinctive plants, animals, and

climatic characteristics of Canadian biomes (tundra, permanent ice, boreal forest, temperate deciduous forest, temperate rainforest, grasslands)

• Identify factors that affect the global distribution of the 8 terrestrial biomes (as above plus desert, tropical rainforest)

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Earth 1972 – as seen from Apollo 17

BIOLOGY UNIT = BIOMES

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= the largest divisions of the Earth’s biosphere

What is a Biome?

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= any and all of the places on Earth where life exists

- includes all terrestrial and aquatic biomes

What is a Biosphere?

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- travel- economics- curiosity- survival

Who Cares?

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- Boreal Forest

The 8 Terrestrial Biomes

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- Temperate Deciduous Forest-Temperate Rain Forest-Tropical Rain Forest

- Grassland

- Desert- Tundra

- Permanent Ice

Boreal Forest

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Where is the Boreal Forest?Northern Hemisphere including Canada, Russia, Finland and Scandinavia

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What is the Boreal Forest like?Climate: temperatures = -40 C – 20 C

precipitation = 20-85 cm annually

Physical: short summersrough terrainwetlands

Plants: mainly coniferous trees (cones and needles)spruce and balsamshady = very little understory

Animals:

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Temperate Deciduous Forest

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Where is the Temperate Deciduous Forest?

Eastern Canada, Eastern USA, Western Europe, Eastern Asia

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What is the Temperate Deciduous Forest like?

Climate: temperatures = -30 C – 30 Cprecipitation = 75-180 cm annually

Physical: extreme seasonslong, warm growing seasonrich soil

Plants: deciduous and conifersgrow in 4-5 layersmaple, oak, birch, short trees, shrubs, ferns, herbs and mosses

Animals:13

Temperate Rain Forest

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Where is the Temperate Rain Forest?

West Coast of Canada, USA and South America and Southern Australia, New Zealand

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What is the Temperate Rain Forest like?

Climate: temperatures = 5C – 25 Cprecipitation = over 200 cm annually

Physical: along coasts that have mountainslong cool, wet seasons

Plants: deciduous and coniferstrees can grow extremely tallmosses, lichens, ferns and fungivery shady in forest

Animals:

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Tropical Rain Forest

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Where is the Tropical Rain Forest?band around the equator including Central America, Central Africa and Southeast Asia

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What is the Tropical Rainforest like?Climate: temperatures = 20 C – 35 C

precipitation = over 250 cm annually

Physical: poor soilextreme rainforest floor very shady

Plants: grow in many layersplants grow on other plants to get to sun

Animals:

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Grassland

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Where is the Grassland?Canada, USA, Russia, Africa, South America, Northern Australia

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What is the Grassland like?Climate: temperatures = -10 C – 30 C

precipitation = 25-100 cm

Physical: flat lands (prairies)very rich, fertile soilwind can cause soil erosions

Plants: few trees due to lack of raindeep rooted grassesmany wildflowers

Animals:

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Climate: temperatures = -10 C – 30 Cprecipitation = 25-100 cm

Physical: flat lands (prairies)very rich, fertile soilwind can cause soil erosions

Plants: few trees due to lack of raindeep rooted grassesmany wildflowers

Animals:

Desert

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Where is the Desert?Canada, USA, Africa, South America, Australia, Argentina and Central Asia

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What is the Desert like?Climate: temperatures = -2C – 38 C

precipitation = less than 25 cm annually

Physical: salty soil

Plants: few plants adapted to lack of waterspines protect form being eaten

Animals:

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Tundra

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Where is the Tundra?Upper Northern Hemisphere including Canada, USA, Greenland and Russia

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What is the Tundra like?Climate: temperatures = -30 C – 12 C

precipitation = less than 25 cm annually

Physical: has a layer of permanently frozen soil = permafrostflat, poor drainagepools and marshes

Plants: no treesshort grasses, lichens and mossesshrubs and short flowers

Animals:

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Permanent Ice

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Where is the Permanent Ice?Arctic, Greenland (ironic ) and Antarctica

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What is the Permanent Ice like?Climate: temperatures = -30 C – 15 C

precipitation = less than 50 cm annually

Physical: very strong windsvery little soilvery little fresh water (frozen)

Plants: lichen and mossflowering plants (mostly Arctic)

Animals:

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BIOMES PROJECTPurpose: to learn more about factors that affect and influence the characteristics of the different biomes

Approach: a combination of guidance and freedom to discover and demonstrate your own knowledge

Meaning: 1. Pick a biome to focus your attention on2. Each day Dr. T will present a mini-lesson3. Each day you will apply that mini-lesson to your chosen

biome…you will have to “show what you know” using info about your chosen biome

- some days…given strict guidelines- other days…given FREEDOM!4. Hand in all assignments on time…I will assess and give feedback

so you can make corrections before final submission…DO NOT THROW ANYTHING AWAY!

5. Final class of unit…assembly time…your choice

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BIOMES PROJECTPartners: allowed and encouraged

Be careful: for some parts of the project each partner will have to complete and submit their own copy of the assignment

- READ ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!

Be careful: Pick a reliable partner who you can work with outside of class time if necessary

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BIOMES PROJECTClass Time: must be used productively

Be careful: you DO NOT have the option to say “I will work on this at home”…you must be working in class!

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