biome

large region characterized by climate and types of plants and animal

named by their vegetation

plants that grow in an area determine the organism that live there

Climate versus WeatherClimate - average weather conditions in an area over a

long period of time

2 most important factors that determine region’s climate:

Temperature and precipitation

Weather – day-to-day conditions

sunny, snowy,

Climatographs – describe conditions of a biome

Biome Map

• Latitude (distance from equator) and altitude (height above sea level) determine the temperature and precipitation of a biome

• same biomes are in the same latitude

• Some variations among organisms in same biome based on soil, elevation, wind exposure, and sun exposure

Net Primary Production

• Gross primary production – rate the producers carry out conversion of energy

• Net primary production – biomass that remains after cellular respiration

• Net primary productivity – rate that producers convert energy to biomass

• Warmer, wetter biomes have higher net primary productivity (plants need sunlight, water, and warm temps to grow)

Tropical Rain Forest• Near the equator

• Year-round warm temps

• 12 hour days

• More rain than any other biome – almost 7 feet per year

• Nutrient- poor soil

• 20% of the earth was once covered with tropical rain forest

• Now, only 7%

most nutrients are within plants, not within the

soil

leaves and other plant material fall to the

ground, decomposers break down dead

organism

nutrients returned to soil, but plants quickly

absorb the nutrients

Layers of the Rain ForestEmergent Layer

top layer, tallest treesgrow in direct sun

Canopytall dense coveringkeep forest dark and damp

Understoryshorter trees and plantsand shrubscompete for available sunlight

Plant Adaptations• Tall trees to gather sunlight

• Large, flat leaves to maximize light absorption

• Pitcher plants to trap animals

• Predatory plant life

• Epiphytes – grow on other plants to gain height advantage for sunlight

• Buttresses – aboveground roots to provide stability for thin soil

• Bright colors – lure pollinators because not much wind

• Fast growing seeds – compete for sunlight

buttresses

• One hectare in the deciduous forest: only a few species

• One hectare in the Tropical Rain Forest: more than a 100 species

• One hectare =10,000m or 2.471 acresAnimal Adaptations• Live in canopy because more fruits and

flowers• special adaptations for capturing prey• Camouflage• anteater uses long tongue to reach

insects in small cracks • shaped like leaves or twigs• Long prehensile tails and limbs

Tropical Dry Forest• Warm year-round• Wet and dry seasons• Plant adaptations

– Deciduous lose leaves to reduce water loss during dry seasons

– Some trees have bark that contains chlorophyll (ceibo tree) to still maintain photosynthesis

– Extra coating of wax on leaves to prevent water loss

– Deeper roots to seek water– Store water– Thick bark to protect against fires

Animal Adaptations

• Adapted to seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and temperature

• Estivation

• migrate

estivationanimals buries itself in the ground and

sleeps through the dry season

Savanna (tropical grassland)grasslands cover some parts of Africa, Western India, Northern Australia, and parts of South America (between tropical dry and deserts)

• Less rain than tropical dry forests but more rain than deserts

• Grasses interspersed with trees

• Frequent fires and strong winds

• Vertical leaves to prevent water loss

• dry and wet seasons

• Soil is porous so water drains quickly

Plant Adaptations

Deciduous and extra waxy coatings to prevent water loss

Grow quickly to recover from fires

Deep roots to access water

Thick bark to protect from fires

Store water for dry season (baobab trees)

Bitter tastes, rough texture, thorns

Animal Adaptations

Dig for water during dry season (tusks)Grazing Migrate Burrow for protectionEstivationGive birth during rainy season when food and

water is abundant

Temperate rain forest • Characterized by cool

to moderate, humid weather

• Abundant rainfall• Plant Adaptations

• Lots of water and not much light under trees so most plants are low-laying mosses, lichens and ferns

• Coniferous trees – seed-bearing cones• Thick, waxy needles to prevent water loss• Compete for sunlight so being tall is an

advantage

Animal Adaptations

• Moisture-loving animals

• Varied diets to eat whatever food is available

Where is North America’s only temperate rain forest?

located in the Pacific Northwest, the Olympic

National Park in Washington State

Deserts

• less than 25 cm of rain

• little to no vegetation

• extreme temperatures – hot

during day, cold at night

• Soil contains little organic matter

Plant Adaptations• Thick, leathery leaves to reduce water loss

• Succulents – store water in tissues

• Sharp, tough spines – protection and prevents water loss

• Green stems and trunks for photosynthesis

• Shallow roots to gather water quickly

• Taproots – deep roots to search for water

Animal AdaptationsGet water from the food they eat

Release concentrated urine – conserve water

Nocturnal – active at night when cooler

Burrow to avoid hot daytime temperatures

Exaggerated appendages to release body heat

quickly

Sidewinders move so that only small areas of their

bodies contact the hot sand at a given time

Temperate Forest

• Broad-leafed deciduous trees

– Seasonal loss of leaves to avoid damage in winter and remains dormant until spring

– Dropped leaves enrich the soil

• Precipitation is relatively even

• Range of temperatures

• Most of Europe, eastern Asia, and eastern U.S.

Adaptations

Snowshoe hares shed brown summer fur and grow white fur that camouflages it in the winter snowMigrationHibernation – deep, sleeplike state for winter

live off stored fatBuild up fat reserves and hide food

temperate grassland• Mainly grass with very few trees• hot summers and cold winters• Rainfall – moderate (50- 88 cm of precipitation

per/yr)• Most fertile soil of any biome

– Much of U.S. grasslands have become farmland

• prairies and steppes• Susceptible to fires and droughts

adaptations

• Large, flat back teeth for chewing coarse prairie grasses

• Underground burrows- protect from fires, weather, and predators

• Grasses grow from base so they can grow back after grazed upon or fires

• Roots form thick mats to capture moisture and nutrients

Chaparral BiomePrimarily in coastal areas that have Mediterranean climates

California, southern Australia, southern Africa, Europe

Chaparral biomes get lots of sun, are near the oceans, and have a mild climate year-roundideal for commercial and residential use

• dominated by more broadleaf evergreen shrubs • located in areas with hot, dry summers and

mild, wet winters

• plants have small, waxy leaves that retain water

• contain oils that promote burning• Hairs on leaves to retain moisture• Thick bark, deep roots

Why is burning of a chaparral an advantage?

• fires destroy trees that might compete for light and space, helps seeds germinate, recycles nutrients

Adaptations

Nocturnal

Burrowing

Long legs and ears to regulate heat

•

Boreal forest/taiga

•A region of coniferous forests located in

a broad band across the Northern

Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle

Long cold winters

Short cool summers

Nutrient poor, acidic soil

winters are 6-10 months long

Adaptations

conical shape of trees sheds snow easilywaxy needlessymbiotic relationship with fungi to take in nutrients

animals feed, breed, and have young in few warm, winter monthssmall extremities and thick insulationchange colors

tundra

Treeless plains located in the Arctic or Antarctic

characterized by:•Very low winter temperatures•Very dry•Short cold summers•Harsh wind, nutrient poor soil•Vegetation close to groundPermafrost - permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil

Adaptations

Ideal conditions for mosquitoes and other

biting insects when ice in soil melts

Animals migrate to feed on insects or

lichen

Polar bears and musk oxen survive year

round, most others migrate

Thick coats with insulating air spaces and

wide hooves

Polar Ice

• Between tundra and the poles

• Most life found in the water

• Algae grow on ice and snow

• Some fish developed an “antifreeze” protein to keep blood from freezing

• Thick fur or blubber

Mountains

• Climbing in elevation causes rapid climate change

• Plants communities change along the slopes

• Can pass through several biomes by going up a mountain

What factors determines which organisms live in which areas of water?

• Temperature, sunlight, oxygen, salinity (amt. of salt) and nutrients determine which organisms live where

3 Zones• Photic zone

– Uppermost layer– Enough sun for photosynthesis– Most life in this region– More dissolved oxygen– Warmest layer

• Aphotic zone– No sunlight penetrates so no photosynthesis

• Benthic zone– Can be sunlit or pitch dark– Bottom of body of water– Coldest layer– Decomposers, insect larvae, and clams

Littoral zone - shallow zone where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants

Limnetic - Further from shore

plants, algae, and bacteria use photosynthesis to gain energy

Amphibians bury themselves in the littoral

mud to avoid freezing temperatures.

Whiskers allow catfish to find food on dark bottom of lake

Freshwater wetlands

• areas of land that are covered with

fresh water for at least part of the year

12 types of freshwater wetlands.

• Marshes-contains nonwoody plants, such as cattails.

• Swamps-dominated by woody plants such as trees and shrubs.

important environmental functions that wetlands perform

• Filters or sponges- absorb and remove pollutants; improves water quality

• Control flooding- absorb extra waterwhen rivers overflow

• Feeding and spawning areas for game fish

• Habitat for native and migratory birds• Carbon dioxide trap

– help to reduce atmospheric CO2

• Produce many commercially important products– Example- cranberries.

• Recreation– fishing, bird watching, hiking,

canoeing, photography, and painting

• Provide buffer zone against erosion– protect shorelines

estuary

• an area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean.

What is the difference between a Mangrove swamp and a freshwater swamp?

Fresh water – water is

non salty, and are ideal

habitat for amphibians,

such as frogs and

salamanders

-A Mangrove swamp

occurs in warm climate,

near the ocean and the

water is salty.

-Prevent erosion

-Protect against damage

from storms

• Salt marshes contain saltier water.

• Organisms are adapted to live within the ecosystem’s range of salinity.

What are the different

kinds of marshes

characterized by?

Their salinity;

Brackish marshes

have slightly salty

water.

What makes a swamp different than a freshwater marsh?

• They occur on flat poorly drained land often near streams, but woody shrubs or water loving trees dominates them.

Where do salt marshes develop?

They develop in estuaries where rivers deposit their load of mineral- rich mud.

salt marshes

estuary

Why are estuaries such a productive ecosystem?

• constantly receive fresh nutrients from both the river and ocean ecosystems

• Provide access to ocean and rivers

• Because estuaries receive plenty of light for photosynthesis and plenty of nutrients for plants and animals

• Producers feed consumers etc.

What special adaptation must organisms have to be able to live in an estuary?

• salt content of the water varies as fresh water and salt water mix when tides go in and out.

• Must be able to tolerate changes in salinity

Why are estuaries vulnerable to the effects of pollution?

• ocean, lake, and river pollutants enter estuaries

• dense human settlements surround most estuaries

Organic pollution from humans

• Marine ecosystems are located mainly in coastal areas and in the open ocean

• Neritic ecosystem – entirely sunlight, great productivity– Kelp forests and coral reefs

• Open ocean– Begins at continental shelf– 90% of ocean water– Most is aphotic

• bioluminescence

coral reef• limestone ridge found in tropical climates and composed of coral

fragments that are deposited around organics remainsHow are coral reefs formed? • Coral polyps secrete skeletons of limestone, (calcium carbonate), which slowly accumulate and forms coral reefs. • Rebuild very slowly

Water that is too hot or cold can damage reefsby killing coralsMuddy water can kill the algae that live within corals

Formation of Coral Reefs