World Biomes

• A group of ecosystems that are related by having a similar type of of vegetation governed by similar climatic conditions– Major Terrestrial Biomes

• Desserts• Grasslands and Prairies• Tropical Rainforests• Temperate rainforests• Coniferous forests• Tundra

Deserts

• Very dry; hot days and cold nights; less than 10in of rain per year

• Thorny bushes and shrubs, cacti – scattered

Grasslands/ Prairies

• Seasonal rainfall; 10-60in of rain per year; frequent fires; soils rich and deep

• Grass species – small and tall dependent on rainfall; some bushes and forests

Tropical Rain Forests

• Non-seasonal; rainfall frequent and heavy; over 95in of rain per year

• Soils thin and poor

• Average temp of 28oC (84oF)

• High diversity of broadleaf evergreens, dense canopy, little understory, vines and epiphytes

Temperate Forests

• Seasonal; temps below freezing in winter, warmer summers – humid; 30-80 in of rainfall per year; well developed soils

• Broadleafed deciduous trees; some conifers (pine trees); shrubby undergrowth –ferns, lichens, and mosses

Coniferous forests

• Seasonal – long cold winters, light precip in winter, heavier in summer

• Soils acidic, much humus and litter

• Conifers – spruce, fir, pine, hemlock; some deciduous –birch and maples; poor understory

Tundra

• Bitter cold – except 8-10wk growing season, precipitation is low, soils thin with permafrost

• Low-growing sedges, dwarf shrubs, lichens, mosses and grasses

Ecosystem Notes• Ecology- the study of Ecosystems• Ecosystem- an area where organisms thrive• Biome- a group of ecosystems that share the

same climatic area. Is determined by type of vegetation and rainfall.

• Biotic Factor- all living organisms in an environment, humans, plants, animals

• Abiotic Factor- non-living parts of an environment, ex- rock, soil, sun

• Habitat- an environment that meets an organism’s needs and functions for survival. Several niches make up a habitat.

• Species- a group of organisms that can create offspring.

• Population- A group of organisms all of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

• Community- A collection of several populations that inhabit a common area.

• Population Density- How many individuals occupying a certain area

• Limiting Factor- anything that would keep something from surviving and reproducing

• Natural Selection- individuals ability to survive into the next generation due to adaptations or an individual evolving to survive.

• Niche- job an organism does within the habitat• Carrying Capacity- amount of population an area

can contain based on resource availability

• Food chain – a chain that hierarchy of different living things each of which feeds on the one below; (basically what eats what…)

• Food web – an interlocking food chain within an ecological community; (what everything eats within an ecosystem)