Biome

Characteristics

Plant/Animal examples

Tundra

(arctic and alpine)

·        cold, dry, and treeless (cold desert or polar)

·        plants that grow low to the ground

·        permanently frozen soil called permafrost

·        average winter temperature -12°C or 10.4 ºF

·        average precipitation is less than 25cm per year

·        mosses, grasses, small shrubs, lichens

·        insects, ducks, geese, other birds, mice, arctic hares, reindeer, polar bears, caribou, snowy owls

Taiga

(Coniferous Forest or

Boreal)

·        cold forest with long winters

·        world’s largest biome

·        Soil thaws in the short summer

·        Precipitation is mostly snow, 35cm-100cm per year

·        evergreen trees

·        con-bearing (coniferous)

·        grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, lynx

Temperate deciduous forest

·        four distinct seasons, with wide range of temperatures; more rain than grasslands

·        temperatures range from below freezing in winter to 30°C (86 ºF) or more in summer

·        Precipitation throughout the year, 75cm-150cm per year

·        populated mostly by trees that lose their leaves in fall

·        oak, maple, beech, walnut, hickory, chestnut, elm

Temperate rain forest

·        Average temperature: 9°C to12°C  (48.2 ºF to 53.6 ºF)

·        Precipitation: 200cm-400cm per year

·        Tall trees with needlelike leaves

·        black bear, cougar, bobcat, and endangered northern spotted owl

Tropical rain forest

·        the most biologically diverse of all biomes

·        warm temperatures and wet weather year-round

·        located near the equator

·        Average temperature: 25°C or 77° F

·        Precipitation: 200cm-600cm per year

·        Four zones: forest floor, understory, canopy, emergents

·        Human impact: habitats being destroyed by farmers and loggers

·        lush plant life, large variety of animals

·        vines, lianas, rattan vine, strangler fig

·        toucans, sloth, howler monkey, spider monkey, poison dart frog, anaconda

Desert

·        very hot; large temperature variation

·        Plants that can store water or live with little water; roots extend great distances to reach water

·        driest biome; supports little plant life; arid

·        Precipitation: less than 25cm per year

·        Soil: thin, sandy or gravelly

·        cactus, short grasses, sagebrush

·        kangaroo rat, reptiles, Gila monster, iguana, scorpion, 

Grassland

(savanna, plains, steppes, prairies)

·        Temperate or tropical regions that get limited precipitation

·        dominated by grasses (provide food for wildlife, livestock, and humans)

·        Temperature: temperate or tropical

·        Precipitation: 25cm-75cm per year; have a dry season

·        Populated mostly by grasses and nonwoody plants

·        Animals---based on location in world

·        giraffe, zebra, African elephant, kangaroo, lion, gazelle, bison, prairie dog, ostrich, rhinoceros, wildebeest

Aquatic Ecosystems

Characteristics

Marine

·        Saltwater---95% of Earth’s water contains high concentration of salt or high salinity

·        examples---oceans, bays, estuaries

·        large variety of plants and animals

·        Saltwater ecosystems—

·        open oceans—divided into lighted and dark life zones (page 167)

a)lighted—upper 200m and home of plankton (plankton makeup the foundation of the food chain)

b)   dark—below 200m where animals feed on material that floats down or prey on each other

·        coral reefs—diverse and fragile ecosystems formed from coral shells of calcium carbonate

·        seashores—along coastlines

a)   intertidal zone—covered with water at high tide and exposed to air at low tide

b)  drastic changes in temperature, moisture, salinity, and wave action

·        estuaries—where a river meets and ocean (brackish); mangroves, bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets, sounds

a)      Rich in nutrients

b)      Changing mixture of salt water and freshwater

c)      Nurseries for many species of ocean fish

Freshwater

·        examples---streams, rivers, springs, ponds, bayous and most marshes and lakes

·        include flowing or standing water; low or no salt

·        large variety of plants and animals

·        rivers and streams---flowing water

a.  Most nutrients washed into water from land

b. The faster the flow the greater the oxygen content

·   lakes and ponds---very little flow

c.       Sunlight warms and lights pond bottom supporting pant and animal life

d.      Deeper lakes support life along shallow shoreline or surface

·  wetlands---regions wet all or most of the year

1. Between solid land and water
2. Very fertile

·        water pollution---a problem caused by fertilizer-filled runoff and sewage

term

definition or information

examples

adaptation

---any characteristic of an organism that helps it survive in a certain environment

--- structural---body size, shape, color

·  polar bear---fur and blubber

·  reptiles---scales help keep water from escaping through the skin

·  birds---beaks with shapes that help get to food or type of food they eat

·  trees in rainforests---tolerate shade; wide flat leaves to absorb sunlight

·  Arctic hare---fur blends with landscape based on season

·  Ability to eat certain chemicals without being poisoned

·  protection---

Ø      hedgehogs and sea urchins---sharp spines

Ø      cacti and roses---thorns

Ø      turtles and snails---shells

Ø      to sting predators or spray with foul-smelling substance

mimicry

resemblance of one organism to another or to an object in its surroundings for concealment and protection from predators

·  appearance, behavior, sound, scent

·  Eastern King snake is harmless but its scales are colored like those of the dangerous coral snake

·  Mimic octopus

·  Viceroy butterfly mimics the Monarch’s wings so that birds will leave it alone. Monarch butterflies taste bad to birds.

hibernation

state of moderate to complete inactivity during winter to escape food shortage or colder weather

·  animal’s temp drops to near the temp of its surroundings

·  breathing and heart rate slow down

·  needed energy comes from stored body fat

·  ground squirrels, black bears, bats, lemurs, marsupials

migration

---animal’s movement to a new location on a regular schedule such as when seasons change

---mating

·  monarch butterflies, humpback whales, American bison (buffalo)

·  mammals and birds migrate to warm places in fall and return in spring

·  Arctic tern travels from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back each year (approx. 35,000 km)

·  Red Christmas Crab

aestivation

(estivation)

dormancy in response to very hot or dry conditions

·  Worm, lungfish, garden snail

·  Cane toad, lady beetles, desert tortoise

predator-prey behaviors

Safety in numbers

·  Wolves hunt in packs

·  Musk oxen live in herds and protect each other by forming a circle with their horns pointing out

·  Birds stay together in flocks as they migrate

·  Baboons form troops for both defense and cooperative living

Organism

Habitat

Adaptation

Function

giraffe

savanna

long neck

helps to reach leaves on trees for food

Arctic Hare

Arctic

white fur in winter

provides camouflage from predators

monkey

rainforest

grasping tail

acts as an extra hand, freeing hands and feet for other uses

cacti

desert

waxy skin

reduces water loss from evaporation

robin (bird)

forest

migration

adapts to seasonal changes

black bear

forest

hibernation

adapts to seasonal changes