Earths Biomes Dawn Girard Environmental Science Legacy High
School
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Biomes Unit Decisions Biomes Videos: You will be watching Pole
to Pole to give you a general overview of all the biomes on Earth.
How ever I like to show two other videos in this unit. Which two
Planet Earth Videos would you like to see? Fresh WaterDesertsIce
Worlds Great PlainsJunglesShallow Seas Seasonal ForestsOcean Deep
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Biomes regions in the world that share similar plant
structures, plant spacing, animals, climate and weather. classified
as either terrestrial or aquatic. do not have distinct boundaries.
often defined by abiotic factors such as climate, relief, geology,
soils and vegetation along with their biotic factors of animals,
plants, fungi, etc. 3
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Biomes There is a general disagreement among scientists about
how many biomes exist. According to the scientists these range from
6 to 8 biomes. We will be studying the following 7 Biomes, but not
necessarily in this order. 1. Deserts XXX 2. Forests XXX 3.
Taiga/Boreal Forest XXX 4. Tundra XXX 5. Fresh Water 6. Marine 7.
Grasslands XXX 4
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Earths Biomes: Tundra
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A tundra is a vast, treeless plain in the arctic region. Tundra
is the coldest of all the biomes.
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Characteristics of Tundra 7 1.Extremely cold climate 2.Low
biotic diversity 3.Simple vegetation structure 4.Limitation of
drainage 5.Short season of growth and reproduction 6.Energy and
nutrients in the form of dead organic material 7.Large population
oscillations
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Location 8 There are two kinds of tundras, Arctic and alpine.
Arctic tundras lie near the Arctic Ocean. They include Greenland,
northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Europe and Russia. The Alpine
tundra is located at the top of mountains across the world.
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Climate 9 Its freezing for almost all of the year. The average
temperature per year is 16 degrees F. Summer temperatures get up to
45 degrees F. (last 6-10 weeks) Lowest temperature it can get is 10
degrees F below 0- 20 degrees F.
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Precipitation 10 Most of the precipitation that falls is snow.
In summer it falls as rain with occasional snow. Average
precipitation per season is 4.5 in. Average precipitation per year
is 18 inches.
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Plant Life 11 The plants growing in the tundra are often small
and grow close to the ground. This helps resist cold temp. and snow
during the winter. Due to permafrost, there are no deep root system
in the plant life of the arctic tundra. (1,700 different kinds of
plants)
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Plant Life 12 They carry out photosynthesis at low
temperatures. Plants are more likely to reproduce vegetatively by
division and budding than by flower pollination sexually, due to
the short growing season.
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Animal Life 13 The frigid cold and deep snow makes life in the
tundra very difficult. Animals are adapted to handle long, cold
winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer. Some
have grown thick fur which turns white in the winter.
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Animal Life 14 Mammals and birds have additional insulation
from fat. Others find a place to hibernate during the winter months
b/c food is not abundant. Reptiles & amphibians are few or
absent b/c of extremely cold temp.
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Earths Biomes: Taiga/Boreal Forest
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Characteristics Boreal forest refers to southern part of biome
Taiga refers to edge of boreal forest where forest gradually gives
way to tundra Stretches in a band around the world between 45 and
65 North Worlds largest terrestrial biome Characterized by
coniferous forests Forests grow slowly Tolerate weathered, nutrient
poor soil High bird/mammal diversity Dominant trees: pines,
hemlocks, spruce, cedar, fir Extreme cold and short summers 16
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Climate & Temperature Dominated by cold arctic air brought
by winds from Arctic circle Because of earth's tilt, the taiga is
turned away from the sun in the winter. Winter lasts 5-6 months
with temperatures varying from 50 C to 30 C (-58F to 86F) Summers
are short and generally mild, rainy, humid, and short (30 F to 70
with average of 50F) 17
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Fauna of the Taiga & Boreal Forest Animals Snowshoe Rabbit
Gray Wolf Black Bear Bald Eagle Bobcat Lynx Grizzly Bear Owl Red
Fox Otter Common Adaptations Thick Woolly Coats Large rear feet
& toes that can spread out to act like snowshoes feet also have
fur on the bottom, which protects them from the cold and gives them
traction in the snow In the summer its fur is rusty, grayish brown
but is turns pure white in the winter helping it avoid predators
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Flora of the Taiga/Boreal Forest Plants Black Spruce Siberian
Spruce Balsam Fir Douglas Fir Red Cedar Jack Pine White Fir White
Poplar White Spruce Common Adaptations Pine Cones Enjoys poorly
drained soil Able to survive in the colder climates because of its
layered twigs, waxy pine needles, and rough bark Thick waxy coating
that is water proof and protects the needles from drying winds.
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Keystone Species- Indicator Species Siberian Tiger Top of food
chain, hunts deer and boar Without, deer and boar become slow,
small, and overpopulated, and damaging Have potential to destroy
habitat, overgrazing areas and trampling and dangerously compacting
soil Typically poached, so presence is indicator of health in the
face of human activity As they are endangered, also an indicator of
overall special diversity and prominence in biome 20
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Earths Biomes: Desert
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Hot and Dry (Temp.) The temperatures in the hot and dry deserts
are extreme because of the lack of humidity Humidity- air which
contains high amounts of water vapor Without humidity there is a
lack of protection from the suns ray Average temp. ranges from
20-25 degrees Celsius Extreme high temp. ranges from 43.5- 49
degrees Celsius Min. Temp. can drop to 18 degrees below zero
Celsius 22
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Rainfall is usually limited and only in short bursts in between
long periods of time Rainfall depends on regional location Ex.
Rainfall in Chile is less than 1.5 cm, while deserts in the US it
averages up to 28 cm Evaporation rates often exceed rainfall rates
Fun Fact: once in a while rainfall can sometimes evaporate before
reaching the ground 23 Hot and Dry (Rainfall)
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Hot and Dry (Vegetation) Plants are mainly ground-hugging
shrubs and short woody trees. Leaves have water-conserving
characteristics. They tend to be small, thick and covered with a
thick cuticle (outer layer). These plants include: yuccas,
ocotillo, turpentine bush, prickly pears, false mesquite, sotol,
ephedras, agaves and brittlebush 24
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Hot and Dry (Organisms) The animals include small nocturnal
(active at night) carnivores. The dominant animals are burrowers
and kangaroo rats. There are also insects, arachnids, reptiles and
birds. The animals stay inactive in protected hideaways during the
hot day and come out to hunt at dusk, dawn or at night, when the
desert is cooler. 25
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Hot and Dry (Food Chains) Hawk Rattlesnake Jack Rabbit Ground
Hugging Shrubs 26
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Semi- Arid (Temp/ Rainfall) Avg. Temp. 21- 27 degrees Celsius
The temp. rarely gets above 38 degrees Celsius and rarely gets
below 10 degrees Celsius This helps with the condensation of dew in
the night, which can exceed the moisture some deserts get from
rainfall Average Rainfall 2-4 cm annually Footer text here27
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Semi- Arid (Vegetation) Spiny nature plants in order to reduce
transpiration: Silvery Glossy leaves Ex. Creosote Bush, Bur Sage,
white Thorn, Cat Claw, Mesquite, Brittle bush, Lyceums, and jujube
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Semi-Arid( Animals) Protection in underground burrows where
they are insulated from heat and aridity Ex. Kangaroo rates,
rabbits, skunks, grasshoppers, ants, lizards, snakes, burrowing
owls, California thrasher 29
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Avg. Temp: 13- 24 degrees Celsius Winter: 5 degrees Celsius or
below Max: 35 degrees Celsius Min: -4 degrees Celsius Rainfall: 8-
13 cm Max: 37 cm Min: 5 cm 30 Coastal desert (Temp/ Rainfall)
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Coastal Desert (Vegetation) They grow in fine textured soil
with moderate salt content Extensive root systems sloe to the
surface Have thickly fleshy leaves or stems to take in available
water Ex: salt bush, buckwheat bush, black bush, rice grass, and
black sage 31
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Coastal Desert (Animals) Specialized adaptations for dealing
with heat and lack of rain Ex: Coyote, badger, toads, great horned
owl, golden eagle, bald eagle, lizards, snakes 32
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Cold Desert (Temp/ Rainfall) Temperature Cold winters with high
snowfall and high overall rainfall Short moist and moderately warm
summers with fairly long and cold winters Winter: -2 to 4 degrees
Celsius Summer: 21- 26 degrees Celsius Rainfall Avg. annual
precipitation is 15- 26 cm Max: 46 cm Min: 9 cm 33
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Cold Desert (Vegetation) Widely scattered 10 percent of the
ground is covered with plants The areas of sage bush goes up to 85
percent Heights vary between 15- 122 cm Most are deciduous 34
Forests Forests occupy approximately one- third of Earth's land
area, account for over two-thirds of the leaf area of land plants,
and contain about 70% of carbon present in living things 37
Forest Services removal of air pollutants emission of oxygen
cycling of nutrients an array of watershed functions (infiltration,
purification, flow control, soil stabilization) maintenance of
biodiversity sequestering of atmospheric carbon moderation of
weather extremes and impacts generation of soil provision of
employment provision of human and wildlife habitat provision of
aesthetic enjoyment and recreation 39
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Deciduous Forest 60-80% relative humidity helps to moderate
temperature change from day to night Precipitation is distributed
fairly evenly throughout the year, there are no rainy or dry
seasons. There are four seasons: Spring (Moderately Cool &
Warm) Summer (Hotter Temperatures) Fall (Moderately warm to cool)
Winter (Cold) 40
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Deciduous Forest Animal Deer Raccoons Salamanders Snakes
Arthropods Birds: Owl, Hawk Vegetation Beech Trees Hickory Trees
Oak Trees Maple Trees Ferns Black Berry and raspberry Bushes
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Tropical Rain Forest These trees grow in places that are hot
and wet all year. Trees are very tall and the leaves are always
green. The forest has three layers. 42 Canopy Understory Forest
floor
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Tropical Rainforest The average temperature in a tropical
rainforest region would range between 20 and 29 degrees Celsius (
68 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit.) Tropical rainforest are located at
and equatorial latitude which keeps the average temperature and day
length the same throughout the entire year. In tropical regions
where the temperatures are constantly high, the rainfall count is
greater then 1,800 to 2,500 mm a year. Rainfall occurs evenly over
the course of the year. 43
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Tropical Rain Forest Animal Insects 300 different species of
Parrot Chimpanzees Bengal Tigers Vegetation Strangler figs Bamboo
Coconut Trees Mosses Bougainvillea Mangrove Forests 44
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Coniferous Forest Grows in places with very cold winters and
cool summers. The leaves look like needles so they dont need very
much water. Seeds grow in cones. Get less rain than all the other
forests. 45 Seed cone
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Coniferous Forest Long cold winters (average temperature -15 C)
with extreme temps (-30 C). Short summers with long days short
growing season (3 months). Low precipitation (500mm) cold air
unable to hold much water vapour. Winter snowfall melts only in
spring. 46
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Coniferous Forest Animal Fir Trees Spruce Trees Fungus
Lichens/Mosses Vegetation Deer Elk Moose Grizzly Bear Black Bear
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Human Impacts on Forest Biomes Logging Deforestation Mining
Over Hunting/Hunting out Species 48
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Earths Biomes: Grasslands 49
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General Information Occupy a central place among terrestrial
ecosystems Not too hot, wet, or dry Significant amounts of sun and
wind Bread Baskets of the World; Lots of Agriculture Conservation
efforts require everyones collaboration 50
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General Information Climate Dependent on latitude, yearly range
can be between -20C to 30C Precipitation About 500 to 900 mm of
rain per year or 20-40 inches annually 51
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Locations of Grasslands Grasslands are located in the middle
latitudes, in areas with too much rain for deserts and too little
for forests (yellow to the right). Savannas are located near the
equator (pink to the right). They have short wet seasons and long
dry seasons. 52
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Temperate Grasslands In Europe, temperate grasslands are called
steppes. In North America, they are called prairies. There are
three types of grasses which dominate temperate grasslands:
shortgrasses, midgrasses, and tall grasses. 53
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Grass Types Shortgrasses grow where the climate is the driest,
and once dominated the Great Plains. Tall grasses appear in the
wettest parts of the grassland. Midgrasses fill the spaces between
areas of tall grasses and shortgrasses. 54
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Tropical Grasslands Tropical grasslands, also called savannas,
cover much of Africa, and parts of India, Australia, and South
America. They are covered by clumps of grasses, as short as a few
centimeters or as tall as ten feet, with acacia, baobab, and palm
trees interspersed. 55
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Seasons in the Savanna During the dry season, which is
exceptionally long and distinct in tropical grasslands, grasses and
trees wither and die, many times being consumed in raging fires.
When the wet season returns, grasses grow at incredible rates, up
to 2.5 centimeters a day. 56
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Animals in the Grassland Animals in the temperate grassland
primarily are smaller grazing animals. Larger animals in the
temperate grassland are almost entirely grazing animals. Bison at
one point dominated the North American grassland. 57
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Animals in the Savanna Animal life on the savanna is extremely
diverse, far more so than the temperate grassland Life consists of
everything from small grazers, like hyraxes, to large grazers, like
zebras, to predators, like lions, to fast grazers in woody areas,
like dik-dik, to slow grazers in watery areas, like hippos. 58
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Overuse of Grasslands Grassland is the most overused biome in
the world. Over 70% of all agriculture occurs in grasslands. The
European Steppe and the Great Plains have almost completely
disappeared to overdevelopment. 59