WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF

DIFFERENT BIOMES AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS?

Chapter 4: Lesson 3:(PART TWO)

Biomes•Large places having its own kinds of plants, animals, soil, and their own temperature and rainfall

Examples:Desert Forest

Types of biomes

Water biomes

Land biomes

• Grassland• Deciduous

forest• Tropical

Rainforest• Deserts• Taiga• Tundra (Polar

regions)

• Freshwatera) Rivers and streamsb) Lakes and ponds• SaltwaterOceans• Wetlands and

estuaries

Biomes map

Land ecosystems (biomes)1) Grassland

(a) Weather

- Cool winters and warm/hot summers- Very light rainfall

(b) Plants in a grassland- Grass land are covered mainly with grass

(c) Animals in a grassland- Example: Bison

- Adaptation of Bison:1) They have excellent sense of smell and hearing.2)They rub their horns against rocks and Trees to use them in case of danger.

2) Deciduous forest

(a) Weather

- Cold winters and warm summers

(b) Plants in a deciduous forest

Oak tree

Oak tree leavesMaple tree

leaves

Maple tree

- Trees lose their leaves each year.

- The trees have broad leaves to get as much sunlight as it can.

(c) Animals in a deciduous forest- Example: Raccoon

- Adaptation of a raccoon:1) They are nocturnal.2)They have excellent sense of hearing and night vision.3) Excellent tree climbers.4) Have thick layer of fur which keeps them Warm during winter.

3) Tropical rainforest

(a) Weather- Warm

weather- Plenty of

rain throughout the whole year

(b) Plants in a tropical rainforest- Trees are so tall and leafy (almost no sunlight reaches

the ground)

(c) Animals in a tropical rainforest- Example: Toucan Chameleon

- Adaptation of chameleon:They change their colour (camouflage)to protect itself from predators.

Layers of rainforest

4) Desert

(a) Weather- During day:

temperature maybe above 38ºc

- During night: temperature may reach -4ºc

(b) Plants in a desert

- Plants can live with no rain for a long period of time

Cactus Yucca

(c) Animals in a desert- Desert animals can go for long times with little water.

Camel Fennec fox

Adaptation of desert animals(a) Camel

1) Long, thick eyelashes

2) Nostrils that can open and close

3) A tough, leathery mouth

4) A tough, leathery knee pad5) Webbed feet with two toes

6) A hump on the camel’s back

(b) Fennec fox1) It has huge ears. It helps to cool the fox down when it is very hot.

2) Thick fur that keeps it warm during the cold nights. The fur also protects it during the day from the sun’s heat.

3) It is usually active during the night when it is cooler.

5) Taiga

(a) Weather- Winters are

long and cold.- In the

summer the melting ice provides the animals with plenty of water.

(b) Plants in the taiga

Spruce

Spruce leaves

Fir

Fir leaves

(c) Animals in a taiga- Animals with thick fur live in the taiga.- Example: Black bear

- Adaptation of black bear:They have thick fur to keep them warm.

6) Tundra

(a) Weather- Winters are

long and icy cold.

- Very little rainfall.

(b) Plants in a tundra

- No large trees.- Plants grow close to the

ground.- The have shallow roots that

help them get water from melting snow.

GrassShallow roots

(c) Animals in a Tundra- Animals are large with thick fur to protect them from the

cold weather.

Caribou Musk oxen

Adaptation of polar bear

1) Excellent sense of smell

2) Thick white fur

3) Strong legs

4) Thick, rough paws

Adaptation of penguin

7) Thick skin and lots of body fat (blubber) to keep them warm

6) Flipper shaped wings to help them swim at very high speed

5) Shape of the body helps it swim faster

2) Webbed feet, help it swim faster

3) Dark feathers on their back absorb the sun’s heat to warm them up.

4) Tightly packed feathers overlap to provide waterproofing and warmth.

1) Shape of the tail helps it swim faster

8) Strong chest muscles to help them swim faster

Water ecosystems (biomes)1) Freshwate

r(A) Flow water

Example: Streams and rivers

(B) Still waterExample: Ponds and Lakes

2) WetlandsWet during some or all

the year

Mangrove swamp Salt marshes

3) EstuariesAn ecosystem where ocean and fresh water

meets

4) Ocean