ECOSYSTEMS / BIOMES

Ecosystems: In a given area, all living things (BIOTIC) interacting with each other and the non-

living things (ABIOTIC) in the same environment. Like a pond, lake, forest, river.

Biomes: Regions where there is similar weather/climate, similar plants & animals, similar

terrain (what the area looks like – mountains, prairie, beaches, etc)

So another way to compare BIOMES to ECOSYSTEMS….

Look at the map below of the United States’ biomes:

North Carolina is on the right side (East side) of the country where that GREEN area is shaded

for the Temperate Forest Biome. We live in a global biome Temperate Forest which covers

many states in our nation.

And there are hundreds of ECOSYSTEMS within this Temperate Forest Biome – just here in

Western NC we have lakes, ponds, rivers, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, etc – all

different ecosystems from each other.

So you see how a BIOME is a much larger region where there is common rainfall amounts and

common climate; similar plants and animals living there. And within the BIOME are numerous

ECOSYSTEMS where these biotic organisms interact with local abiotic (non-living) elements.

SO…In Western North Carolina – a Temperate Forest Biome – we have lakes where fish and

amphibians live in a large collection of fresh water and interact with aquatic plants, algae,

insects, etc. But these fish and amphibians are in a very different ecosystem than the bear,

racoons, skunks, squirrels that live on one of our mountain-top ecosystems where there are

different plants than a lake has; and definitely much less water than a lake.

ECOSYSTEMS & BIOMES

Below are descriptions of the primary

ecosystems and biomes, although there are

many others.

AQUATIC

o Freshwater: lakes/ponds, streams/rivers

o Saltwater: oceans, estuaries, salt marshes

TERRESTRIAL

o Grasslands: prairies, savannas

o Forests: tropical rainforests, taiga forests,

temperate forests

o Deserts

o Tundra

AQUATIC Ecosystems

FRESHWATER

LAKES / PONDS

Definition: Almost Closed bodies of water. The water is still (not moving) or if movement it’s

slow. Lakes are larger than ponds. Lakes usually drain into streams or rivers. These hold

FRESH water.

Facts:

Fresh water

Closed bodies of water – water doesn’t flow, or little flow

Some lakes are very deep

Lakes/ponds have more stable ecosystems than streams/rivers

Ponds are shallower than lakes

Plants and algae grow along the edge (shore) where water is shallow

ORGANISMS:

Animals: freshwater fish, amphibians (frogs, salamanders, etc), ducks, turtles, beavers,

snakes, crayfish, plankton, snails, worms, insects, alligators/crocodiles, beavers, otters

Plants: water lilies, cattail, duckweed

Lake temperatures:

Pond temperatures: usually stay the same from the bottom to surface

RIVERS / STREAMS

Definition: Runoff in established form – running or flowing water that feed lakes, ponds,

oceans, and other rivers. Can be small trickling streams to mile-wide rivers that travel for

thousands of miles.

Facts:

Fresh water

Water flows and the speed affects what kind of life can exist

Connecting “snakes” of water feeding into others as tributaries

The flow of water caused by gravity is “seeking” to end up at sea level (0 feet of

elevation)

Can be deep, but most are shallow compared to lakes and oceans

ORGANISMS:

Animals: (most of the same as in freshwater lakes/ponds ) - freshwater fish, amphibians

(frogs, salamanders, etc), ducks, turtles, beavers, snakes, crayfish, plankton, snails, worms,

insects, alligators/crocodiles, beavers, otters

Plants: depends greatly on where the river/stream is flowing

SALTWATER

OCEANS / ESTUARIES / SALTWATER MARSHES

OCEANS

Definition: (a Marine Biome) The largest bodies of water on Earth divided by continents.

5 major oceans = Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Southern. All contain saltwater.

Facts:

Saltwater!

Many types of Ecosystems in oceans depending on conditions (sunlight, temperature,

depth, salinity (amount of salt in the water)

70% of Earth’s surface is ocean

Lots of marine life

Can’t see across them

ORGANISMS:

Most organisms live where the ocean is shallow (shoreline to continental shelf)

o More sunlight in shallows (sunlight only reaches 200 meters deep)

o Water is warmer making food abundant (plentiful)

o Organisms:

Drifters: jellyfish, seaweed

Swimmers: fish

Crawlers: crabs

Anchored: to the sea floor: corals, anemone,

Some organisms live in the open ocean near the surface to the ocean floor such as

plankton

Some organisms swim to the surface to find food or breathe

o Whales, sharks, sea turtles, squid

Some organisms live closer to the ocean floor

o Some fish, octopus, tubeworms

Some birds are specific ocean dwelling birds

o Pelicans, sea gulls, penguins,

ESTUARY

Definition: An estuary is an area streams and rivers merge with seawater from oceans. It’s where seawater

mixes with freshwater. Bays, lagoons, harbors, salt marshes and inlets can be types of estuaries. Estuaries

contain the mixture of salt and fresh water resulting in what’s called brackish water.

Facts:

Where streams/rivers meet oceans

Where fresh meets salt water

They can be saltier than the ocean water

The tide affects the daily cycle of wild life

o Low tide: clams are closed, crabs and worms hide, birds are active digging for

food

o High tide: water protects most animals and the estuary is active

ORGANISMS in Estuaries:

A lot of wild life in estuaries because the area is usually blocked from the turbulent

ocean surf (calmer waters)

o Clams, fish, turtles, frogs, worms, aquatic birds, insects, algae,

SALT MARSHES (usually in or near estuaries)

Definition: Salt Marshes are wetlands just like marshes further inland and look similar with tall

grasses/plants growing out of water/mud. The difference from inland marshes is that Salt Marshes are where

salt water is - in places where the land meets the sea, such as barrier islands, estuaries and other coastal

areas.

Facts:

Ocean tides influence – sometimes the marsh is very full of water, sometimes shallow,

sometimes dry

Their salinity (salt content in the water) is high, low or in between

o The salinity influences the type of animal/plant life

o The salinity levels depend on where the marsh is located – closer to the ocean,

or upstream in an estuary or sound

o They can be saltier than the ocean water

o They can have brackish (or briny) water (pretty even mix of fresh and salt water)

ORGANISMS:

Like estuaries - A lot of wild life in estuaries because the area is usually blocked from the

turbulent

a SALT MARSH

The difference between an estuary and a salt marsh

TERRESTRIAL Ecosystems

Terrestrial means “LAND-BASED” –

opposite of water-based (aquatic) ecosystems.

4 primary terrestrial ecosystems –

Grasslands, Forests, Deserts, Tundra

GRASSLANDS

Prairie

Savanna

Prairies / Savannas

(also Steppes in Asia and Pampas in South America)

Definition: Large area or region of primarily grass and shrubs– very few trees.

Facts:

Prairies (temperate zones) (the U.S. has vast prairies in the Midwest)

Savannas (tropical zones) (Africa has some of the world’s largest savannas)

Primarily Flat land (may be short rolling hills)

Have fertile soil (good for growing plants)

Covered with different kinds of grasses

Get a medium amount of rain, but less than forests

Grasslands Food Web:

Prairies: bison, prairie dogs, snakes, gophers, mice, wolves, turkeys, coyotes, wild

horses,

Savannas: lion, elephants, zebras, giraffe, wildebeest, hyenas, wild dogs, cheetah,

gazelle, ostrich

More about – click on links below:

Prairies

Savannas

FORESTS

Tropical Rainforests / Taiga Forests / Temperate Forests

Have many trees (with needles or leaves), shrubs, grasses, ferns, and a variety of animals.

Forests usually get more rain than grasslands. 3 major Types of Forests – depend on latitude (north or south from the

equator) o Tropical Rainforests – near the equator, in Tropical Zones o Taiga Forests – far north towards or in Polar Zones, or, at high altitudes

atop high mountains o Temperate Forests – in between the Tropical Rainforests and Taiga –

typically in the Temperate Zones. (there are a few Temperate Rainforests in the world)

T r o p i c a l R a i n f o r e s t s

Definition: A rainforest is a type of forest that has a lot of annual rainfall. To be a rainforest the amount of

rain that falls in a year must be between 98 in and 177 in. It has been estimated that there are millions of

species of organisms living in rainforests that have not yet been discovered.

Tropical Rainforest Facts:

Near the equator

Temperatures between 70° F and 90° F most of the year

The most biodiversity of all terrestrial biomes – meaning rainforests contain over half

of the world’s plant and animal types!

Covers only 6% of land surface

40% of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from rainforests

25% of the world’s medicines get ingredients from the rainforests

ENDANGERED! Every second, a section of rainforest the size of a football field is cut

down!

Organisms: in general, of most types of animals, there are numerous varieties of each kind

of animal listed below

monkeys, poisonous tree frogs, snakes, tropical birds (very colorful), reptiles, insects,

leopards/panthers, iguanas, bats, deer, tall trees, big plants, mosses, (2,000 types of

butterflies in the Amazon forests)

More about – click on links below:

Tropical Rainforests

T a i g a F o r e s t s

Definition: The taiga is the world's largest biome apart from the oceans. These forests contain primarily coniferous trees (evergreens, pines, spruces, fir)(trees that bear cones – think pine cones and needle-leaves)

In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States (northern Minnesota through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Upstate New York and northern New England), where it is known as the Northwoods or "North woods".

Taiga Forest Facts:

Taiga means “land of the little sticks” in Russian

Moderate (medium) to high amounts of annual precipitation

Colder than average temperatures – either near polar regions or high altitude (in high

mountains) – longer winters

Taiga Forests are endangered and diminishing due to logging

Taiga Organisms:

Animals: snowshoe rabbit, lynx, moose, owls, wolves, reindeer, mink, marten, beaver,

muskrat, hawks, songbirds, ravens, woodpeckers, insects (but find more insects in other

biomes), grizzly bear, mountain goat, mountain lion,

Plants: various coniferous trees, short grass, lichens, mosses,

More about – click on links below:

Taiga Forests

T e m p e r a t e F o r e s t s

Definition: A variety of Forests that are located in the Temperate Zones of Earth. Where temperatures are moderate and all 4 seasons are experienced.

Facts:

3 types:

o Deciduous forests: most trees lose their leaves in the colder seasons and grow

new leaves in the spring

o Coniferous Forests: although not as large as Taiga Forests, there are coniferous

forests in Temperate Zones where temperatures are moderate

o Mixed: most Temperate Forests have a mixture of deciduous and coniferous

trees (like here in Southern Appalachia where we live)

Deciduous is a Latin word meaning “to fall off”

Organisms:

Animals: owls, wolves, beaver, hawks, songbirds, ravens, woodpeckers, insects, racoon,

squirrels, fox, opossum, skunk, bear, deer, porcupines, eagles, turkeys, mountain lions

Plants: various deciduous and coniferous trees, short grass, mosses, wild flowers,

mushrooms, herbs,

More about – click on links below:

Temperate Deciduous Forests

DESERTS

Definition: many think that deserts are defined by lots-of-sand, heat, and no plants. But there

are many types of deserts, some with a lot of plants and some with snow. What defines a

desert is the LACK OF WATER – BEING DRY – getting 10 or less inches of annual precipitation.

Facts:

Dry

Hot deserts have hot days and cool nights

Typically, not many plants

Dust storms

Currently deserts cover 20% of Earth but they are growing for several reasons

including human activity

Animals burrow to survive extreme and harsh conditions in deserts

Organisms:

Animals: owls, coyote, scorpions, camel, horned toad, meerkats, various reptiles,

grasshoppers, hawk, snakes

Plants: cactus, various shrubs (short plants), grasses, short trees

More about – click on links below:

Deserts

POLAR DESERT

Sand Dunes in a hot desert

Sand Storm (in Iraq)

TUNDRA

Definition: Tundra is the coldest biome, a mostly treeless plain where harsh conditions make

it hard for organisms to survive. Tundra biomes are located in the farthest North regions.

Facts:

Average annual temperature is 18° F

Practically as dry as deserts – 10 inches of precipitation each year – mostly snow

PERMAFROST – below the very top soil on the ground (topsoil) is frozen ground! AND

this permafrost-frozen-ground never melts! (Many scientists are convinced that Global

Climate Change is gradually melting permafrost in tundra biomes.)

Permafrost (frozen ground) prevents trees from growing that need deep soil to spread

their roots

Most tundra is Arctic Tundra – located in North Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Northern

Europe, Northern Asia

Very high mountains, above the tree line is also considered tundra, “Alpine Tundra”

2 seasons – long winters (8 months), short summers

“Tundra” is a Finnish word for “treeless plain or barren land”

Organisms:

Animals: caribou, artic hare, lemmings, polar bear, ermine, artic fox, snowy owls, musk

oxen; insects only during the short summer seasons; birds may be present during summer

seasons, but migrate south during winters

Plants: not much – grasses, lichens, shrubs, herbs – no trees (or very very few)

More about – click on links below:

Tundra

TUNDRA

SOURCES:

http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/world_biomes.php

http://www.mbgnet.net/index.html

https://www.ck12.org/user%3Aynjpyw4ubwfjy2fyzwxsaubiy3nlbwfpbc5vcmc./book/Buncomb

e-County-Schools-5th-Grade-Science-Flexbook/r198/section/7.4/