Terrestrial Biomes topic 1.2 outline

Learning objective: describe the global distribution and principal environmental aspects of terrestrial biomes

Essential knowledge:

1. A biome contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from and are adapted to climate.

2. Major biomes include taiga, temperate rainforests, temperate seasonal forests (deciduous forests), tropical rainforests, shrubland (chaparral), temperate grassland, savanna, desert, and tundra.

3. The global distribution of nonmineral terrestrial natural resources such as water and trees for lumber, varies because of some combination of climate, geography, latitude and altitude, nutrient availability and soil.

4. The worldwide distribution of biomes is dynamic; the distribution has changed in the past and may again shift as a result of global climate changes.

BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND (fill in the key with the names of the biomes; if you don’t have a color pic, use arrows to identify the names of the biomes)

Different climates lead to different communities of organisms, especially vegetation. Biomes – large terrestrial regions characterized by similar climate, soil, plants, and animals. Each biome contains many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to differences in

climate, soil, and other environmental factors. Biome type is determined by precipitation, temperature and soil type

BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND

altitude and biomes

Parallel changes occur in vegetation type occur when we travel from the equator to the poles or from lowlands to mountaintops.

DESERT BIOMES Deserts are areas where evaporation exceeds precipitation. Deserts have little precipitation and little vegetation. Found in tropical, temperate and polar regions (tundra). Desert plants have adaptations that help them stay cool and get enough water. (See HW on

desert plant and animal adaptations) Desert ecosystems are fragile. Soils take a long time to rejuvenate due to slow plant growth, low

species diversity, slow nutrient cycling and lack of water. It can take decades to hundreds of years for plants to grow back when they are destroyed by

off-road vehicles Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate and cold

deserts. (in this case temperature is on the line graph and precipitation is on the bar graph)

These graphs are known as climatographs or climographs they show how rainfall and temperature vary seasonally in each biome

The flora and fauna in desert ecosystems adapt to their environment through their behavior and physiology. See your homework for some specific examples of adaptations of desert plants and animals

GRASSLANDS AND CHAPARRAL BIOMES

Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue). Notice the polar grassland has a very cold winter.

Grasslands (prairies) occur in areas too moist for desert and too dry for forests. Savannas are tropical grasslands with scattered tree and herds of hoofed animals. Temperate Grasslands The cold winters and hot dry summers have deep and fertile soil that make them ideal for

growing crops and grazing cattle. Grasslands are maintained by fire and large grazing herbivores, both of which prevent shrubs

and trees from taking over. Fire helps grasslands thrive in other ways too; replaces nutrients, puts carbon in the soil,

improves water cycling, removes invasive plants, increases the nutritional quality and taste of grass so the herbivores like to eat it!

WATCH CULTURAL BURNING VIDEO: Below, describe 2 concepts that you learned while watching this video…..a concept is a whole connected idea rather than a fact

Temperate Grasslands Temperate tall-grass prairie ecosystem in North America. Some other names for grasslands are; prairies, steppes (Europe), veldt (South Africa), pampas

(South America

Polar Grasslands/Tundra

Polar grasslands are covered with ice and snow except during a brief summer.

Chaparral/Shrubland

Chaparral has a moderate climate but its dense thickets of spiny shrubs are subject to periodic fires. We live in a Chaparral Biome…..Chaparral biomes/ecosystems are fire adapted, they also thrive with periodic burning (as explained in the “Cultural Burning Video)

FOREST BIOMES

Variations in annual temperature (red) and precipitation (blue) in tropical, temperate, and polar forests.

Forests have enough precipitation to support stands of trees and are found in tropical, temperate, and polar regions.

Tropical Rain Forest Tropical rain forests have heavy rainfall and a rich diversity of species. Found near the equator. Have year-round uniformity warm temperatures and high humidity. Tropical Rain Forest Filling such niches enables species to avoid or minimize competition and coexist

Temperate Deciduous Forest Most of the trees survive winter by dropping their leaves, which decay and produce a nutrient-

rich soil. Evergreen Coniferous Forests/Taiga Consist mostly of cone-bearing evergreen trees that keep their needles year-round to help the

trees survive long and cold winters.Temperate Rain Forests

Coastal areas support huge cone-bearing evergreen trees such as redwoods and Douglas fir in a cool moist environment.

MOUNTAIN BIOMES

High-elevation islands of biodiversity Often have snow-covered peaks that reflect solar radiation and gradually release water to

lower-elevation streams and ecosystems.HUMAN IMPACTS ON TERRESTRIAL BIOMES

Human activities have damaged or disturbed more than half of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems.

Humans have had a number of specific harmful effects on the world’s deserts, grasslands, forests, and mountains (See figures 5-26, 5-27, 5-28 and 5-29)

Climate change has had tremendous negative impacts on biomes and biodiversity across the earth (see biozone “biodiversity and global warming” as well as the article “Climate Impacts: Melting glaciers, shifting biomes and Dying trees in US National Parks”

Food Webs in Various Biomes (put the name of the biome next to its corresponding food web)