biomes - polk county school district 15-16.pdf · • the marine biome is the biggest biome in the...

Biomes • Earth has SEVEN major biomes:

• Marine

• Tropical rain forest

• Grassland

• Desert

• Temperate deciduous forest

• Tundra

• Taiga

Aquatic Biomes

• Covers about 75% of the Earth's surface

• Freshwater and saltwater

• Wide variety of animals and plants

Saltwater • The marine biome is the

biggest biome in the world!

– It covers about 70% of the earth.

• Includes oceans, coral reefs,

and estuaries(river flows into

ocean).

• Five main oceans: the Pacific,

Atlantic, Indian, Arctic &

Southern, as well as many

smaller Gulfs and Bays.

Tropical Rain Forest • Location: the Amazon in

South America, Central Africa, mainly involving Zaire, & Southeast Asia.

• Warm temperatures all year • 68 F-93 F

• Abundant rain fall all year • 150 cm per year (177 in)

• 49 in per year in Ga

• Soil is thin & lacks nutrients.

Rainforest Plants

• Lush, thick forests

• Canopy consists of uppermost branches of trees

• Trees have short roots

• Plants grow on trees to get sunlight

Bromeliads

Epiphytes

Buttress Roots

Orchids

Rainforest Animals • Home to

more than half of the world’s animals

• Range from tiny insects to large mammals

Macaw

Toucan

Jaguar Spider Monkey

Poison-Arrow Frog Boa Constrictor Morpho Butterfly

Grassland • Located: Africa, South America, Eurasia, and the plains of North America

• Hot summers & cold winters • Temperatures range from 100 F to -

40 F.

• 10 and 35 inches of precipitation a year, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer

• Soils that are nutrient-rich from the growth and decay of deep, many-branched grass roots

Grassland Plants • Primary plant life is grass

• Trees & large shrubs are largely absent

Cottonwood Willow

Purple Needlegrass

Buffalo Grass Blazing Stars

Asters

North American Grassland Animals • Herbivores dominant-Animals that eat only plants

Bison

Pronghorn Prairie Dog

Coyote

Hawk

African Grassland Animals

Elephant

Caracal

Lion Zebras

Emu

Chacma Baboon African Wild Dog

DESERT • Located: North & South

America, Africa, Australia

• Temperature ranges from 64 F-120 F

• VERY dry climate – South America=less than 1.5

cm a year

– North America=almost 28 cm a year

• Soils are coarse-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely

Desert Plants • Plants have long roots & the ability to collect &store

water

Asian Mustard Elephant Tree

Mojave Yucca

Barrel Cactus Popcorn Flowers

Desert Animals • Nocturnal animals live in deserts, they come out at night to

avoid the high temperatures

Sonoran Desert Toad Arizona Bark Scorpion Greater Roadrunner

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit Meerkat Texas Horned Lizard

Temperate Deciduous Forest • Biome where you live!

• Located: Eastern half of the United States, Canada, Europe, parts of Russia, China, and Japan

• 4 distinct seasons

• Average temperature=50 F

• Average rainfall per year=30-60 inches

• Soil is thick and rich in nutrients to support a variety of plants

Temperate Deciduous Forest Plants Deciduous trees found here=lose their leaves in the fall

Maple Tree Ferns

Oak Tree Birch Tree

Beech Tree

Lichen

Temperate Deciduous Forest Animals • Animals must be able to adapt to changing seasons

Broad-Winged Hawk

Ladybug Opossum Raccoon

White-Tailed Deer Turtle

Tundra • Located: Alaska, Northern

Canada, edges of Greenland,

Northern Scandinavia,

northern Siberia, & Russia

• Long, cold winters and short,

summers (snow can fall in

summer)

• Temperature ranges from -18 F-

20 F

• 6-10 inches of rain a year

• Soil is frozen=permafrost

Tundra Plants

Bearberry

Caribou Moss

Diamond Leaf Willow Tufted Saxifrage

Tundra Animals

Polar Bear

Arctic Fox Grizzly Bear

Arctic Hare

Snowy Owl

Taiga • Located: Alaska,

Canada, Scandinavia,

and Russia; spreading

through the Northern

Hemisphere.

• Temperature range 25 F-

50 F

• Winter precipitation=snow

annually about 20-40 inches.

• Rainfall usually occurs in the

summer=10-20 inches

• Soil lacks nutrients

Taiga Plants • Coniferous trees dominate this biome=have cones

Pine Tree

Douglas Fir Tree

HemlockTree

Taiga Animals • Mammals with heavy fur coats can be found living

in this biome

Fox

Caribou

Reindeer Mink

Grey Wolf