Terrestrial Biomes

What are the features of deserts?

Lowest moisture levels of all ecosystems(no precipitation) resulting in lack of plant growth which is a limiting factor for any other consumer or decomposer

What are the features of Topical Subtropical or true deserts.

Located in the interior of continents far from sources of moisture between 15 degrees and 30 degrees latitude.

Are the result of trade winds that heat up as they move towards the equator

sun expossure and minimal precipitation

What are the features of rain shadow deserts

Formed primarily due to their position on the leeward of a large mountain range.

What are the factors of Coastal Deserts?

Ocean water cools the air so much that it is unable to hold moisture well

The Andes Mountains form a rain shadow effect on the opposite

What latitudes are temperate desets found at?

fall in higher latitudes between 40 and 60 degrees.

What does the location of Temperate deserts mean latitude wise?

This means much more temperature variablity(has more seasons)

What types of plants are at temperate deserts?

Succulents meaning they tend to have more thickened and fleshy parts for storing water supporting plants adapted tot eh climate

do succulent plants grow fast or slow?

slow

What are polar desserts?

Consistently freezing biomes

How does polar deserts receive precipitation rather than rain?

Snow and ice

Where are Polar or cold deserts?

Very high latitudes above 80 degrees

What are the qualities of polar or cold deserts? And give an example of where you can find one?

Covered in ice sheets, less than 250mm of rain a year, Most of the interior of Antartica is conidered a polar desert.

What are grasslands?

Grasslands are places that receive lots of precipitation and cooler temperatures than deserts and water being a less limiting factor and there is a lot more biomass found.

What is biomass?

the amount of organisms

What is another term for the Savanna

Tropical Grassland

What are the qualities of Savannas?

Located near the equator usually between desert and rainforest biomes.

Savannas have consistent temperatures seasons are based on precipitationw

What is another word for praries?

Temperate Grasslands

What are some qualities of Temperate Grasslands?

Seasons based on temperature cold winters can be below freezing and hot summers

How did prarie plants adpt?

Have adapted to the cold winter and frequent absence of precipitation by evolving root systems that can be several feet deep

It enables prarie plants to recover quickly from drought or wildfire while the slow growing trees cannot.

What are the qualities of Polar Grasslands or Tundras?

Below freezing most of the year which means the limiting factor is temperature.

In Tundras due to the short growing season…

only the top layer of soil actually thaws and can support plant life. The rest is permafrost.

What is permafrost?

permafrost is permanantly frozen soil.

What kind organisms grow in Tundras?

only small plants and lichens because of the short growing season

What are all the type of deserts?

Topical/Subtropical/true deserts/ Rainshadow deserts/Coastal Deserts/ Temperate Deserts/Polar Deserts

What are all the type of grasslands

Praries,Savana, and Tundras

What are all the type of Forests?

Tropical Rainforests, Temperate Rainforests, Temperate Decidious Forest,Taigas

What is the anatomy of a Forest?

Emergent Layer

Canopy

Understory

Shurb Layer

Forest Floor

What is the Forest Floor

Is mostly home to decomposers due to lack of sunlight

What is shrub layer

consists of shorter plants that untilize the 5% of sunlight that passses throught the canopy(mostly small shrubs and seedlings)

What is understory

consists of vegetation immediately below the canopy

What is a canopy

the outermost layer of leaves within a group of trees most animal life is found here.

What is a Emergent layer

consists of the tallest trees that reach above the canopy

What are the qualities of Forests?

consistent precipitation compared to deserts and grasslands allowing them to support hardwood trees.

Where are tropical rainforests located?

They are located near the equator

What are the qualities of Tropical Rainforests?

Receive the greatest amount of rainfall of any other biome and are consistently warm.

Few abiotic limiting factors for plant growth

Nutrient cycles occur very rapidly in rainforests due to the rapid growth of both producers and decomposers

Qualities of Temperate Rainforests

Receive a comparable amount of precipitation to tropical ones but are higher latitudes and therefore colder temps.

Where are Temperate Deciduous Forests located?

Located at higher latitudes(30 degrees-50 degrees)

What are the qualities of temperate deciduous Forests.

Located at higher latitudes (30 degrees-50 degrees) experience a winter that reaches below freezing

IT is also VERY SEASONAL

What are broadleaf trees and where are they located?

Broadleaf trees lose moisture rapidly through transpiration so they will shed their leaves during the winter or dry season in temperate decidious forests.

Where are taigas?

Found throughout the far northern latitudes(50 to 60 degrees)

Qualities of taigas?

Characterized by coniferous trees which are much more well adapted to the long cold moistwinters

What are mediterranean Shrublands/Chaparral

Oak woodlands and shrublands/chaparral with highly seasonal precipitation.

Nearly all precipitation occurs in the winter months

summers are completely dry leading to wildfires.

Where are temperate rainforests found?

midlatitudes

Do temperate decidious forests have consistent precipitation?

yes

Do temperate decidious forests have separate growing seasons?

yes because it has seasons

What do temperate decidious forests do to conserve water in the four seasons.

They drop their leave until spring

Where are tropical rainforests found?

found in equatorial regions

Central South America South East Asia as well a some South of North America and the middle of Africa as well as South Asia

What are the tropical rain forests like?

They are characterized by plants with broad leaves that fall off throughout the year. The loss of leaves are associated with variation in temperature and sunlight. These forests are evergreen year round.

Describe the climate of tropical rain forests.

The precipitation varies monthly and the temperature remain between 68 and 93 degrees F meaning it is very stable in comparision to other terrestrial biomes. It is also hotter compared to temperate rainforests.

Can rainforests be found on every continent?

No antartica does not have rainforests.

When could the complete destruction of rainforests happen?

Next 100 yrs

What is the climate of Temperate Rainforests like?

Similar Precipitation to tropical rainforests which is very seasonal and the temperatures and temperatures are much colder. The precipitation is like a U shape for temperate rainforests

What is the reason for the location of temperate rainforests in the coastal area?

They are the effect of the windward side of the rainshadow effect which is one of the reasons why it is so cold.

Where are Temperate decidious forests found?

Mid Latitudes

And in the US the Eastern side and only a little bit in South America also western Europe

What are teperate decidious forests characterized by?

Having four seasons

What is the climate of temperate decidious forests like?

range from -22 to 80 F meaning that it goes from very cold to somewhat hot and it also characterizes the fact on how varied the temperature is.

What do trees of decidous forests do to conserve water in the winter?

Drop their leaves

Where are Temperate forests found?

North or South of the Equator and the Northwest and the South west of North America and South America respectively

What is precipitation in Temperate Decidious forests like?

It is fairly consistent throughout the year

Where are taigas found?

most of the north places such as Canada Alaska Russia and Northern Europe

What is the temperature of Taigas like?

cold dry winters and short cool wet summers

Why is there little evaporation in Taigas?

Due to cold temperatures cold air holds less moisture

What has the snow in Taigas resulted in?

cone bearing pplants which result in them able to shed snow off their branches.

What is the precipitation in Taigas like?

little to none

Where are Temperate Grasslands Located?

Mid latitudes

central North America south east South America

What is the temperature like in temperate grass lands

They vary greatly cold winters hot summers

What is precipitationlike in praries

precipitation is seasonal

What is the savanna a mix off?

tropical forest and temperate grassland

What is the temperature like in Savannas?

warm temperatures year round

How are the seasons determined in Savannas?

precipitation: during wet seasons it is winter and during dry season it is summer

What is something that temperate grasslands and Savannas have in common?

They both have fires

Where are savannas located?

East South America and Africa prominently as well as Australia

Where are tundras?

located arctic regionsof northern hemisphere basicallythe top part of the map while tundras are located on top of the US

What are temperatures like in tundras?

Very cold winters and cold summers(coldest harshest)

What does Alpine mean?

Mountainous

Why can’t trees grow in Alpine Tundras?

High Altitude growing season is only 180 days resulting in only low lying grass

What is the temperature like in tundras?

Very cold winters and cold summer

What is the precipitation like in Tundras?

There is little precipitation with little variation.

Where are tundras?

top of the world

What type biome is this?

Rainforest biome

What type of biome is this?

Temperate Rain Forest Biome

What type of biome is this?

Temperate Decidious Forest

What type of biome is this?

Tiaga biome

What biome is this?

Savanna

Which one recieves more precipitation tundra or taiga?

tundra

What biome isthis?

Tundra Biome

What biome is this?

desert biome