Biomes Test

Study 15-20 mins every day, the test is on Febuary 11th.

BIOME

A large area of land defined by similar climate, geographic location, and vegetation.

CLIMATE

The overall average weather patterns for a certian place.

VEGETATION

plant life/flora

FOUR aspects of CLIMATE that are most commonly used to distinguish one biome from another biome:

Tempurature, sun intensity, humidity, precepitation.

5 MAJOR BIOMES AND SUB BIOMES

1. desert (hot desert, cold desert)

2. grassland (temperate grassland/prarie, tropical grassland/savvana.

3. tundra (artic tundra, alpine tundra

4. aquatic (freshwater, marine)

5. forest (dedicious, Taiga/Coniferous, rainforest(

DESERT FACTS

• less than 10 inches of rain per year

• sandy soil

• hot tempuratures - hot in the day cold in the night

• location: between 30 degrees north and south of the equator

GRASSLAND FACTS

• Defined by grasses: primary vegetation is grass

• Temperate grassland: prairie, is usually colder because of distance from the equator. More average temperatures, very fertile soil, snows in this biome (and rains though not always as much as the tropical grassland), there is a growing season and a dormant season

• Tropical grassland: savanna, usually hot, instead of a winter season it has a rainy season, soil is older and not as fertile

• Overall Location: Between 60° N and S of the Equator…Tropical Grasslands are located closer to the equator, and Temperate Grasslands tend to be between 30-60^o N and S.

Tundra

• Coldest biome

• Permafrost: frozen soil that never completely thaws

• Limited amount of life

• Precipitation mainly in the form of snow

• Low biodiversity: minimal vegetation and animal types

• Location: Northernmost biome on land

Aquatic: Marine-

• More than 1% salt, average salinity is 3.5%

• Has water; animals in biome need to be able to live in water

• Many different ecosystems

• External temp, snowfall, rainfall, sun intensity, etc. all vary based on the latitude

• Largest biome: covers about 70% of the planet

• Vegetation: algae, seaweed: creates about 80% of the world’s oxygen

• Location: all over the world (found at almost every latitude)

Aquatic: Freshwater- 

Deciduous Forest- 

• Trees: with leaves, colors of the leaves change with the season and drop off in the fall, grow back in spring

• 4 Distinct Seasons

• Mixed forest (often found with coniferous trees)

• Average temperature and precipitation is seasonal, does snow in this biome

• Location: Between 30° to 60° N+S of the Equator

Taiga Forest/Coniferous Forest- 

Taiga Forest/Coniferous Forest- 

• Coldest forest (low temps often below freezing)

• Snowy 

• Sparse vegetation (trees are spread out, far less trees than other forests)

• Trees: Conifers (trees with needles and cones)

• Evergreen trees (green all year round)

• Location: northernmost forest (below the tundra)

Rainforest

• Mostly trees with leaves (not needles)

• Continuous growing season (because of proximity to equator)

• Biodiversity is massive (many different species of plants and animals)

• High sun intensity

• High rainfall: greater than 250 inches per year

• High Humidity

• Soils rich in some minerals but ultimately lower fertility overall

• Location: close to the equator

desert animals

cactus and sagebrush

desert animals

camael, fennec fox

grassland plants

big bluestem, elephant grass

grassland animals

bison, lion

tundra plants

moss, lichen

tundra animals

arctic fox, caribou

aquatic plants

algae, seagrass

aquatic animals

fish, dolphin

forest plants

oak tree, pine tree

animals:

deer, brown bear