APES 1: Biomes

Biomes

land biomes

@@Tropical Rainforest@@

• has the highest mean net productivity of any land biome
• found in all continents except for Europe and Antarctica
• characterized by tall trees and lots of rainfall, as well as a lot of biodiversity
• climate has consistent rainfall and temperatures throughout the year

@@Savanna@@

• moderate-high productivity, a lot of decomposition through termites occurs
• found in all continents except for Antarctica, and most frequently located in South America and Africa
• characterized by open grassland with scattered trees, high temperatures, and season drought

@@Desert@@

• low productivity due to low decomposition rates
• found in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia - covers 20% of the Earth
• characterized by a very dry climate (little rainfall) with little vegetation and constant high temperatures
• animals and plants adapted to conserve water

@@Temperate Grassland@@

• low productivity due to low temperatures in the winter and low levels of rainfall
• found in Australia, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia
• Characterized by relatively flat geography and large amounts of vegetation (think Midwestern U.S.)
• climate characterized by a wide range of temperatures: warm summers and cold winters, rainfall in the summer months

@@Temperate Deciduous Forest@@

• high productivity, nutritious soil that allows for tall trees
• can be found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia
• has all four seasons, which causes temperatures to vary throughout the year
• characterized by tall trees and moderate temperatures, as well as moderate, consistent rainfall throughout the year

@@Boreal Forest@@

• low productivity due to its low temperatures and low rates of decomposition
• located in North America and Asia: the biggest land biome in the world
• composed of coniferous forests and freshwater bodies
• characterized by low precipitation, species diversity, and temperatures (permafrost -10ºC to 10ºC)

@@Tundra@@

• very low productivity due to the extremely low temperatures and harsh conditions
• found in the Northern regions of Europe, Asia, North America, as well as Antarctica
• very low biodiversity
• characterized by low temperatures, frost, and low-growing plants such as mosses and grasses.

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aquatic biomes

^^freshwater biomes^^

• low salinity
• streams & rivers
  • flowing water has fewer plants, so the energy inputs come from terrestrial biome organic matter
• lakes & ponds
  • standing water
  • can be divided into depth zones (determined by how much light gets through)
  • littoral zone
    • algae + plants
    • most photosynthesis occurs
  • limnetic zone
    • open water
    • floating algae
  • profundal zone
    • no sunlight = no producers (low dissolved oxygen)
    • cannot support big organisms
  • benthic zone
    • muddy bottom
• freshwater wetlands
  • shallow and submerged for some time throughout the year
  • recharge groundwater while filtering pollutants
  • decrease flooding (slowly releases stored water)

^^marine biomes^^

• high salinity
• oceans, coral reefs, marshland, estuaries
• algae
  • supply a large portion of Earth’s oxygen and uptake CO2
  • primary producers of the oceans
• The distribution of marine natural resources, such as different types of fish, varies because of some combination of
  • salinity
  • depth
  • turbidity
  • nutrient availability
  • temperature

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water reservoirs

• oceans are primary water reservoirs
• others include ice caps and groundwater (freshwater)
• replenished by precipitation runoff or infiltration
• only 2.5% of the world’s water is freshwater