1. How is the number of sea urchins affected by the number of sea otters in this community?

2. How is the number of sea otters affected by the number of sea urchins?

• Compare variations, tolerances, and adaptations in different biomes

Today’s Objective:

Can be found in the book: Pg. 74 - 83

Biomes are a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms.

Review:

Rain Forests found near the equator

Abiotic Factors:

Warm temps (Avg. 25° C)

Large Amounts of Moisture

High levels of Rainfall

Rich Soil

Biotic Factors:Rainforests have more biodiversity than any other biome.

Animals that can live in trees

Organisms that need a lot of moisture (frogs/fungi)

Organisms that don’t need a lot of light (under the canopy)

Desert Biomes

Desert Biomes

Deserts: areas that receive less than 25 cm of rain per year.

Most deserts get very hot during the day and get very cold at night.

Abiotic Factors:

Drastic Temp changes from day to night

Very dry

Very low levels of Rainfall

Little or no topsoil

In the Desert Biome, plants (cactus) have the ability to hold water for

later use and most animals (scorpion) are nocturnal.

Animals usually have thick shells or skin

Get water from food, or store water (plants)

Come out at night and burrow during the day

Grassland

Grassland

Grasslands receive more rain than the desert - enough to support grasses and bushes, but

not enough to support a lot of trees.

Abiotic Factors:

Has a rainy season and a dry season

Rich soil

Temperatures vary throughout the year

Dominated by grasses

Grazing animals

Animals that can adjust to fit season- thicker coats in winter, burrow during extreme temps

Deciduous Forest

Abiotic Factors:

Temperatures vary greatly- very cold winter, hot summer

Annual rainfall (50-300cm)

Soil- rich top layer, deep clay layer

Deciduous Forest

The weather in this area changes with

the seasons. It becomes very cold in the winter and

hot in the summer. There is enough

rainfall to support large trees.

Trees in this biome drop their leaves in the fall and new ones sprout each spring.

Nesting birds

Diverse animals

Animals that can adjust to fit season- thicker coats in winter, hibernating during extreme temps

A lot of brown and green animals

Tundra

TundraAbiotic Factors:

Little annual rainfall

Dry, very cold

Soil- underneath thin topsoil- frozen ground, no nutrients in the soil

Treeless land

Limited organisms due to low vegetation and extreme cold

Only shallow-rooted grass and small plants

Migration animals, very insulated

Lot of white animals

Taiga: also known as northern coniferous

Abiotic Factors:

A little warmer, and wetter than tundra

Long severe winter, short mild summer

Soil- poor in minerals and acidic

Coniferous trees- aspen, birch

Large animals

Animals with thick fur and that hibernate in severe conditions