Biomes

a Dr. Production

IV. Terrestrial Biomes (life zones)

• A. Def. - geographical areas distinguished by particular dominant flora

• B. Characteristics1. Not a place, but a class of plants

2. Determined by climate

3. Boundaries are indistinct

4. Convergent evolution common between similar biomes

• Plant AdaptationsBrain Pop Land Biomes (dekalbcs dekalb)

Adaptations for Tundra LifeFlora Fauna

•Rapid life cycle•Short root systems•Ground hugging (short)

•Migration•Camouflaged winter & summer coats•Compact bodies•Thick insulating hair, feathers and fat

Adaptations for CF LifeFlora Fauna

•Waxy cuticles•Needlelike leaves•Triangular/conical shaped trees•Evergreen•Dark foliage

•Migration•Hibernation

Adaptations for DF LifeFlora Fauna

•Deciduous leaves•Dormant seasons•Humus•Stratification

•Give birth in the spring •Store & hide food•Underground dormancy

Adaptations for RF LifeFlora Fauna

•Drip tips•Buttressed bases•Epiphytes•Aerial roots•Stratification •Rapid growing

•Largest ectotherms•Cryptic coloration •Vocalization •Most diverse

Adaptations for Grassland LifeFlora Fauna

•Sod•Fibrous interconnected root systems•Grow from bottom up•Underground fire-resistant roots

•Travel in herds•Hunt in packs•Migration•Burrowing

Adaptations for Desert LifeFlora Fauna

•Tap roots•Shallow root systems•Cuticles•Succulents•Spines•Narrow leaves

•Migration•Aestivation•Large ears•Burrowing•Nocturnal

V. Marine & Aquatic Biomes• Primary ecological subdivisions of organisms

1. Plankton - at mercy of currents, weak or nonswimmers (small or microscopic)

a. Phytoplankton - primary producers, (cyanobacteria or diatoms)

b. Zooplankton - protists and small animals (larval stages)

2. Benthos - bottom dwellers (sessile, walking, or burrowing)

3. Nekton - larger, strong swimmers (top of the food chains)

B. Freshwater1. Zones

a. Littoral zone - near shoreline, richest in life

b. Limnetic zone - open water, sparse life

c. Profundal zone - deep. anaerobic, no light, detritovores, mineral rich

2. Lake stratification and seasonal turnover

3. Types of lakes

a. Oligotrophic - nutrient-poor, deep, sandy or rocky bottom, clear

b. Eutrophic - nutrient-rich, phytoplankton very productive, shallow, murky

Oligotrophic lake Eutrophic lake

Eutrophication(lake aging)

Adaptations for Aquatic LifeFlora Fauna

Don’t have stem support.

Stomata are evenly distributed.

No cuticles.

Gills for removing oxygen from the water, or skin as respiratory surface.

C. Marine life zones

1. Estuaries and salt marshes - where rivers (freshwater) meets saltwater of ocean

- most fertile water in the world, breeding grounds for many fish, nutrients from rivers meets constant mixing of tides (plants)

2.Intertidal zone - between high and low tides, rich in life forms (barnacles, clams, crabs), tidal pools

3.Subtidal zone - sea stars, sea urchins, worms, crabs, flounder

4.Neritic zone - over continental shelf (nekton and most benthic organisms are here (food is here) [photosynthetic limit - 200 meters]

5. Pelagic zone – includes neritic and open ocean6. Benthic zone - deep waters, mostly predators

• (Neritic zone)

= Neritic zone

Pelagic Zone

Coral Reefs of the World

Adaptations for Coral Reef LifeFlora Fauna

•Symbiosis •Zooxanthellae

•Symbiosis •Nursery for many marine organisms

Abyssal Zones

1. The mid-ocean ridge system with well known deep-water hydrothermal vent (ellipses) and cold seep (oblongs) regions. Vents: 1, Mid-Atlantic Ridge; 2, East Pacific Rise; 3, Galapagos Rift; 4, NE Pacific; 5 and 6, W Pacific back-arc spreading centres; 7, Central Indian Ridge. Cold seeps: 1, Gulf of Mexico; 2, NW Africa; 3, Laurentian Fan; 4, Barbados accretionary prism; 5, Monterey Bay; 6, Oregon subduction zone; 7, Sagami bay.

Geothermal Vents, 2

Adaptations for Abyssal LifeFlora Fauna

Symbiotic and chemosynthetic bacteria

Bioluminescent bodies

No air spaces

Small bodies

Pressure sensitive organs

Biomes Resources• Biome Interactive Movie

• Biomes of the World Videos

• Planet Earth: Ice Worlds: Oasis of Rock

• Essential & Endangered: Coral Reef Biomes

• Plant Adaptations