BIOMESBIOMES

Created by Nancy Robbins, Sunnyside

What is a Biome?What is a Biome?

• Environment – Land – Water – Plants– Animals

Tropical Rain ForestTropical Rain Forest• Receives high levels of

precipitation, 100-160 inches a year

• Temperatures, 80-90 degrees F

• Tall trees, canopy • Thin soil, lacks

nutrients• Animals live in tree

branches – monkeys, birds, insects

DesertDesert

• Receives very little precipitation, less than 10 inches annually – dry

• Poor soil, little organic matter

• Supports little life• Cacti, birds, snakes,

rodents, big horn sheep

Temperate Deciduous ForestTemperate Deciduous Forest

• Temperatures are moderate

• Precipitation year round

• Many deciduous trees• Rich soil – lots of

organic matter• Deer, birds, fox,

squirrel, earthworms

GrasslandGrassland• Area covered with

grass• Not enough

precipitation to support trees, more than 10 inches a year

• Fertile and deep top soil – good farmland, wheat

• Bison, cattle, sheep, horses

ChaparralChaparral• Temperate shrub land• Cool, rain in winter • Hot summers• Very little rain• Poor soil, precipitation

leaches the soil• Short woody plants with

simple evergreen leaves• Flammable – fire helps seed germinate• Great horned owl, chipmunks, lizards

Temperate Rain ForestTemperate Rain Forest

• High levels of precipitation, 150 – 200 inches annually

• Moderate temperatures rarely drop below freezing

• Tall coniferous trees, ferns, fungi

• Deer, salmon, arachnids •

TaigaTaiga

• Northern Coniferous Forest

• Long, cold winters• Short summers• Soil is either very cold

or very dry• Precipitation is mostly

snow• Elk, deer, caribou,

wolves, black bears

TundraTundra• Treeless plains of

northern region• Dark, cold, long

winters• Intense sun in

summer• Thin layer of soil,

frozen below• Low grasses and

shrubs• Soil is mostly frozen