For separate ecosystems to be classified as the same type of biome, they must —

A) have deciduous forestsB) be located along the equatorC) have similar organisms and climatesD) be at least one hundred square meters in area

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Biomes

Biome is a large area that exhibits similar climate,

plants, and animals.

Ecologists group Earth's diverse environments into biomes.

Climate has 2 main components

TemperaturePrecipitation

Temperature and Precipitation help determine the type of vegetation in an ecosystem.

As temperature and precipitation decrease, the climate of an area becomes drier and vegetation becomes sparser.

Latitude and altitude affect climate and vegetation in similar ways.

Ecotone – a transition area between 2 adjacent ecosystems or communities that overlap. •contain elements of both bordering communities as well as organisms which are characteristic and restricted to the ecotone.

Can any organism (plant or animal) live in any biome?

Adaptation is a process in which a species becomes better suited to survive in an environment.

Plant Adaptations

Desert Adaptations

Small leaves or spines on desert plants conserve water. Thick waxy skin holds in water.Shallow root system soak up rain water quickly before

it evaporates.Xerophyte – plants structurally adapted for life and

growth with limited water supply.

Succulent – plants like cacti with fleshy tissues for storing moisture

Grassland AdaptationsDeep roots help plants survive prairie fires.Narrow leaves lose less water than broad leaves.Flexible stems bend in the wind.

Tundra Adaptations

Small plants grow close to the ground for warmth. Dark colored flowers absorb heat from the sun. Fuzzy stems provide protection from wind.

Rainforest AdaptationsThe Capirona tree employs a

unique adaptation to parasites. Each year, its bark sloughs off carrying with it an assorted variety of fungi, molds, insects, and other invasive plants.

Pointed drip tips channel rain to the soil and help keep the leaf blades dry.

Aerial plants gather nourishment from the air using 'air roots'

Temperate Forest AdaptationsThick bark protects trees and dropping leaves in winter

conserves water and nutrients during cold winters.

Animal Adaptation – any behavioral or physical

characteristic of an animal that helps it survive in its environment.

Structural (physical) adaptation -- are body structures that allow an animal to find and

consume food, defend itself, and to reproduce.

Body coverings & parts (claws, beaks, feet, armor plates, skulls, teeth)

Chemical defenses (like venom, ink, sprays)

Body size-Large size deters predators, makes metabolism more efficient-Small body size allows concealment, exploitation of small areas

Water conservation-cutaneous (skin) loss-excretory (urine/feces) loss -respiratory (breathing -- fewer breaths per minute means less

water lost per breath and lower metabolism)

*have the ability to convert the dry seeds they eat into water.*have specialized kidneys which allow them to dispose of waste materials with very little output of water.

kangaroo rats

Temperature management -Cold vs Warm blooded

OR -Homeothermy vs Poikilothermy

-Cold blooded (Ectothermic) animals have low energy overhead but are inactive in cool and cold conditions

-Warm blooded (Endothermic) animals have high energy overhead but can be very active even at low temperatures

Body Temperature Regulation: Endotherm vs. Ectotherm

Protective coloration and protective resemblance allow an animal to blend into its environment = camouflage

Their camouflage makes it hard for enemies to single out individuals.

Mimicry allows one animal to look, sound, or act like another animal to fool predators into thinking it is poisonous or dangerous.

The Viceroy butterfly uses

mimicry to look like the

Monarch butterfly.

Behavior adaptations include activities that help an animal survive – •allows animal to respond to life needs

Behavior adaptations can be learned or instinctive.

Migration - - an animal or group of animals moving from one region to another and then back again.

Animals migrate for different reasons (internal and external cues).

better climate better food safe place to live safe place to raise young go back to the place they were born

Hibernation -- deep sleep in which animal’s body temp drops, body activities are slowed to conserve energy.

Biome Locations

Tropical Rainforest

• Typically found near the equator• Receives < 200 cm of rain

annually• Temperatures typically on the

warmer side – averages about 75o F for the year

• As many as 50% of all the world’s animal species may be found here

• About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants

Tropical Rainforest

Layers of a Rainforest– Emergent Layer – tallest trees

(60-70m tall), grow and emerge in the direct sunlight.

– Canopy – trees >30m tall, form dense layer that absorbs 95% of sunlight

– Understory – trees and shrubs adapted to grow in shady areas. < 3.5 m tall

Tropical RainforestThreats: • Exotic pet trading• Habitat Destruction

-Timber production (mostly for export and fuel)-Slash-and-burn practices– for agriculture and cattle ranches

Deforestation for palm oil production in Malaysian Borneo.Logging operations and development of roads pose a big threat to tiger habitat

Tropical Savanna• Grasslands with a few scattered trees• Experience a wet and dry season• Hot temperatures• Annual rainfall is between 50 and 127 cm• More species of grazing mammals than any other biome

Savannas

• Location:– Africa, western India, Northern Australia & a few parts of

South America– Found in tropical to subtropical areas near equator

between tropical rainforests & desert biomes.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/savanna_location_map.gif

Desert• Typically found between 25o and 40o latitude• Receives > 25 cm of rain each year• Temperatures can be hot or cold - typically range between 20oC

and 25oC but some extreme deserts can reach temperatures higher than 38oC and lower than –15oC

Desert

• Hot Desert = Arizona’s Sonoran Desert• Cold Desert = Gobi Desert in China, Great Basin in

western US.• Often located near large mountain ranges • Rain shadow – An area having relatively little

precipitation due to the effect of a barrier, such as a mountain range, that causes the prevailing winds to lose their moisture before reaching it.

Rain Shadow

Chaparral

• Found between 32o and 40o latitude on the west coast of continents

• Fairly dry - Receives between 35 and 70 cm of rain, usually in the winter

• Extremely resistant to drought and weather events

Grassland

• Because of the dry climate, trees are found only near water sources such as streams

• Usually receives between 50 and 90 cm of rainfall each year

• warm or cold - Summer temperatures can reach up to 38oC and winter temperatures can fall to –40oC

• Considered to be the “bread baskets of the world”

Temperate Grasslands• Other names:Prairies in North America, steppes of Russia and

Ukraine, pampas of South America

Temperate Grasslands• Threats:– Farming and overgrazing have changed grasslands• Grain crops can’t hold the soil in place like native

grasses, so the soil is eroding• Both farming and overgrazing may cause this biome to

move/change more towards a desert-like biome.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Moderate climate - Temperatures range between –30oC and 30oC

• Most trees will lose their leaves in the winter

• Moderate Precipitation - Averages from 75 to 150 cm of precipitation

• Well developed understory

Temperate Deciduous Forest

• Deciduous – trees with broad leaves that fall during the winter season.

• Layers of the Forest:– Canopy: tall trees

(maples, oak, birch)– Understory : small trees

& shrubs– Floor: ferns, herbs,

mosses

Temperate Boreal Forest/Taiga• AKA Taiga• Typically found between 45o

and 60o North latitude• Cold climate in winter

(40 – 100 cm snow annually), with summer warm, rainy, and humid

• Very few reptiles• Limited understory - A lot of

coniferous trees • Snow is primary form of

precipitation (40 – 100 cm annually)

Tundra• Means treeless or marshy

plain• Characterized by permafrost

– permanently frozen soil starting as high as a few centimeters below the surface – which severely limits plant growth

• Winter temperatures (low) average –34oC while summer temperatures usually average below 10oC

• Low precipitation (15–25 cm per year) but ground is usually wet because of low evaporation

Tundra• Permafrost = permanently frozen soil (that lies

underneath the topsoil)

U.S. Global Change Research Program (2009).

Sinking land can damage buildings and infrastructure such as roads, airports, and water and sewer pipes. It also affects ecosystems

Tundra• Threats:– Fragile biome has a simple

food chain, so it can be easily disrupted

– Oil/natural gas explorations– airborne pollutants, such as

DDT and PCB's http://opinionhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/oil-rig-exploration-tundra.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01377/bp_1377049c.jpg