Land Biomes!20-1

Different ecosystems are home to different kinds of organisms!

The animals and plants that live there do so because of adaptations that allow them to survive in that environment!

The combo of abiotic and biotic factors make each biome different!

Remember...A Biome is a group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar communities

There are Land Biomes and Aquatic Biomes!

The Land Biomes are as follows:

1.) Forests: ~ Temperate Deciduous Forests ~ Coniferous Forests ~ Tropical Rainforests

2.) Grasslands: ~ Temperate grasslands ~ Savannas 3.) Deserts 4.) Tundra

Forest Biomes: 3 Types

1.) Temperate Deciduous Forest

** The type of forest that develops depends on the temperature and rainfall!

Characteristics:~ leaves change color in fall~ warm summers, cold winters~ rainfall avg. 29.5 - 49 in.

Plants you may find:~ leafy trees~ ferns, mosses, shrubs

Animals you may find:~ bears~ snakes~ many bird varieties

Let's see a cool video about the deciduous forest!

2.) Coniferous ForestCharacteristics:

~ mostly coniferous trees (pine trees)

* Conifer means "cone bearing"

* trees have needle-like leaves made to keep moisture in and be hearty during the winter

~ cool summers/ cold winters~ Avg. rainfall 14 - 29.5 in/yr

Plants you may find:~ various types of pine trees~ maybe some small conifer

shrubsAnimals you may find:

~ Deer~ Squirrels~ Various birds~ Insects~Porcupines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnkTwWV1PwU&feature=related

Let's check out more about the coniferous forest!

3.) Tropical RainforestsCharacteristics:

~ most diverse biome!~ thousands of different types

of plants and animals live here!~Avg. rainfall about 157.5 in~ very warm year round - 68oF -

93oF

Plants you may find here:~ thousands of varieties of flowers and

trees* Bougainvillea, Strangler Fig, and

Orchids just to name a few!

Bougainvillea

Strangler Fig

Animals you may find here:

~ thousands of different animals and insect live here!

~ Chimpanzees, King Cobras, Toucans, Harpy Eagle to name a few!

~Also has some of the largest and most amazing insects!

Orchid

Chimpanzee

Toucan Harpy Eagle

King Cobra

Leaf Mimic Bug

Let's see a video clip about the rainforest!

(realplayer)

Grassland Biomes:2 Types:

1.) Temperate Grasslands

Characteristics:* few trees* lots of grasses and flowering plants* avg. rainfall 10- 29.5 in* fairly cold winters/ warm summers

Plants you may see here:~ Grass! Many varieties!~ Ironweed~ Queen Anne's Lace~ Coneflowers~ Butterfly weed

Animals you may find here:~ Bison~ Wild horses~ Antelope~ Prairie dogs

2.) Savanna

Characteristics:~ grassland with scattered clumps of trees and seasonal

rains~ avg. rainfall 59 in. / yr~ Hot dry season and mild wet season~ found in parts of Africa, India, and S. America

Plants you may find here:~ Baobab Tree - can live for thousands of years!~ Acacia Tree~ Bermuda Grass

Animals you may find here:~ wild dogs~ elephants~ giraffes~ wildebeests~ black mamba~lions

Let's see a clip about the grasslands!(real player)

Let's see a clip about the Savanna! (real player)

Desert Biome

Characteristics:~ very dry and very hot!~ avg. rainfall less than 10 in/yr~ temps range from 100oF - 45oF~ very sparse vegetation and animal life

Plants you may find here:

~ Barrel cactus~ Joshua Tree~ Saguaro cactus~ Yucca

Animals you may find here:~ spadefoot toad~ jack rabbit~ roadrunner~ cactus wren~ desert tortoise~ thorny devil lizard

Let's see a video about the desert! (real player)

Tundra Biome

Characteristics:~ Extremely cold climate ~ Low biotic diversity ~ Simple vegetation structure ~ permafrost - layer of ground is frozen permanently!~ Short season of growth and reproduction~ Avg. rainfall 12-20 in~ Temps very cold year round -15 oF to 54of

Tundra is separated into 2 areas:Alpine and Arctic

Alpine Tundra: found at the top of large mountains above the tree line

Plants you may find there:~tussock grasses ~dwarf trees~ small-leafed shrubs

Animals you may find there:~ mountain goat~ elk~ butterflies~ grouse

Arctic (Polar) Tundra:~ found near the North and South poles

Plants you may find here:~ 400 varieties of flowers~liverworts~low shrubs

Animals you may find here:~ arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears~ falcons, loons, sandpipers~ arctic bumble bees~ caribou, arctic hares

Let's see a video clip about the tundra! (real player)

Marine Ecosystems

20-2

Marine is a word used to describe the water in the world's oceans.

The oceans hold the largest and smallest animals on the planet!The oceans are shaped by abiotic factors:

~Water Temperature~ Water Depth~ Amount of sunlight passing through the water column

Plankton - tiny organisms that float near the surface of the water

~ most plankton are producers~ many organisms rely on

plankton for food!

Water Temperatureand Depth

Water temp. decreases as the depth increases

~ because of this, different animals live at different depths and temperatures!

Too hot or cold may cause some org. to stop eating or die!

4 Main Zones of the Ocean:

1.) Intertidal

~Where the ocean meets the land~ waves always present~ animals and plants adapted to live in this

environment can survive the waves and being exposed to air for part of the day.

~ Animals: periwinkles, sea stars, anemones, crabs

~ Plants: Sea grapes, mangrove trees

2. Neritic Zone~ deeper water off

shore~ much sunlight

penetrates here!~ coral reefs live here

and thus so do numerous plants

and animals!

~ Animals: corals, sponges, tropical fish, dolphins, sea turtles

~ Plants: plankton, Sargasso seaweed 3.) Oceanic Zone

~ deep water of open ocean~ this zone can be thousands of feet deep!

~ Animals: Whales, sharks, jellyfish, squid

~ Plants: Plankton may float close to the top, kelp, seaweed, and seagrass

sea grasskelp

4.) Bethnic Zone~ the deep ocean floor~ deepest parts do not get any sunlight!~ Highly adapted org. live here - very cold and dark~ some have thermal vents that spew out boiling water and

minerals! Much of the life on the ocean floor thrives in these extreme environments - extremophiles! (remember?!)

~ Animals: worms, sea urchins, various fish

~ Plants: None!! It's too dark!

Animals eat each other or get nutrients from things that float down from the thsurface!

Giant isopod

Dumbo octopus

Gulper eel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u64ppKBY3cM

Let's see more! (real player)

Let's learn more about the coral reef!(real player - coral reefs)

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/environment/habitats-environment/habitats-oceans-env/coral-reefs/

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/planet-earth-deep-ocean-sea-vents.html

Let's check out the deep ocean! (real player - deep ocean)

Freshwater EcosystemsMost water on land is freshwater

~ streams~ rivers~ lakes~ swamps~ ponds

The water in streams and rivers is generally moving from fairly slowly to rapidly downhill.

Where does the water come from?

Springs

Rain

Snow melt

Each stream of water that joins another larger stream is called a tributary.

The large river is the Mississippi River

The smaller rivers like the Ohio River, Missouri River, Red River etc. feed into the Mississippi River...they are it's tributaries!

The freshwater ecosystems are characterized by their abiotic factors:

~How quickly the water moves - streams and rivers:

* certain plants and animals live in different velocities of water

*some can live in slow moving water, others can survive fast moving water like rapids!

The tributaries are fed by the water in their surrounding watersheds.~ an area of land from which the water flows into the brooks,

streams, and rivers~ The green area around the Miss. R. in the picture is it's

watershed!

Animals in streams and rivers:~ fish~ snails~ crayfish~ clams~ insects~ frogs and tadpoles

Ponds and Lake Ecosystems

~ these ecosystems are different from those in streams and rivers

~ the water does not flow in these areas - the water is still

Stream and River Ecosystems:

3 Zones:1.) Littoral zone - area of water closest to the

edge* algae and plants like cattails and rushes

grow here* snails, insects, small fish, salamanders,

and turtles live here too!

2.) Open-water Zone~ across the top of the water and

down as deep as the sunlight reaches

~ fishes and photosynthetic plankton live here

3.) Deep-water Zone* under the open-water zone* no sunlight penetrates here* Catfish, Carp, worms, crustaceans, fungi, and bacteria live here* These org. usually eat dead org. that sink to the bottom

Wetland Ecosystem!

Wetland - area of land that is sometimes underwater or contains a great deal of moisture

Important facts:~ supports many different animals and plants~ help with regional flood control by soaking up large

amounts of water after heavy rains or snowmelt~ help filter the water supply and replenish groundwater

2 Types of Wetlands:

1.) Marshes

* mostly grasses, algae, reeds, wild rice, and other low plants thrive

* No trees!

* found in shallow areas along shores of lakes, ponds, rivers and

streams

* common animals are muskrats, turtles, frogs, and birds

2.) Swamps

* Has trees and vines - bald cypress, willows, oaks, poison ivy

* may also have water lilies and duckweed

* usually found beside slow-moving rivers in low-lying areas

* flooded part or most of the year

* common animals are alligators, herons, snakes, frogs, salamanders

Let's check out some more about the Wetlands!(real player)